Pekin Bantam - unwell - please help!

[Anonymous]

Hello. We have 7 Pekin Bantam hens. Unfortunately one of our buffs (Marmalade) seems to be unwell. She has turned very pale around the head and comb and just sits with her head tucked into her body feathers, rarely moving. Her eyes also look pale and are often closed. When she does move she is really slow and lethargic. She is eating and drinking a little but much less than normal and her crop is never full. We have separated her from the other hens and brought her inside. Can anyone suggest what might be the problem and what we should do? I expected her to die within a couple of days but it has been over a week now and there is little change. She is about 18 months old.

 

[podstable]

Sorry shes unwell. All those are really just symptoms of being ill rather than anything specific. Possibilities that I would think of first- red mite , respiratory infection--sneeze,cough,snotty,wheezy?? Is she eating or drinking? I would bring her inside to keep warm , out of coop and isolated, probably syringe some fluids into her , thoughly check house for mite etc. I think to take it further if you cannot see a cause will involve a vet visit --maybe expensive but not as costly as replacing birds if it is an infection. Once they are that ill they can go off so quickly. Hope you find a solution. Ros.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Ros. Many thanks for your quick reply. I have checked her all over for red mites and there is no sign. We suffered with mites in 2009 but since discovering the wonderful Poultry Shield we have been pretty much clear.
She doesn't appear to be sneezing,coughing,snotty, or wheezy either although her breathing is slow. She's eating and drinking a little but not with any of the normal chicken enthusiasm. We've kept her inside for the last 5 days and I guess we expected her to either recover or go down hill and die. I wasn't expecting no change!
I think we'll probably have to see the vet if there isn't any improvements over the next few days.
Kind regards James

 

[Tim]

Hi James,

Have they been wormed?

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Tim. I use Verm-X pellets occasionally in with the layers pellets. Not perhaps as frequently as I should though although the instructions on the packaging are rather vague. Should I try to give her some worming pellets whilst she's inside.

 

[Tim]

Personally, I would worm them with Flubenvet.

Have a read of this article..

Natural Parasite Control Called into Question

It might not be worms... but with my birds I usually check that first, then look at what else the problem could be if it's not a worm problem.

Hope this helps.

 

[Anonymous]

Many thanks for the advice Tim.

 

[Anonymous]

Many thanks to Ros and Tim for your time trying to help us. Unfortunately, we lost her yesterday. Having taken her to the vet earlier in the week and being given medication (Panacur and Baytril) Marmalade just continued to deteriate getting weaker and weaker. Thanks again for your time anyway. BR James

 

[elmwood]

So sorry to hear your lost Marmalade. You clearly did all you could for her. I hope the rest of your flock keep well, and don't miss her too much. Take care, Sharron