# Sick bantam, falling over, runny poops



## Feira426 (Dec 11, 2019)

We have a sick little bantam. According to the guy we got her from she should be about ten months old now. Three nights ago she started wobbling and wouldn't go on the perch with her buddies, so I brought her inside to investigate. I tried a warm bath and checked for a stuck egg but couldn't feel anything (also, I don't think she's laid a single egg since we got her five months ago). Her poops are runny but I don't see any undigested chunks of anything in them, or any worms. When I was bathing her and checking for a stuck egg I noticed she was very bony. She generally panics when anyone tries to touch or hold her, and she's super fluffy, so I hadn't noticed her losing weight until the bath.

Her bantam buddies are healthy, not bony, jumping around and doing their usual thing. The first day we had her in we gave her lots of nutrient rich foods - superworms, cooked vegetables, etc. - and some high calorie stuff like cooked white rice. She ate almost everything we put in front of her. My farrier said he thought she was dehydrated and told me to make gelatin with corn in it, which I did. She ate it, but didn't improve. She has been drinking plenty of water since I brought her in, so I don't think it's dehydration.

Her crop was full yesterday morning so I started to suspect sour crop, but she doesn't smell sour. It wasn't tight enough to be an impacted crop, I don't think. Her appetite had decreased yesterday morning so I made a vet appointment with the exotic vet that I took our rabbit to when he was sick recently.

The vet said my little chicken was hot, indicating some kind of disease. He also said she looked like she might have arthritis and maybe she was falling over because she was trying to keep weight off her right leg, as nothing was visibly wrong with the leg but she was consistently falling to the left and was holding the leg a little weird.

He gave me antibiotics and a pain medicine for her and told me to give her probiotics as well, which I already had at home.

Do young chickens often get arthritis? I was fairly surprised at his guess, as it came on so suddenly (the wobbly walking - I expect the weight loss has been going on for a bit, just unnoticed). Since I paid over $100, I'd like some reassurance that this vet knows what he's talking about. Any of you had any similar experiences? A chicken with arthritis, or just a chicken exhibiting similar symptoms? I really want to like/trust this vet as I've had some bad experiences with vets and really want to find a good one. But if he doesn't know what he's talking about with chickens and he's just acting like he does and charging me a bunch of money... well, I might need to keep looking.

Oh, I think he said her temp was 106 something. And this morning she is eating the cooked rice and drinking but isn't interested in the other foods I offered her.

Her usual diet consists of layer crumbles, scratch grains, and alfalfa leaves. Sometimes I put out some oyster shell in case the layer crumble doesn't supply enough calcium, though I doubt she's needing calcium if she really isn't laying like I suspect.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Wow. Sounds like some type of disease is going on. I just don't know enough about chicken illnesses to know if he is right or not.


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

She could be wormy. Or cocci. Or maybe she is being pushed away from the feeder or cannot get to it well to eat? She could have also hurt her leg somehow and is using the other for standing instead of the hurt one. Maybe a roo was a bit rough when being randy? When some hens go broody they will not lay again until after they molt for the season... i have a few hens and turkey hens that are like this. Did you try drenching her with nutridrench or infant poly vi so without the iron for several days? That might perk her up a bit.


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## Feira426 (Dec 11, 2019)

Sfgwife said:


> She could be wormy. Or cocci. Or maybe she is being pushed away from the feeder or cannot get to it well to eat? She could have also hurt her leg somehow and is using the other for standing instead of the hurt one. Maybe a roo was a bit rough when being randy? When some hens go broody they will not lay again until after they molt for the season... i have a few hens and turkey hens that are like this. Did you try drenching her with nutridrench or infant poly vi so without the iron for several days? That might perk her up a bit.


What is poly vi so? I don't have any Nutridrench but can probably get some if necessary. Is it similar to Red Cell? I have that. I have never seen the rooster or the other hen picking on her. The rooster is very sweet - gentlest we've ever had. And the hen is her buddy. We bought them on the same day and they've been together ever since.

I gave her a dewormer and didn't see anything come out in her poop. I don't know anything about cocci - is there something I can do for that just in case, or do I need to be sure that's causing the problem first?

She has not been broody. I do think it's possible she injured her leg because of the way she's moving, but there are no obvious signs (blood, swelling, etc.)


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

Feira426 said:


> What is poly vi so? I don't have any Nutridrench but can probably get some if necessary. Is it similar to Red Cell? I have that. I have never seen the rooster or the other hen picking on her. The rooster is very sweet - gentlest we've ever had. And the hen is her buddy. We bought them on the same day and they've been together ever since.
> 
> I gave her a dewormer and didn't see anything come out in her poop. I don't know anything about cocci - is there something I can do for that just in case, or do I need to be sure that's causing the problem first?
> 
> She has not been broody. I do think it's possible she injured her leg because of the way she's moving, but there are no obvious signs (blood, swelling, etc.)


Popy vi sol is an infant human vitamin drop. Get it at most places that carry infant meds.

Corid treats cocci and it is at farm stores. I would get powder since you only have a few.

Was she broody before she came to you?


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## Feira426 (Dec 11, 2019)

Sfgwife said:


> Popy vi sol is an infant human vitamin drop. Get it at most places that carry infant meds.
> 
> Corid treats cocci and it is at farm stores. I would get powder since you only have a few.
> 
> Was she broody before she came to you?


Thank you! I can see if TSC has it.

I doubt she was broody before we got her, as she was supposed to be about five months old and nearly ready to start laying. I've not heard of a chicken going broody before laying her first egg, though maybe it happens - it's just never happened with any of mine.


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## Feira426 (Dec 11, 2019)

Sfgwife said:


> Popy vi sol is an infant human vitamin drop. Get it at most places that carry infant meds.
> 
> Corid treats cocci and it is at farm stores. I would get powder since you only have a few.
> 
> Was she broody before she came to you?


Is Corid okay to give just in case? Or should I do some kind of cocci test first?


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

Feira426 said:


> Is Corid okay to give just in case? Or should I do some kind of cocci test first?


If your vet will run a fecal on her poop it is wise to do it. But if not do the five day treatment.


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