4yo hen lethargic and sticky mouth

[beachbunny76]

Found her sitting like this with her head weak/bowing down.. She has somewhat of a full but a squishy crop. I don’t smell an odor out of her mouth but when I try to open her mouth it’s a little sticky in there. I see nothing abnormal in her mouth or into her throat. No nasal discharge and not wanting to eat or drink. Last saw her this morning and she was acting normal. I saw her foraging, going into the nest box, and sandbathing. They get 1 hr of free range in the morning.
She was broody the last few weeks and finally gave up a few days ago. I checked for egg bound and I did not feel an egg. She moves a little but won’t walk, …doesn’t want to move. Her bum is a little smelly and slightly dirty now but normally she is very clean. All others are healthy and no illness in the flock.
However, I did find one roundworm in one of the feces the other day but not sure which hen it was because I have many. Could she be overloaded with roundworm or could this be sour crop? Is it OK to begin deworming her now? Or is something else going on? I don’t wanna overload her and I want to save her obviously. Appreciate your help!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry she's not doing well.
Is vet care an option?

I'd begin addressing the crop symptoms. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

If you saw a roundworm in the poop, then I'd also try deworming.
Work on hydration first, once drinking, then see if she will eat some mushy feed or bits of egg, tuna, etc.

Hopefully she'll pull through.

To treat most worms that poultry can have except for Tapeworm -

Safeguard dose is 0.23ml per pound of weight given orally once a day for 5 days in a row.

--OR--

Valbazen dose is 0.08ml per pound of weight given orally once, then repeated in 10 days.

 

[beachbunny76]

I'm sorry she's not doing well.
Is vet care an option?

I'd begin addressing the crop symptoms. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

If you saw a roundworm in the poop, then I'd also try deworming.
Work on hydration first, once drinking, then see if she will eat some mushy feed or bits of egg, tuna, etc.

Hopefully she'll pull through.

To treat most worms that poultry can have except for Tapeworm -

Safeguard dose is 0.23ml per pound of weight given orally once a day for 5 days in a row.

--OR--

Valbazen dose is 0.08ml per pound of weight given orally once, then repeated in 10 days.

Thank you so much for your response. She passed in the night After researching more last night, I feel fairly confident she had botulism. It was such a sudden onset. I watch my girls like a hawk and pay close attention if any are “off” and I take action quick. So I’m shocked she was so far gone so quick in a matter of hours. Unless roundworms can do the same? I’ve got Safeguard Aquasol and will start treatment on the rest of the flock. And do a deeper clean of the run of any left over crumbles that are on the ground. I usually scoop it out daily but it’s hard to get all of it. I’ll look into necropsy too.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you so much for your response. She passed in the night After researching more last night, I feel fairly confident she had botulism. It was such a sudden onset. I watch my girls like a hawk and pay close attention if any are “off” and I take action quick. So I’m shocked she was so far gone so quick in a matter of hours. Unless roundworms can do the same? I’ve got Safeguard Aquasol and will start treatment on the rest of the flock. And do a deeper clean of the run of any left over crumbles that are on the ground. I usually scoop it out daily but it’s hard to get all of it. I’ll look into necropsy too.

I'm sorry to hear she died
Without necrospy, it's hard to know why they died. Botulism follows a progression of decline, so you may want to check out the article. https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/botulism/botulism-in-poultry#Epizootiology_v3343599

A heavy worm infestation can cause a bird to decline, but generally you would notice symptoms weeks beforehand - a steady decline.

If you have Safeguard Aquasol, then follow the directions on the bottle to mix into the drinking water. That's the expensive formula that is a lower dose and FDA approved.