When/If to introduce a new chicken who's been ill

[madwomn]

I bought a gorgeous 5-week-old Quail D'Anvers pullet baby from an airheaded woman who had ordered a selection of rare chicks from McMurray hatchery (she thought... though she couldn't remember, of course). I was only looking for one pullet, though I was dying for the white Polish boy she had.
We had Reeses for two days - isolated in a plastic dog cage - before she got sick. Our weather's been weird (welcome to northern Nevada, would you like some snow in July?), and from 90 degrees one day, it changed to 70 the next, with 40's in the night between. Reeses was ruffled up and lethargic. I thought, "Oh, she got cold. We'll warm her up, feed her some mash with watermelon juice, and she'll be fine." No dice. She has diarrhea and is COLD all the time. We're watering her with electrolyte water and an eye dropper and she mostly eats for herself once we get her started. And she eats A LOT. So, except for needing one of the heated rocks like you find in a reptile cage, being skinny, having a case of the runs, and not moving around a lot, she's holding her own.
The BIG question is, though, what the heck do I do with her if she survives? Right now, she's living in a plastic dog cage with pine chips and a light for extra heat and illumination (because she's not getting any sunshine). We're feeding her warm mash made up of chick crumbles, teeny tiny watermelon chunks, and electrolyte water. She's in my daughter's room because it's the warmest room in the house (the 70's persist, with 50's at night). My "Chicken Health Handbook" says that many of the diseases that cause diarrhea persist after the chicken appears well, and that the birds can become a carrier. Yikes! I have two other girls (a 1-year-old mottled D'Uccle named Pepper and a 10-week-old clinically insane 1/2-Cochin/1/2-Silkie mix named Florentine) who make up the established "flock" in my yard. I don't want to kill them! If I'll always have to have Reeses separated from the other two, and I can't in good conscience give her to someone else, should I just cull her? My daughter will move out and I'll have to go into therapy!
Gads.
Any advice?

 

[CMV]

Let your daughter keep her as a house chicken with the agreement that she will practice strict biosecurity measures to prevent the bird from sickening the flock of outdoor birds. You should also consider bringing her to see a vet to be tested for worms and cocci, and while she is there have them test for MG. After she is fully cleared by the vet, which is going to take some time, maybe then you will feel comfortable putting her in with your outdoor birds, and maybe she will be physically robust enough to handle it.

I hope you find a solution to your dilemma. Good luck.

 

[Leslieb118]

I could be wrong, so someone please feel free to correct me if I am, but doesn't watermelon contribute to watery poo? Not that it is the issue going on here, because I'm sure it's not, but it was just something that popped in my head.

Sorry she's sick. I'd definitely take CMV's advice though.

 

[RiddleMe]

That's a really tough decision, I had to make the same one not that long ago.

I bought two young birds earlier this spring, the day after I got them home the little cockerel started to sneeze. I did a bunch of reading on BYC, got a rude awakening/education about chickens and colds, then called the lady I bought them from. She admitted she had "a few" from the same pen that had swollen eyes, sneezing, etc. She was treating with antibiotics, recommended I do the same or just return them to her, but she wasn't willing to refund my money since it was "treatable". I would have returned them, just to avoid putting them down, but I got the definite impression she would just sell them to some other unsuspecting person. So after two weeks with no change, I ended up putting them down. It was a really tough decision, killing a bird "just for sneezing", and I'm sure there are those who would say it was heartless, especially the pullet since she never was symptomatic. But I just couldn't risk infecting the rest of my flock. And committing to a chickens lifespan of strict bio security was something I didn't feel comfortable with since I have a 2yo who loves feeding the chickens. I'm just glad I was so strict with quarantine, it's been over a month and everyone in my flock is still healthy.

 

[madwomn]

Oh, say it ain't so!
Today, she's doing better. We set her up in the window for some sunshine, she's eating crazy amounts of mash (with Greek yoghurt and applesauce because my husband ate the watermelon), and she's a bit warmer. I have a sister-in-law who's a vet and keeps chickens, so I'm going to have some poop checked for worms and cocci, though Reeses has been on medicated feed since hatching. What is "MG"? It's not in my book of diseases and I forgot to ask the sister-in-law.
My daughter vacuumed her room and Reeses flew around a little, and Reeses ate so much that she literally could not swallow any more. She pooped a couple of times, and 2 out of 3 of the poops don't look any stranger than the ones of the girls outside, so I'm hoping she's on the mend.
I'll post again when I have anything definitive. I'd also like a few more opinions on putting her in with the others. I'm still on the fence...

 

[RiddleMe]

Oh, say it ain't so!

MG = Mycoplasma gallisepticum, it's a respiratory disease that in itself isn't always that severe (think a sneezing chicken, not a big deal right?). But it can reduce the immune system and open the door to other infections. And the big stinker is that once they get, they are never truly cured, they will always be carriers and can infect other birds. That was ultimately why I culled, I wasn't willing to keep two new birds and risk it spreading to my established flock, or my carrying it to a friends house and infecting their flock (it can live outside the host for ~3 days, travel on clothes, skin, hair, etc). But it's a personal call, some folks feel it's so prevalent (wild birds can be carriers), that the birds that are exposed and remain asymptomatic are just healthier birds.

And keep in mind, you haven't gotten the vets results, it might be something completely different and curable! My birds symptoms (plus the ones at the breeders) were just such classic symptoms I decided to play it safe and cut my losses without spending the money on a vet test.

 

[pnp4kidz]

anyone know how much it costs to test?

I'd like to know before I cull 80 beloved birds....

 

[Suzierd]

I've never heard of a bird being a carrier from diarrhea.
http://chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0
Did she have Respitatory synptoms? Sneezing, ratteling, runny nose, mucus, bubbles or swelling in eyes?
Has she been wormed checked for mites, lice? I think it's a really good idea to figure out what's wrong before you add her to the flock. Good luck with her.

 

[madwomn]

Her poops are bright, bright green now, in copious quantity, which doesn't surprise me considering the amount of food she's packing down. She has had zero respiratory symptoms. Her entire list of symptoms is: lethargy, diarrhea, puffed out feathers, heat seeking. Today, she seems... stiff? As if she wants to clean herself, to move around the cage, to do normal things, but she's reluctant to complete the movements. She's not uncoordinated - she flew off the window ledge I had her sitting on while I cleaned out her cage.
I haven't checked her for worms, though I'm going to do that first thing tomorrow morning. She's naked under her wings - don't know if that means anything, as my other two girls aren't naked. My wormer says I shouldn't worm until she's 16 weeks old. Not true?
I checked her for mites and lice and didn't see evidence of either. She hasn't got any kind of comb to speak of, so it's tough to tell if her comb is the right color, but I didn't see mites, eggs, or their detritus, and I do know what they look like.
Thanks for your help!