MadChickenMama
Songster
Not an emergency, but I wanted to have this on the forums just in case someone was searching for something like I had been.
On Saturday, Sept 29th, I noticed by little (roughly) 12-week-old cockerel was lethargic. I didn't think much of it at the time, though. On Sunday, the 30th, I saw he was still lethargic so I figured something must be going on with him. One day is fine, but two? I picked him up and felt him and the only thing out of the ordinary was his crop was like a balloon that was a little inflated and filled with something squishy.
I also noticed he was not eating while in with his flock, but he would eat with gusto when I took him out and gave him his own food and water. Thought maybe he's not been getting enough food because the big boy in the flock might have been keeping him from it and maybe he had slow crop because of the lack of food. I put him back in after he'd eaten. Someone suggested putting 2 feeding stations in, so I did. At first he ate for a few seconds then sat down and went back to sleep. The big boy wasn't bothering him at all.
I took him out and began looking up how to treat slow crop. As I had him out that's when I noticed the diarrhea. It was pretty much nothing but liquid and any firm bits were pale green, like wasabi. I decided to keep him out and fixed up a little clear tote for him. He was still pretty sleepy, but for the most part he was very vocal and liked to be close to me. He would jump out of his bin to get to me, even when I was trying to take a nap. I ended up having to make a towel nest next to me and he was content to take a nap there with me.
After 3 days his crop wasn't getting better and he seemed to be getting worse. I looked for ages trying to find something. The closest I found was possibly coccidiosis(sp?). Someone suggested I go ahead and get Corid and give that to him. Unfortunately this came when I had maybe a few bucks to my name :/
Then, on the 4th day of trying to treat him, he began favoring one leg. By Friday, the 5th, he was so bad off he couldn't even stand and had had his eyes open only a few minutes all day. He'd barely eaten or drank something that day and he was silent the entire time. I was so sure I'd wake up Saturday to find he'd died.
Someone told me it looked like Marek's. I'd read about it at first but at that time it didn't fit. Now it did. I also found a thread where the OP's chicken had similar issues, except that their chicken was only wobbly at the time. A person who replied said it sounded bacterial and gave instructions on what to give and to do.
Here is that link: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/lethargic-with-green-diarrhea.251858/
But, again, I had no money to buy anything. After telling my sister about it, she suggested maybe Tylan 50 would do something if it was bacterial. I figured I didn't have anything to lose. On Friday night I gave him the first dose. By bedtime that night (3am for me that night) he had woken up and was ravenous.
Saturday he showed improvement. He was shifting in his spot, eating and drinking more, opening his eyes more, and even making a few peeps. By evening that day he was actually getting up and changing positions!
Sunday he was even more vocal and more alert for much longer periods of time and his poop, which has begun to be nothing but liquid and urates, was now getting some clumps back in it. By evening he was standing for a minute or two and walking around and had gone back to being concerned when he couldn't see me.
This morning his poops are no longer green, still some slight diarrhea but the firm bits are bigger and actually hold some shape. He is more vocal and is walking more. He is still pretty sleepy, which is understandable, but for the most part it's a vast improvement.
I am not totally getting my hopes up, but I am thinking he may just make it through and that it wasn't Marek's.
I have been giving him Tylan 50 twice a day, just less than .25cc. I have also put some vitamins and minerals in his water, just in case it was a vitamin deficiency.
And with the Tylan 50 I am not injecting it. I can't even manage to force it down his throat, nor have I wanted to try on the off chance he aspirates it. I have been giving it to him in a half tablespoon measuring spoon along with a little water and some crumbles to make sure he gets it all down.
I'll update this as necessary so if someone else has a chicken with the same issues they can find this and try something. I mean, if it's the neurological strain of Marek's the chicken just won't get better and you'll know you've tried on the off chance it was bacterial or a vitamin deficiency.
These are pictures from yesterday morning. See how he's still just a bit unsure on his feet, but he's standing! And yes, being on the table is gross, but I only do it for a little bit so I can keep track of how bad the diarrhea is. In his bin or on a towel the liquid absorbs too fast for me to see.
