Hi! Please know that I am VERY GRATEFUL for any advice that you can give - we are brand new at keeping chickens! None of our local chicken-keeping friends have ever heard of this tongue problem. We love our babies, they are like pets to us and we really want to save 'Fuzzy Butt's life. (Our kids named her, haha.) She is our most beautiful bird. THANK YOU for your help!! -Melissa
1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)
Ameraucana/Easter Egger, 16 weeks old, has lost weight and gained a bit back since we are feeding her soft foods.
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
It started with her keeping her beak open and shaking head violently as if to cough up something. She had thick mucus in her beak but her nostrils and eyes were/are clear. She stopped eating solids. We carefully fished the mucus from her beak and gave her amoxycillin x5 days (via medicine dropper) which has cleared up the mucus.
NOW her only problem is with eating solid foods such as bugs & grain. She tries a little bit but can't swallow solids. She will only eat soft foods that we prepare for her or else she loses weight. She will drink on her own and will run around or fly like normal. (She is not acting spoiled, wanting only soft foods - she truly cannot swallow the grain.)
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
About 1-1/2 weeks now.
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
No, the other 11 pullets are perfectly fine.
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
Only that the other pullets pick her back & tail feathers after we isolated her for a few days. She is now at the bottom of the pecking order. I sewed up a hen 'saddle' for her to wear so they can't pick her feathers anymore.
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
Not a clue. These pullets forage daily (lawn, woods, rural area, no poisonous vegetation or pesticide usage). On a few occasions hubby has had to gently pull long strands of grass out of her beak/throat when she bit off more than she could 'chew'. Her problem did not start after he last pulled grass - happened a few days later.
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
Avoids grower feed & bugs. Tries to eat grass but doesn't swallow most of it, it stays in her beak because her tongue isn't there to push it back. Voraciously eats any soft mush that we give her (oatmeal, oat bran, cottage cheese, finely chopped meats/veggies mixed with milk or water). She will drink on her own.
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
Normal - brown & soft formed, some white, once in a great while yellow bubbles.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far? We isolated her and treated her with amoxycillin (1 drop per day) recently left over from child's ear infection. This eliminated the mucus problem and she has more energy now. We have checked her mouth & throat carefully for gapeworm, abscesses, lesions, etc.. everything looks perfectly normal except her tongue isn't in her mouth. Her crop feels fine and elimination is regular and normal. I can't see anything wrapped around her tongue. It is just folded down her throat. It looks white with a tiny tinge of pink throughout. Sometimes I can see the tip of it sticking straight up (slightly leaning towards her left) in the back of her throat, but I can't pull it out with a Q-tip.
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
There is no vet that treats chickens in our area. We must treat this ourselves.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
Can't keep her beak open long enough to take a pic - can barely see the tongue anyway.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use
12 pullets in a 6'x8' well-ventilated newly built coop. Roosting pole 4' up with a ladder for them to hop up to roost. Thin layer of pine shavings on floor. Cleaned weekly, no stink. There is a 5'x10' outdoor enclosed run leading from the chicken door. Rain makes that ground smell poopy, I lay shavings or hay down to prevent stink. When we open 'people door' the chicken run out to forage daily 4-5 hours.
1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)
Ameraucana/Easter Egger, 16 weeks old, has lost weight and gained a bit back since we are feeding her soft foods.
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
It started with her keeping her beak open and shaking head violently as if to cough up something. She had thick mucus in her beak but her nostrils and eyes were/are clear. She stopped eating solids. We carefully fished the mucus from her beak and gave her amoxycillin x5 days (via medicine dropper) which has cleared up the mucus.
NOW her only problem is with eating solid foods such as bugs & grain. She tries a little bit but can't swallow solids. She will only eat soft foods that we prepare for her or else she loses weight. She will drink on her own and will run around or fly like normal. (She is not acting spoiled, wanting only soft foods - she truly cannot swallow the grain.)
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
About 1-1/2 weeks now.
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
No, the other 11 pullets are perfectly fine.
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
Only that the other pullets pick her back & tail feathers after we isolated her for a few days. She is now at the bottom of the pecking order. I sewed up a hen 'saddle' for her to wear so they can't pick her feathers anymore.
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
Not a clue. These pullets forage daily (lawn, woods, rural area, no poisonous vegetation or pesticide usage). On a few occasions hubby has had to gently pull long strands of grass out of her beak/throat when she bit off more than she could 'chew'. Her problem did not start after he last pulled grass - happened a few days later.
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
Avoids grower feed & bugs. Tries to eat grass but doesn't swallow most of it, it stays in her beak because her tongue isn't there to push it back. Voraciously eats any soft mush that we give her (oatmeal, oat bran, cottage cheese, finely chopped meats/veggies mixed with milk or water). She will drink on her own.
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
Normal - brown & soft formed, some white, once in a great while yellow bubbles.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far? We isolated her and treated her with amoxycillin (1 drop per day) recently left over from child's ear infection. This eliminated the mucus problem and she has more energy now. We have checked her mouth & throat carefully for gapeworm, abscesses, lesions, etc.. everything looks perfectly normal except her tongue isn't in her mouth. Her crop feels fine and elimination is regular and normal. I can't see anything wrapped around her tongue. It is just folded down her throat. It looks white with a tiny tinge of pink throughout. Sometimes I can see the tip of it sticking straight up (slightly leaning towards her left) in the back of her throat, but I can't pull it out with a Q-tip.
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
There is no vet that treats chickens in our area. We must treat this ourselves.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
Can't keep her beak open long enough to take a pic - can barely see the tongue anyway.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use
12 pullets in a 6'x8' well-ventilated newly built coop. Roosting pole 4' up with a ladder for them to hop up to roost. Thin layer of pine shavings on floor. Cleaned weekly, no stink. There is a 5'x10' outdoor enclosed run leading from the chicken door. Rain makes that ground smell poopy, I lay shavings or hay down to prevent stink. When we open 'people door' the chicken run out to forage daily 4-5 hours.
