carlaashdown
Songster
Why is it always the favorite ones that get sick? 
Everything started one week ago today.
Days 1-3 she was fine in the morning each day, then in the afternoon she seemed tired, would stand in one spot, go to bed early, etc. I checked her all over each day, everything seemed normal. Poop was normal, still laying daily (eggs were normal), crop fine, vent looked fine, nothing abnormal. I'm thinking she wasn't eating or drinking much in the afternoon or evening those days (and it is hot here).
Day 4, she was fine in the morning, I came home at lunch and found her lethargic, puffed up, barely able to stand.
Treatment: I brought her in, cooled her off, syringed electrolyte and vitamin water into her, and she perked up. She was leaking a yellow, yolk-like liquid from her bottom. She has still laid every day (normal eggs and clean) but thought maybe she had a broken egg in her. (She is a California White, so production breed and daily layer). I gave her a calcium tablet and started her on Amoxicillin. Soaked her bottom in a warm bath and lubed her vent. I checked inside and didn't feel anything, also didn't get any yolk on my glove. In the evening, I gave her another warm bath soak and syringed vitamin electrolyte water in her and gave second dose of Amoxicillin. Poop was normal except had egg yolk in it and she would leak yolk-like when I held her or when she stood in her crate. She would lean to the side up against me when I held her, or she laid down. She still ate and drank fine on her own and ate all of the egg shell that I put out for her.
Day 5 - she seemed better, still leaking. Laid egg in the morning, it was normal and clean.
Treatment: Continued with the vitamin electrolyte water, amoxicillin, and calcium. She ate scrambled eggs on her own, sugar free greek yogurt with strawberries, and a wet mash of her chicken feed. Gave her another warm bath soak in the evening, she fell asleep and leaned against my arm during the soak. In the evening, I also changed from Amoxicillin to Enrofloxacin (Baytril).
Day 6 - wry neck.
Treatment: Continued with the vitamin electrolyte water, calcium, and Enrofloxacin. Added B complex, vitamin E, and half a baby aspirin. I syringed all of this into her. 24 hours on the Enrofloxacin, she was much improved. Right after I give her the vitamins B and E, I give her a tablespoon of feed crumbles mixed with raw egg (for selenium intake) and she eats it right up. I also started her on dewormer (Safeguard) to cover all bases.
Day 7 and 8 - still has wry neck. She can straighten it to eat but then when she relaxes it draws to the left and draws all the way around to her side and back. It's very sad to see.
Treatment: still continuing vitamin electrolyte water, Enrofloxacin, vitamins B and E, raw egg in feed crumbles, and half a baby aspirin. She is eating every bit of the feed crumbles I give her, which is a lot. Yesterday, she also ate a large strawberry, some scrambled egg, and a little greek yogurt. Still laying an egg every day, its normal, and is clean.
She is in a crate on my screened porch, separated from the flock. It's shaded and cool/comfortable.
I am syringing in the meds and vitamins because I want to be sure she gets all of it in her in a timely manner.
She is the only one sick, no other sick birds. They do not free range and have a large coop and covered run.
Thoughts? Suggestions on what else to do?
I am assuming she didn't eat or drink much for a couple days combined with our heat and humidity, she didn't get the vitamins she needed, causing the wry neck? Or worst case she has tumors or something going on that caused both the yolk leakage and wry neck.
If the wry neck was vitamin deficiency, how long before it improves?
Also, can she still be internal laying but also lay normal eggs each day?
I am a human emergency medicine provider, so I'm not totally clueless, but chickens are different than people!
The only things that recently changed are:
We got rid of our rooster 3 weeks before she started this.
Also changed from all flock feed to layer feed during this time. (Since in the crate, I've been giving her the all flock crumbles, which she loves)
We had a heat wave - it's always warm and humid here (SE Georgia coast) but it's been upper 90s for over a week with heat index of 110. (I know how to keep them hydrated and cool enough in the summer.)