On Saturday, Sept 29th, I noticed by little (roughly) 12-week-old cockerel was lethargic. I didn't think much of it at the time, though. On Sunday, the 30th, I saw he was still lethargic so I figured something must be going on with him. One day is fine, but two? I picked him up and felt him and the only thing out of the ordinary was his crop was like a balloon that was a little inflated and filled with something squishy.
I also noticed he was not eating while in with his flock, but he would eat with gusto when I took him out and gave him his own food and water. Thought maybe he's not been getting enough food because the big boy in the flock might have been keeping him from it and maybe he had slow crop because of the lack of food. I put him back in after he'd eaten. Someone suggested putting 2 feeding stations in, so I did. At first he ate for a few seconds then sat down and went back to sleep. The big boy wasn't bothering him at all.
I took him out and began looking up how to treat slow crop. As I had him out that's when I noticed the diarrhea. It was pretty much nothing but liquid and any firm bits were pale green, like wasabi. I decided to keep him out and fixed up a little clear tote for him. He was still pretty sleepy, but for the most part he was very vocal and liked to be close to me. He would jump out of his bin to get to me, even when I was trying to take a nap. I ended up having to make a towel nest next to me and he was content to take a nap there with me.
After 3 days his crop wasn't getting better and he seemed to be getting worse. I looked for ages trying to find something. The closest I found was possibly coccidiosis(sp?). Someone suggested I go ahead and get Corid and give that to him. Unfortunately this came when I had maybe a few bucks to my name :/
Then, on the 4th day of trying to treat him, he began favoring one leg. By Friday, the 5th, he was so bad off he couldn't even stand and had had his eyes open only a few minutes all day. He'd barely eaten or drank something that day and he was silent the entire time. I was so sure I'd wake up Saturday to find he'd died.
Someone told me it looked like Marek's. I'd read about it at first but at that time it didn't fit. Now it did. I also found a thread where the OP's chicken had similar issues, except that their chicken was only wobbly at the time. A person who replied said it sounded bacterial and gave instructions on what to give and to do.
Here is that link: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/lethargic-with-green-diarrhea.251858/
But, again, I had no money to buy anything. After telling my sister about it, she suggested maybe Tylan 50 would do something if it was bacterial. I figured I didn't have anything to lose. On Friday night I gave him the first dose. By bedtime that night (3am for me that night) he had woken up and was ravenous.
Saturday he showed improvement. He was shifting in his spot, eating and drinking more, opening his eyes more, and even making a few peeps. By evening that day he was actually getting up and changing positions!
Sunday he was even more vocal and more alert for much longer periods of time and his poop, which has begun to be nothing but liquid and urates, was now getting some clumps back in it. By evening he was standing for a minute or two and walking around and had gone back to being concerned when he couldn't see me.
This morning his poops are no longer green, still some slight diarrhea but the firm bits are bigger and actually hold some shape. He is more vocal and is walking more. He is still pretty sleepy, which is understandable, but for the most part it's a vast improvement.
I am not totally getting my hopes up, but I am thinking he may just make it through and that it wasn't Marek's.
I have been giving him Tylan 50 twice a day, just less than .25cc. I have also put some vitamins and minerals in his water, just in case it was a vitamin deficiency.
And with the Tylan 50 I am not injecting it. I can't even manage to force it down his throat, nor have I wanted to try on the off chance he aspirates it. I have been giving it to him in a half tablespoon measuring spoon along with a little water and some crumbles to make sure he gets it all down.
I'll update this as necessary so if someone else has a chicken with the same issues they can find this and try something. I mean, if it's the neurological strain of Marek's the chicken just won't get better and you'll know you've tried on the off chance it was bacterial or a vitamin deficiency.
These are pictures from yesterday morning. See how he's still just a bit unsure on his feet, but he's standing! And yes, being on the table is gross, but I only do it for a little bit so I can keep track of how bad the diarrhea is. In his bin or on a towel the liquid absorbs too fast for me to see.
I hope you don't face that though! 
