Is your dog's unusual barking a secret code for something mysterious?

[robbo100]

Hi there,

 

I am very new to chickens and have got 4 POL hybrids (8 days ago). Having literally had my first egg from the flock in the last hour , I am very excited, but also a little worried about one of my birds.

 

The goldline seems to be slightly lethargic at times (She looks to be by far the youngest, with no redness around the eyes and the tiniest (almost non-existant) of combs, along with the being by far the smallest of the birds). She is often very active and seems to be eating and drinking fine and runs around with the others. However, she sometimes becomes a little withdrawn and will sit down on the ground and shut her eyes, sometimes rolling onto her side and sticking out her legs.

 

I have no idea what a chicken should really be doing (these are my first), but it does seem to be a little different in behaviour from the others when she does this.

 

Should I be worried? I have read a lot of posts about soft eggs (which I presume are painful to the bird as they don't travel down to the vent in a smooth and lubricated manner?). But I am not sure she is mature enough to be laying yet in any case!

 

As I say, she seems to behave chicken like 85% of the time, so should I be worried?

 

Thanks

 

Robbo100

Edited September 13, 2010 by Guest

[Christian]

Lying on her side with her legs sticking out? Her wing too? If so, she could be sun bathing (fat chance at the moment)

 

I would just keep an eye on her, they are still probably settling in and should be fine in a few days.

 

The basic health check here is good for reference.

[robbo100]

Thanks for the link.

 

In fairness, the sun was out for a change and if I remember correctly her wing was out too, but she often sits on the floor under the house too. Maybe she is just a lazy bird as she seems otherwise healthy from the list provide at the link.

 

She has just jumped a 90 cm fence (with flight feathers clipped) so she can't be that sick!

 

I will keep a close eye on here over the next few days.

 

Thanks again

 

Robbo100

[robbo100]

Well, she seems much worse today and is just sitting around with her eyes shut. Not having kept chickens before I asked a neighbour about the symptoms and they suggested Coccidiosis as a likely disease. I did a good images search for "chicken poo Coccidiosis" and the images that came back were similar to a small number of poos I have in the run (kind of like tomato puree mixed in with the normal poo).

 

I can not be sure the the bad poo is from her, but it is likely since she exhibits all the other symptoms exactly! She is really thin now and will run for corn, but after a couple of mouthfuls she will sit down and shut her eyes with her beak open.

 

I have done a thorough clean of the house and moved to run to a fresh part of the garden. I have also taken her out into a separate run and will keep her in a box overnight.

 

So how should i treat here?

 

Can I get something over the counter?

 

Will the others catch it too (they all look perfect at the moment!)?

 

Any advice would be very useful indeed.

 

Thanks

 

Robbo100

[Christian]

You need to get to a vet asap, I would go tomorrow and get her treated. Coccidiosis is said to be in 95% of all flocks and only comes out when the birds are stressed. Moving house could be seen as stressful for them!

 

You can get a liquid that you add to their drinking water. No experience of coccidiosis myself, but others have.

 

Keep her warm and cosy, feeding anything she will eat, pellets mixed with warm water to make a porridge is good. Do you have any poultry tonics, like lifeguard? Good added to the drinking water to give her a boost.

 

Good luck.

 

 

edit - found this - viewtopic.php?f=11&t=68053&p=981406&hilit=coccidiosis#p981406

[robbo100]

Thanks,

 

Should I expect the other birds to go down with it? They all seem very active and exhibiting normal chicken behaviour (one has a touch of the runs, but has had that for the last 9 days since I bought her). I don't really want to treat all the birds unnecessarily, but clearly I don't really want to get a week down the line and have 3 more sick chickens!

 

Also, most of the treatments seem to be unlicensed for chickens, so will I be able to eat her eggs if she does pull through?

[Egluntyne]

Should I expect the other birds to go down with it?

It is worth treating them as if they will. Add some coxoid **Not licensed for use in pultry in UK (available online) to their drinking water as a precaution.

[robbo100]

Technically, Coxoid is not licensed for poultry where the meet or eggs are to be consumed. I presume though that everyone ignores that and just doesn't consume any eggs for a months or so?

 

Robbo100

[robbo100]

Just noticed some redness in the poo from one of the 3 healthy birds too!

[Egluntyne]

You are right, Coxoid isn't licensed for use in poultry in UK, and it would be prudent to observe an egg withdrawal period.

 

I think I'm right in saying that strictly speaking it should only be given to chickens on the say so of a vet as it appears to fall within the Small Animal Exemption Scheme.

[coco]

You need to get her to a vet asap. My young light sussex had Cocci a few weeks ago, the vet gave her an injection and tablets that were a mixture of antibiotics and anticoccidiants. As for getting her to eat I gave Flora baby food in a syringe as the vet suggested it. Make sure she is getting enough water as she will dehydrate very quickly if it is Cocci. I would treat the rest of your hens with an anticoccidiant as a precaution.

[Redwing]

It doesnt sound like Coccidiosis, the symptoms arent particularly typical and most hybrids are vaccinated against it on hatching but I guess you cant rule it out completely

 

I'd guess at Mareks but she most likely has been vaccinated against that too

 

Hybrids are usually hatched on a commercial scale and have usually been subject to a comprehensive programme of vaccinations so the range of things she can be suffering from should in theory be restricted

 

I think its probably a good idea to get her to a vet for a proper diagnosis

 

If you have already bought Coxoid it will do no harm to start to dose them while you try for a vets appointment

[robbo100]

Hi Redwing,

 

A local breeder popped round last night and also said that although initially thinking it was Coccidiosis, having seen the bird it didn't look like it.

 

She hasn't eaten for 24 hours and is just sitting quietly making the odd soft squark, mouth open. She is also sneezing quite a lot too. Her eyes are clear (but often closed).

 

I will sort something out for today.

 

Robbo100

[robbo100]

Well, Sarah has spent the last 36 hours hunched in a ball, occasionally gasping for air and shaking her head to remove mucus. She has not taken any food or drink at all during this period and has lost a lot of weight, but she has suddenly started acting like a chicken again .

 

This afternoon, she suddenly started eating an oat mash (with some cider vinegar and garlic) which I had made for her this morning. Within 3 hours, she was very slowly strutting around, with chicken like head movements and weakly scratching at the grass. She is not eating much yet, but she looks like she might be improving (she will probably die now I have written that ).

 

I have put her in a box indoors again tonight (pretty wet and windy out tonight and don't want her back with the others yes), and I will see how she is in the morning.

 

I am amazed at the difference in her. This may sound stupid, but the chicken like movements are really there, but in slow motion due to her weakness . Hopefully she can get her strength back quickly.

 

Would some sugar or syrup in a mash help her to get some energy quickly - or is than not good for chickens?

 

I still have no idea what is wrong with her and if it is contagious - the other three seem unaffected.

[Pikey]

Good news....sounds like she may of had a cold??

 

Keep going with the garlic as this is good for them and get some citradel (available online from omlet) for it. I usually give honey mixed in with some weetabix if feeling a bit low ...and perhaps try to give her some grapes with honey as well to keep her hydrated if not eating. Might we worth keeping her seperate from the others to give her a chance to recover and prevent it being passed on.

 

Keep an eye on things tho.....my lot had coccidiosis earlier in the year and its surprising how quickly it hits and spreads. You will need to go to a vet ASAP....I am very glad I did.

 

Fingers crossed for you.

[sandyhas3chucks]

is there any news?