Very poorly betty! I need advice quickly!

[Anonymous]

Hello

I am new to chicken keeping and I have my first poorly chicken. I am extreamly worried now and dont know what to do for the best.

Betty is a pied sulfok and i 7 months old. She has also been the biggest in the flock and a good layer. However she has not laid in quite a while. At fist we didnt think anything as there have been weather changes and others were missing a day here and there. However over the last week she has not been herself and deteariating. On friday night we bought her in over night but let her out yesterday and she seemed to brighten up. today how ever she ha gone right back down. I have a long list of problems and could do with some advice

Head pulled back - it was tilted to the left but that seems to have changed now - first suspected injury but no evidence
egg reduction to 0! - no worms, red mite or fleas, plus worming now anyway.
Eyes closed - her eyes are closed pretty much all of the time although when she picked up a bit the thing I noticed was that they were open.
Was the mother hen but now secluding herself and hidingno sign of change in pecking order and others not happy about her being taken away
Was very responsive now not at all would have never have been able to pick her up before but is not putting up a fight.
off food and waterI am feeding her a mix of pellets, carrot, corn and water of wormer. the corn needs to hide the rest as it is the only thing she will eat and only way to get liquid in her.
diahrrea ranging in colour from white to florescnet yellow and green although less watery today it is bright green and 'loose' with a really foul smell.
Although we had not seen the full extent of her illness until Friday she had been like it since about Tuesday with signs prior therefore kept with other ladies who all seem fine so I doubt contagious

I hope this is enough information to get some help and advice.

Also they have a good size garden to live in with lots of plants and hiding places.

Thank you for taking the time to read even if you are unable to offer advice.

 

[karlooben]

my best advice would be to get her to a vet a.s.a.p in sounds like she has an infection which could spread to your other girls , is there any signs of sneezing or coughing , wheezing ?? at this time of the year birds will go into a moult which can send them right down into the dumps and open them up to catch any bugs which in turn will weaken them and make them ill . i have 1 that is really down but with her i know its just the moult poor thing looks like shes been dragged though a bush backwards but my ex batts are sneezing well but at the mo they are all on the natural pick me up stuff to help them get though i find garlic works wonders for my girls.

let us know how she gets on but someone with more knowledge will be along soon .

 

[Anonymous]

l had a very sick chicken that died last week , she was only 9months old and hd ben a very good layer, she went broddy for 3 weeks and had just come out of it so l surpose she was run down , the morning she became sick she had laid an egg but later she seems to have a twisted neck and her legs kept goin from her she was unable to eat an drink and became paralyised ,it was so bad to watch her and l kept her warm and her head and neck supported, she died in the night , l think she had botilism ,l had 3 chickens then a black rock , a buff sussex and amber she was a speckledy. all of them wre free rangeing going into a egglu at night and they would catch and eat a frog when they could , botilism comes from rotten vegetation as the frog probally did. she also hadgreen slimey poo. so l dont know if this will help you ,but as she is still alive she has a good chance of recovering l believe.

 

[Anonymous]

Thank you for your advice.

I have been out for a few hours and left her in the box. she hasn't eaten or drank anything of her own accord and was not interested when I tried to 'help' her. We let her walk around for a bit where she has managed to poo which was extremly watery, smelly and white and green which is now dark more like vegetation.

I am going to try feeding again in a bit and would like to try garlic and onions as suggeted in another forum but should it be raw or cooked?

 

[karlooben]

it sounds like she needs antiboitics more then anything try an get her to a vet tomorw .i have never heard of onion being fed to a chicken but garlic can help keep colds at bay and help give them a little pick me up but dont rely on that she needs meds from a vet .

 

[Tim]

Yes, I'm afraid from the way you describe her, I don't think she will last more than 24 to 48 hours.

The vet is really the best advice I feel and their options are limited.

It is normal for her to have stopped laying at this time of year and picking her up without a fight is normal if she is really sick.

Isolate her from the others to try to stop them catching what she has and keep her dry and warm on clean bedding.

Garlic can be used freshly crushed into water - but the benefit is to build the immune system over time and I feel will make no difference at this stage. I have never heard (or read in any poultry books) of Onions being of benefit. I can imagine they would be but Garlic would be far better IMO.

It is very hard to suggest what the problem could be - one possibility is Marek's Disease and the only reason I say this is the head tipping back... but I could be miles off here, it's a stab in the dark and would need propper veterinary diagnosis to be sure.

Good Luck, do let us know how you get on.

 

[Anonymous]

Thank you to you all.

This morning we took her to see a vet and she had a steroid and antibiotic injected with an anti biotic perscribed and is already doing much better. I had thought it would be expensive too but £25 for appointment and treatment. Should fully recover soon.

 

[pebojuno]

Glad things are looking up for your chicken- Did the vet say what the problem is at all? Try offering her boiled and chopped egg or scrambled egg- it contains lots of protein and can sometimes tempt a poorly bird