If you've read this far, bless you and thank you!!
Everything started one week ago today.
Days 1-3 she was fine in the morning each day, then in the afternoon she seemed tired, would stand in one spot, go to bed early, etc. I checked her all over each day, everything seemed normal. Poop was normal, still laying daily (eggs were normal), crop fine, vent looked fine, nothing abnormal. I'm thinking she wasn't eating or drinking much in the afternoon or evening those days (and it is hot here).
Day 4, she was fine in the morning, I came home at lunch and found her lethargic, puffed up, barely able to stand.
Treatment: I brought her in, cooled her off, syringed electrolyte and vitamin water into her, and she perked up. She was leaking a yellow, yolk-like liquid from her bottom. She has still laid every day (normal eggs and clean) but thought maybe she had a broken egg in her. (She is a California White, so production breed and daily layer). I gave her a calcium tablet and started her on Amoxicillin. Soaked her bottom in a warm bath and lubed her vent. I checked inside and didn't feel anything, also didn't get any yolk on my glove. In the evening, I gave her another warm bath soak and syringed vitamin electrolyte water in her and gave second dose of Amoxicillin. Poop was normal except had egg yolk in it and she would leak yolk-like when I held her or when she stood in her crate. She would lean to the side up against me when I held her, or she laid down. She still ate and drank fine on her own and ate all of the egg shell that I put out for her.
Day 5 - she seemed better, still leaking. Laid egg in the morning, it was normal and clean.
Treatment: Continued with the vitamin electrolyte water, amoxicillin, and calcium. She ate scrambled eggs on her own, sugar free greek yogurt with strawberries, and a wet mash of her chicken feed. Gave her another warm bath soak in the evening, she fell asleep and leaned against my arm during the soak. In the evening, I also changed from Amoxicillin to Enrofloxacin (Baytril).
Day 6 - wry neck.
Treatment: Continued with the vitamin electrolyte water, calcium, and Enrofloxacin. Added B complex, vitamin E, and half a baby aspirin. I syringed all of this into her. 24 hours on the Enrofloxacin, she was much improved. Right after I give her the vitamins B and E, I give her a tablespoon of feed crumbles mixed with raw egg (for selenium intake) and she eats it right up. I also started her on dewormer (Safeguard) to cover all bases.
Day 7 and 8 - still has wry neck. She can straighten it to eat but then when she relaxes it draws to the left and draws all the way around to her side and back. It's very sad to see.
Treatment: still continuing vitamin electrolyte water, Enrofloxacin, vitamins B and E, raw egg in feed crumbles, and half a baby aspirin. She is eating every bit of the feed crumbles I give her, which is a lot. Yesterday, she also ate a large strawberry, some scrambled egg, and a little greek yogurt. Still laying an egg every day, its normal, and is clean.
She is in a crate on my screened porch, separated from the flock. It's shaded and cool/comfortable.
I am syringing in the meds and vitamins because I want to be sure she gets all of it in her in a timely manner.
She is the only one sick, no other sick birds. They do not free range and have a large coop and covered run.
Thoughts? Suggestions on what else to do?
I am assuming she didn't eat or drink much for a couple days combined with our heat and humidity, she didn't get the vitamins she needed, causing the wry neck? Or worst case she has tumors or something going on that caused both the yolk leakage and wry neck.
If the wry neck was vitamin deficiency, how long before it improves?
Also, can she still be internal laying but also lay normal eggs each day?
I am a human emergency medicine provider, so I'm not totally clueless, but chickens are different than people!
The only things that recently changed are:
We got rid of our rooster 3 weeks before she started this.
Also changed from all flock feed to layer feed during this time. (Since in the crate, I've been giving her the all flock crumbles, which she loves)
We had a heat wave - it's always warm and humid here (SE Georgia coast) but it's been upper 90s for over a week with heat index of 110. (I know how to keep them hydrated and cool enough in the summer.)
If you've read this far, bless you and thank you!!
