by Jamesama » Thu Dec 14, 2017 9:53 am
Posting an update on this. We took the chicken to the vet (Glen Eden) in early November and they did a fantastic job taking stool samples (which chickie conveniently provided on the bench) and putting them under the microscope to look for parasites, bacteria and yeast using different stains, as well as a crop inspection and vent clean. Parasites and bacteria were ruled out, so we were leaning towards intestinal fungal infection and secondary crop yeast infection. Prescription was antibiotics (14 days) and Nystatin (anti fungal/yeast) for 10 days. Total cost was $200 (which I considered reasonable). These were delivered by myself down chicken's beak and with syringe.
Chicken made good progress on sour crop and held weight but we went for another 10 days of Nystatin as the diarrhea kept coming. All chickens were moved to apple cider vinegar and sick chicken also got garlic clove in water. At the end of November diarrhea changed from small hard bits and lots of water to grey slurry down vent, but crop was now hard. We took this as a good sign that sour crop was defeated but intestine was still problematic. Chicken held itself fine within the pecking order when playing with other chickens (but was otherwise kept in isolation). Its true the chickens didn't see this as a sign of weakness.
Then in early December the heat came on, and chicken got fly strike around the vent (only a pin heads worth) so we cleaned out and treated with antibiotic cream, antiseptic (betadine) and a burst of flyspray (this was an ad hoc idea there are better treatments). Chicken moved to twice daily vent cleans.
Unfortunately, chicken then declined rapidly over the following week (we guess finally succumbing to illness), with weight loss (obvious around breast bone), lethargy (not moving, slumping, and eventually unable to stand up), and not eating/very fussy eating. Occsaisonally force fed chicken pellet slurry with syringe. Tried adding some berocca to water but far too late. Eventually, it was decided to end chicken's suffering myself. She had had a good end of life care we felt and we had done our best!
Lessons:
Prevention is always better: watch for mouldy food, treat water with apple cider vinegar, don't feed chickens junk food, pellets are fine for them.
Vets are affordable
Nystatin is magical
Coxiprol is quite harsh on their digestive tract
Euthanising your favourite pet chicken sucks (even if she is a 6 yeard old pekin who had had it all in her life!)