How do I check my chicken for a fever?

[Golden Nest]

We've had chickens for five years now and my kids decided to go into the egg business. So we ordered 60+ chickens and raised them from babies.(2 days old) They just turned six months old and started laying this week.
One of our barred rocks all the sudden can't walk straight, takes strained big breathes, and seems to be HOT! Her skin is bright red along her breast bone. She doesn't want much to eat or drink. I gave her extra vitamin D and calcium. Also a shot of antibiotic last night. No change. Could it be marek's? How do I check if she has a fever? Any help appreciated. My kids have put a lot into this, I'd hate for them to lose the whole flock.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Could be aspergillosis if she is gasping and has some paralysis. It can be fatal very quickly.

Any feed tossed on ground that has turned moldy and they ate it? Eating out of compost bin? Any moldy bedding? These can do it.

Does she open her mouth to breathe (gasp)?

 

[gander007]

Alright

great to have you in the flock

 

[TwoCrows]

Mareks will cause stumbling. I suppose you could take the temp of the bird thru the vent with a thermometer. I believe the average temp of a chicken is 102 to 103 degrees F. However one shot of antibiotics is not going to do anything, if in fact this is bacterial in origin. I think you need put this bird in a cage or confinement and monitor her. Give her an over all exam, starting with the vent, checking for egg binding. Put on a latex glove with some KY jelly on the index finger and insert your finger into her vent. If there is a stuck egg, you will feel it there just to rule out egg binding. If she is not egg bound, then I would suspect either Mareks, the feed could be bad or she ate something that is causing toxins in her body. If you think this is a toxic issue, you can do an epsom drench on her to flush the poisons from her body.

I hope she heals soon.

 

[drumstick diva]

If it's possible to see a vet I would do so -before it(might) spread to your other birds. Keep her isolated from them in any case. You could also post in detail on "emergencies, diseases, injuries, cures," thread

 

[Golden Nest]

Could be aspergillosis if she is gasping and has some paralysis. It can be fatal very quickly.

Any feed tossed on ground that has turned moldy and they ate it? Eating out of compost bin? Any moldy bedding? These can do it.

Does she open her mouth to breathe (gasp)?

We have a pretty nice set up with hanging feed bins. Plus we clean the coop every week to ten days. A though I'm not saying that it's impossible. She definitely could have ate something bad. I watched videos online of what mareks looks like and it's identical to the way she acts. I gave her the shot just in case it was pneumonia. However pneumonia would cause paralysis. I'm totally stumped. The others seem fine and this came out of no where. Of course it's the weekend so no vets are open. She's worsening by the hour. Should I have an autopsy done just to make sure it's not mareks?

 

[Golden Nest]

Sorry typo... Pneumonia would NOT cause paralysis. Still stumped.
And yes she opens her mouth to gasp. She cannot use her legs at all anymore. ;(

 

[Golden Nest]

She has been isolated since last night. Everyone else seems fine.

 

[TwoCrows]

She has been isolated since last night. Everyone else seems fine.

Look into her eyes. Do her pupils look oval or out of round? This symptom can be common with Mareks. Is she eating, drinking and pooping normally?

 

[TwoCrows]

Here are a couple of articles you can read up on Mareks disease...

http://birdhealth.com.au/flockbirds/poultry/diseases/mareks_disease.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marek's_disease

Maybe one of these can help you diagnose your bird.