How Quickly Does Albendazole Work?

[EK Chooks]

I have bought a hybrid amber star (one of three birds) and she has not settled well. Within 24 hrs she has been become lethargic and sleepy. She doesn't show any real interest in finding food etc. She tends to stand still, hunch down and look sorry for herself.

 

She is on grass (possibly for the first time) and she had straw in her nest box for the first couple of nights, which has led us to think crop impaction and have given her live white maggots (as recommended for crop impaction on other forums) which she did eat! and have been massaging her crop, but we are not experienced keepers and are questioning our diagnosis.

 

It is cold at the moment (approx 0 deg C).

 

I am not even confident about finding the crop at the moment (as obvious as that might seem to the experienced) and would appreciate some practical advice on this so i don't confuse it with some other organ!!!.

 

I am worried that we are missing something more serious, or is it just stress and settling in? The other two birds are active and obviously in good health.

 

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

 

HELP!!

[Tutti Frutti]

Aww your poor chook. I love Ambers.

 

I'm a beginner too but when we got ours, we had them on straw (or was it hay? you're only meant to use one and not the other! can't remember now!) and the monkeys were eating it. So we only used if for that first night as we were worried about crop impaction. We went out and bought dust-extracted shavings the next day.

 

Your girl's crop is the bulge to one side of her chest. It should empty overnight as she digests the food so the bulge should be gone in the morning.

 

Sorry I can't help much more. You're right though, it could be the shock and stress of the move. Have you mentioned it to your supplier, in case they've had other reports and might have poorly chooks?

 

I don't know if separating her is practical for you? If she has an infection, you'll prevent it spreading to the other two. Whereas, if she is just nervous, you might have made work for yourself in reintroducing her to the other pair later on - they sound like they've settled in well and could establish themselves as a pair and gang up on her.

 

It's a tricky one. Hope someone else can offer better advice soon! Just wanted to offer some moral support... Good luck.

[Redwing]

How long have you had them?

 

She could just be being bullied a bit by the others and has withdrawn a bit, if you suspect she is being bullied an extra food and water station can work well

 

It could be that she has been raised indoors and its all a bit of a shock to her

 

The crop is up on one side above the chest of the chook, it should be full in the evening so is easier to find late in the day

 

If she has an impacted crop the crop will be hard to the touch AND still be full in the morning (a normal crop can also feel hard tlo the touch) if its still full in the mornng a drop of olive oil syrnged in to her beak and a gentle massage may loosen it - dont try to make her sick though!

 

I take it there are no other symptoms such as sneezing etc?

 

As it stands I would probably try bringing her in for the night (cardboard box/cat carrier/dog cage) mix her up some pellets with warm water to eat and see if a night in the warm and a good feed perks her up

[sparkysmum]

I don't know your set up but my guess is that she's cold. My ladies are very unhappy at the mo & I would imagine that a very young hen would be even more so. Try to insulate your run & provide extra bedding if poss. I will be buying a heat lamp from Wells Poultry as soon as they're open after the hols. Hope she's feeling happier soon. Ax

[EK Chooks]

I don't think that she is being bullied. I've spent a lot of time over the last couple of days stood in the snow watching her, and the others just seem to go about their business.

 

She is not sneezing and looks well generally. I've tried pellets in warm water and did try olive oil from a fringe but she got stressed so i stopped. I'll check the crop again in the morning, and despite myself, i suspect she might have a night in doors tomorrow....I try to be a hard farmer.........!!

[Egluntyne]

Have you checked her over for any signs of injury and listened for any rattly or wheezy sounds from her chest?

 

What are her poos like?

[EK Chooks]

Firstly thanks very much for all the advice, it is appreciated.

 

There are no obvious signs of injury and we have been handling her regularly over the last few days so I think i would have noticed.

 

I haven't listened to her chest properly, but haven't noticed a wheeze while holding her. The only thing i have noticed is that occasionally she opens her mouth slightly and almost moans. She has only done this maybe 3 times that i have noticed over the last couple of days. Today i also noticed that she had a very little bit of mucus in her mouth which strung between upper and lower beak right at the very end. I only saw this first thing while inspecting her mouth and it was only a little bit so i am not sure how significant this is. I think it was before she had drunk anything. She had some slight crispy mucus around her nostrils, but again very little and it didn't look worrying to my inexperienced eye.

 

First thing this morning she still seemed a little drowsy so we separated her (primarily so that we could gauge how much she was eating and drinking), and put her in the green house where the temp was up to 10 deg C briefly in the early afternoon. I fed her some more white maggots and apple sauce. She was drinking well and being in the green house seemed to perk her up a little (well it works for the tomatoes!!). She seemed more feisty when we transfered her back in to the coup with the other two for the night, but soon adopted the hunched stance and started looking drowsy again. A positive is that she fed and drank well (having some pellets once back with the others) and hasn't got any worse today, and her crop seems to have reduced in size.

 

Her poo seems OK, big with a defined dark solid bit and runny white part. She hasn't done lots, but she has done a number and all looked OK to me. If anything they are perhaps slightly wetter than the other birds. I hope this means she is well hydrated. There was an orangey brown poo in the coup yesterday but I am not sure whether this

was her or one of the other birds and i read somewhere that this is normal every so many poos. Is this correct?

 

Also, not sure if this is relevant, but she has not started laying yet but she is young and one of the other birds isn't either.

 

Any thoughts?

[Tutti Frutti]

There was an orangey brown poo in the coup yesterday but I am not sure whether this was her or one of the other birds and i read somewhere that this is normal every so many poos. Is this correct?

 

Yes, thats right! I was quite alarmed by the mustardy ones but they are normal! More here http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0

 

But don't click the link if you're having dinner as there are lots of graphic (but useful!) photos

 

Glad she's eating, drinking, pooing and perking up in the warmth of the greenhouse. Sounds like she's suffering in the cold

 

 

I hope she's just settling in, rather than ill. Here's a thread here http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=56964 about things we can do to help our girls through the weather.

 

Hope she's even better tomorrow!

[sandyhas3chucks]

personally I am not so happy with hearing of the Mucas. and crusty bits.and the open beak bit with a moan.

I would pop her to the Vet tom, as sounds like she could be coming down with something and a course of antibiotics started earlier is always better than later.

Another thought on rereaing is could her 1st egg be stuck?

I have ZERO exp of youngsters, so have no experience or knowledge on that one.(am thinking she might be straining and hence the moan, did she seem like she was straining?

I would bring her in for the night as long as you are not leaving someone alone out in the cold!

good luck

[EK Chooks]

Thanks to everyone for their help. Your support at times like this is invaluable.

 

We took the advice and had a trip to the vets (just to be sure). She got clean bill of health but as a precaution the vet gave us a course of antibiotics. However we decided that syringing antibiotics into her mouth was probably going to stress her and be more detrimental than beneficial, so we decided to leave it and monitor her. That was a couple of days ago and she has been in general population since then and has picked up.

 

We have been giving her warm oatmeal/porridge which she (and the others!) have been enjoying, along with white maggots, to supplement layers pellets.

 

Whether she had a virus, the cold or whether it was the stress of moving (or a combination of all three), i don't know. But she appears to be on the up.

 

Thanks again to everyone who helped.