HELP! Vomiting chicken!

[manokie]

Hello! My 3-month-old chick, Tokay, stopped eating two days ago and seemed more lethargic than usual. We think we saw blood in her droppings so we were advised to put her on sulfa-based antibotics to treat coccidiosis, which we adminstered orally and mixed with her water (we also separated her from the flock asap). Starting yesterday, she has been throwing up clear liquid a few minutes after eating or drinking. This morning we helped her vomit, and a lot of liquid came out. A vet advised us to not induce throwing up - just let her do it naturally - so as not to destroy the gastrointestinal lining. She has been eating and drinking a little more but throws it up still. We've been giving her food and water via dropper regularly but in very small amounts. I'm so scared she is one of my favorite babies.

Anyone experience this and have tips? Hoping we can still save her, though she is very weak

Anyone experience this before?

 

[Aapomp831]

Chickens do not vomit - your vet is very obviously not an avian vet. When liquid comes out of a chickens mouth, it’s either bc they drank too much too fast, or there is a crop issue. Food / liquid coming out of the mouth never made it to the stomach in the first place so gastrointestinal lining is it a concern. She is right, however - Do not help her vomit, the risk is aspiration since the crop is close to the lungs.
I can see in the picture that your chicken has a bulging crop; I would begin to withhold food immediately before it becomes sour. As the food piles up, it ferments and that is what sour crop is. Check to see if there is an odor - the treatment for sour crop is different than the treatment for just an impaction. I would also treat for coccidiosis using Corid (amprolium). I’m also concerned about your vets knowledge bc coccidiosis cannot be treated through antibiotics as it’s not bacteria or a virus; it is a protozoan parasite.

 

[manokie]

Chickens do not vomit - your vet is very obviously not an avian vet. When liquid comes out of a chickens mouth, it’s either bc they drank too much too fast, or there is a crop issue. Food / liquid coming out of the mouth never made it to the stomach in the first place so gastrointestinal lining is it a concern. She is right, however - Do not help her vomit, the risk is aspiration since the crop is close to the lungs.
I can see in the picture that your chicken has a bulging crop; I would begin to withhold food immediately before it becomes sour. As the food piles up, it ferments and that is what sour crop is. Check to see if there is an odor - the treatment for sour crop is different than the treatment for just an impaction. I would also treat for coccidiosis using Corid (amprolium). I’m also concerned about your vets knowledge bc coccidiosis cannot be treated through antibiotics as it’s not bacteria or a virus; it is a protozoan parasite.

That was my theory too. We don't have access to a vet nearby, so I described her symptoms to a vet online on day 1. The working diagnosis given was coccidiosis, for which sulfa based antibiotics were advised. However, her set of symptoms changed yesterday - that's when she began expelling clear liquid from her mouth. When we induced the spitting up this morning, the liquid that came out smelled foul. We brought Tokay to the provincial veterinary office today - I am not sure if the available doctor there specializes in poultry. It was a free consultation because no veterinary clinics in our area accommodate chickens She was the one who advised to administer a very small amount of finely ground feeds mixed with water every two hours (0.5 ml).

My concern is that she is extremely weak. Right now we give her 0.5 ml of electrolyte water every hour. Any more than that, she spits it up. Can my chick regain her energy if we withhold food completely? She seems asleep most of the time now

 

[Aapomp831]

She is so thin bc the food is not getting to the gizzard - even attempting to feed would be counterproductive and just adding to the problem - I am going to summon some experts bc I’m not exactly sure how to go about treating both sour crop and possible coccidiosis at the same time. I’m the meantime, take away food and water and just let her chill until you receive further help…..
@Eggcessive
@Wyorp Rock
@aart

 

[LaFleche]

sulfa based antibiotics were advised.

Sulfa based antibiotics work fine to treat coccidiosis and several other issues as well. So if you are able to get Sulfadimethoxine or similar, I would suggest to use it.

When did you last deworm you hen? In your poop picture I think I can see some kind of worm, maybe even tape worm on the lower right side of the dropping.
A worm infestation can lead to crop dysfunction as the obstructed digestive passage will exert pressure.

