Weak lethargic puller

[Biddycass]

Hey, I’m just wondering if anyone has experienced anything similar to my issue. Have a little bantam lavender Sussex who is not well. She is about 4/5 months old. I noticed a couple weeks ago she was slower than her flock members and was puffed up and thin and her crop was taking a very long time to empty (I originally thought she had an impacted crop)
I contacted the breeder I got her off and she recommended I treat for coccidiosis. I had treated for that a couple months prior. So I started treating everyone in that group with amprolium for the recommended time. She improved but not 100% but I just put that down to her being weak from the treatment. I used multimins in their water to give them a boost. A week after treatment I noticed she was going down hill again. I quickly got baycox and started treatment. I have her inside and I have been syringing the water/baycox mix every couple hours. She’s super puffed up and always sleeping. She has firm green poops and isn’t interested in food. I’ve put some Greek yogurt and she’s pecked a little bit.
Could this be anything else?
She’s been wormed and is mite and lice free and all other pullets are healthy and thriving.

 

[LaFleche]

Welcome to the BYC community!

Your pullet sure looks very ill and I wonder if you hatched her yourself or purchased her from a hatchery or breeder?

Has she been a runt all her life?

Sometimes and more often with rare breeds or colours, the effects of inbreeding depression will show and the offspring will develop internal health issues and fail to thrive.

 

[Eggcessive]

Coccidiosis and worms are known to damage the bowel. So even though she has been treated for coccidiosis she might have suffered damage. So,e strains of coccidia are resistant to amprollium so it is good that you tried sulfa. As LaFleche mentioned, she also could have something else that has caused her not to thrive. If your vet would do a fecal float on some fresh collected droppings, they might be able to rule out worms and coccidiosis.

 

[Biddycass]

Welcome to the BYC community!

Your pullet sure looks very ill and I wonder if you hatched her yourself or purchased her from a hatchery or breeder?

Has she been a runt all her life?

Sometimes and more often with rare breeds or colours, the effects of inbreeding depression will show and the offspring will develop internal health issues and fail to thrive.

Hey thanks!
I bought her off a breeder who breeds show quality lines. She did have over 300 chickens so maybe I did just get unlucky with a weaker bird. She is a bantam so never really seen her size as an issue. I got her with 3 other chicks. This was all of them the first day I brought them home. The little black and white Ancona in the photo was the first to get cocci pretty much straight after I purchased them and I treated straight away and everyone seemed to make a recovery. Now a few months later this lavender one has gone down. She’s eating a little chick crumb last night but her crop hasn’t emptied this morning. This is her last day of baycox treatment so I will make the call tomorrow if she’s still really ill. Her poops are bright green now so I’m not hopeful she’ll recover but I’ll give her some more time as I’m surprised she made it through the night.

 

[Biddycass]

Coccidiosis and worms are known to damage the bowel. So even though she has been treated for coccidiosis she might have suffered damage. So,e strains of coccidia are resistant to amprollium so it is good that you tried sulfa. As LaFleche mentioned, she also could have something else that has caused her not to thrive. If your vet would do a fecal float on some fresh collected droppings, they might be able to rule out worms and coccidiosis.

Unfortunately our vet is not an avian expert and the closest one to me is 2.5 hours away. I had a sick silkie a couple months ago and brought her to the vets and they couldn’t give me any answers and charged me $150, but my friend who kept chickens all her life, put her down for me and then done a necropsy and we found she had a tiny heart and no reproductive organs, very interesting to see.
Yes I’m worried that there’s been unreversible damage done now. I should have got the baycox sooner but let’s see how she goes today. I’m surprised she’s still here with us this morning…poor little darling. I have been giving her meloxicam too so hopefully she’s not in too much pain.

 

[LaFleche]

Hey thanks!
I bought her off a breeder who breeds show quality lines. She did have over 300 chickens so maybe I did just get unlucky with a weaker bird. She is a bantam so never really seen her size as an issue. I got her with 3 other chicks. This was all of them the first day I brought them home. The little black and white Ancona in the photo was the first to get cocci pretty much straight after I purchased them and I treated straight away and everyone seemed to make a recovery. Now a few months later this lavender one has gone down. She’s eating a little chick crumb last night but her crop hasn’t emptied this morning. This is her last day of baycox treatment so I will make the call tomorrow if she’s still really ill. Her poops are bright green now so I’m not hopeful she’ll recover but I’ll give her some more time as I’m surprised she made it through the night.

Looking at her face and comparing her to the others in the attached picture you can already see that her head/face seems off: small and rather flat skull with very elongated face and beak.

 

[Biddycass]

Looking at her face and comparing her to the others in the attached picture you can already see that her head/face seems off: small and rather flat skull with very elongated face and beak.

Ah interesting to know, I thought she looked the same as the rest so perhaps I just got a little special chicken who was never gonna reach adulthood.
Thanks for your help. I’ll keep her as comfortable as possible today and then make the call tomorrow