Hen not doing well

[CarlW]

UPADATE: hen is dead this morning, as expected, will look about getting the rest of flock treated for potential coccidiosis.

Thanks all for the help.

Sorry about that, @Maxiwaxy .
Kind regards,
Carl

 

[VSS]

UPADATE: hen is dead this morning, as expected, will look about getting the rest of flock treated for potential coccidiosis.

Thanks all for the help.

Good idea. It might not be coccidiosis, but you won't have lost much by giving them a preventative treatment.
Sometimes hens just get sick and die though. Just because you've lost one doesn't necessarily mean that the whole flock is potentially infected with something nasty!

 

[N1mr0d]

Sorry to hear that - I had a hen showing similar symptoms 2 weeks ago - the first symptom was she stopped laying then she appeared to go blind all within 24 hours.

She is healthy as and laying again now - the cause for our one was we missed some bryony growing in a corner - the clue was the very green leaf matter in the otherwise clear droppings. We are very grateful to a knowledgeable farmer who had a friend that lost several chickens to the same thing for giving us the heads up.

I treated by isolating and making up an electrolyte solution containing salt, sugar and raw apple cider vinegar. We offered wholemeal bread dipped in the solution when it showed signs of recovering. Recovery was very quick once it started, within 48 hours.

Good luck with your other hens.

 

[landkeeper]

You cant treat for IT , as any medicine is curative not preventative .
There are cocci spores everywhere and most warm blooded animals are suceptible to it
Google it its an interesting parasite
Id also change your feed they are still a bit young to be on layers pellets , growers pellets would be a better choice till 24wks imho

 

[VSS]

You cant treat for IT , as any medicine is curative not preventative .

If you check out the veterinary data sheet for vecoxan you'll find that works as both a curative and a preventative. That's in sheep, of course. I don't know if the same can be said for hens.

 

[Buchan]

UPADATE: hen is dead this morning, as expected, will look about getting the rest of flock treated for potential coccidiosis.

Thanks all for the help.

Please get a diagnosis before using the anticoccidials. It's unlikley to be cocci with one bird and no signs of enteritis. Speak to your vet and get some droppings in and sent to your local VLA (if your vet doesn't do in house). Trouble is, there are a lot of cocci that cause no problems and they are common in young animals with a develooping immunity. Marek's - the right age, but you should be seeing leg weakness/paralysis before death.
If it's fresh a PM would help. If you don't fancy paying for it, and you are use to gralloch, do it yourself. On its back, cut through the rib cage eiher side of the sternum and peel that back. Scissors are better than a knife. Take pictures and maybe mail them to a poultry vet. POst here if you want but I'm not a poultry vet. (Some would say I'm a paltry vet)

 

[Brittany boy]

My dad lost a few of his chickens last summer with similar symptoms, after the first couple he did a post mortem and discovered the birds had been eating silicon which had been discarded by guys fitting new Windows next door. The silicon had blocked the intestines. Very sad to see healthy birds succumb to something that could easily be avoided.

 

[VSS]

Please get a diagnosis before using the anticoccidials. It's unlikley to be cocci with one bird and no signs of enteritis. Speak to your vet and get some droppings in and sent to your local VLA (if your vet doesn't do in house). Trouble is, there are a lot of cocci that cause no problems and they are common in young animals with a develooping immunity. Marek's - the right age, but you should be seeing leg weakness/paralysis before death.
If it's fresh a PM would help. If you don't fancy paying for it, and you are use to gralloch, do it yourself. On its back, cut through the rib cage eiher side of the sternum and peel that back. Scissors are better than a knife. Take pictures and maybe mail them to a poultry vet. POst here if you want but I'm not a poultry vet. (Some would say I'm a paltry vet)

Like Buchan says, post some pics here if you feel like doing a basic PM yourself. My sister was the designated poultry vet at her last practice, so I could ask her opinion for you.

 

[VSS]

My dad lost a few of his chickens last summer with similar symptoms, after the first couple he did a post mortem and discovered the birds had been eating silicon which had been discarded by guys fitting new Windows next door. The silicon had blocked the intestines. Very sad to see healthy birds succumb to something that could easily be avoided.

That yellow expanding foam stuff that builders like to squirt into all voids is pretty bad for them too. The hens seem to mistake it for bread, and peck it up enthusiastically.

 

[glasshalffull]

Don't dose my hens at all. Just lose the odd one very infrequently I know like you if one's going to fall off the perch, hunched up not doing hen usual stuff staying in the henhouse. If they'd all get ill I'd know and act upon it and medicate they're looked at 3 times a day for egg collection. They get layer's pellets, mixed grain, trout and rabbit cooked scraps their favorite, after I've had the good bits off em, also the odd deer head to pick clean excess blackcurrants strawberries etc and they are happy, as am I, I've 2 small boiled eggs every morning on toast

 

[User00013]

Like Buchan says, post some pics here if you feel like doing a basic PM yourself. My sister was the designated poultry vet at her last practice, so I could ask her opinion for you.

Thanks for the offer but I have already disposed of the carcase