 

[aart]

Check her crop function, if not empty in the morning start giving coconut oil to help break up any mass in crop.

This is what I do when I have a bird that is acting 'off':
I isolate bird in a wire cage within the coop for a day or two....so I can closely monitor:
-their intake of food and water,
-crop function(checking at night and in morning before providing more feed),
-and their poops.
Feel their abdomen, from below vent to between legs, for squishy or hard swelling.
Check for external parasites or any other abnormalities.


Best to put crate right in coop or run so bird is still 'with' the flock.
I like to use a fold-able wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller mesh(1x2) on bottom of crate under tray.
Then you can put tray underneath crate to better observe droppings without it being stepped in. If smaller mesh is carefully installed, tray can still be used inside crate.

 

[manokie]

Sulfa based antibiotics work fine to treat coccidiosis and several other issues as well. So if you are able to get Sulfadimethoxine or similar, I would suggest to use it.

When did you last deworm you hen? In your poop picture I think I can see some kind of worm, maybe even tape worm on the lower right side of the dropping.
A worm infestation can lead to crop dysfunction as the obstructed digestive passage will exert pressure.

She is so thin bc the food is not getting to the gizzard - even attempting to feed would be counterproductive and just adding to the problem - I am going to summon some experts bc I’m not exactly sure how to go about treating both sour crop and possible coccidiosis at the same time. I’m the meantime, take away food and water and just let her chill until you receive further help…..
@Eggcessive
@Wyorp Rock
@aart

Thank you! Okay, keeping the food and water away first. It is 7:30 pm here so she's fast asleep. She is actually the smallest among her batch of chicks. Even the batch one week younger than her has outgrown her in size. We were wondering if she had something inborn or maybe an anatomical issue that is stunting her growth

Yes, we gave her sulfadimethoxine in her water. We haven't dewormed our hens This is the first time we're raising chickens. We also asked a poultry technician at a poultry supply store yesterday and he advised against giving her injectable dewormers because she might not be able to handle it given her size and age.

 

[manokie]

Check her crop function, if not empty in the morning start giving coconut oil to help break up any mass in crop.

This is what I do when I have a bird that is acting 'off':
I isolate bird in a wire cage within the coop for a day or two....so I can closely monitor:
-their intake of food and water,
-crop function(checking at night and in morning before providing more feed),
-and their poops.
Feel their abdomen, from below vent to between legs, for squishy or hard swelling.
Check for external parasites or any other abnormalities.


Best to put crate right in coop or run so bird is still 'with' the flock.
I like to use a fold-able wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller mesh(1x2) on bottom of crate under tray.
Then you can put tray underneath crate to better observe droppings without it being stepped in. If smaller mesh is carefully installed, tray can still be used inside crate.

Check her crop function, if not empty in the morning start giving coconut oil to help break up any mass in crop.

This is what I do when I have a bird that is acting 'off':
I isolate bird in a wire cage within the coop for a day or two....so I can closely monitor:
-their intake of food and water,
-crop function(checking at night and in morning before providing more feed),
-and their poops.
Feel their abdomen, from below vent to between legs, for squishy or hard swelling.
Check for external parasites or any other abnormalities.


Best to put crate right in coop or run so bird is still 'with' the flock.
I like to use a fold-able wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller mesh(1x2) on bottom of crate under tray.
Then you can put tray underneath crate to better observe droppings without it being stepped in. If smaller mesh is carefully installed, tray can still be used inside crate.

Thank you! This morning her crop was full of water, so we massaged it and tipped her over so the liquid would come out. However, we've been advised against it by the vet. I've taken away her food and water and will observe. There are a couple of tiny critters that crawl on her feathers (ant-size).

 

[LaFleche]

We haven't dewormed our hens

There is no need to inject a dewormer, just use liquid safeguard dewormer from TSC.

Renew the medicated sufadimethoxine water every day and give her the safeguard orally.

 

[LaFleche]

There are a couple of tiny critters that crawl on her feathers (ant-size).

This could be poultry mites or lice. Please post a picture to determine what kind of parasites they are.