Q We have a poorly hen and are looking for some advice. We acquired a pair which appeared quite healthy, apart from a few lice which we dealt with. The bird in question started laying and everything was fine. We then got three more POL hens (Black Rocks) which, one by one, went down with colds. We got them injected with Tylan (all except Norma, because she was laying), and the colds gradually cleared up. Norma, however, has gradually gone down hill, but not in the same way as the others - all she does is sit around all day, often in her nest box. She used to be very active, always out and scratching about looking for food. Incidentally, we installed some electric fencing to prevent them from free-ranging into our neighbours' when we acquired the Black Rocks. Could she be sulking?
She is looking very miserable - tail down - and has stopped laying. Her droppings are solid but a little more green than the others. Her appetite has waned and her comb looks pale. She doesn't have fishy breath and does not appear to have a cold. Any ideas?
We have several books on poultry and have searched the internet, but have been unable to find any mention of these symptoms to match poor Norma's condition.
Oh, and she is developing thickened, scaly areas around her upper legs - possibly scaly leg mite. Would this have any bearing on the other symptoms?
A I would be quite worried about Norma: the greenish-coloured droppings are probably due to bile pigment as Norma is not eating much. The pale comb would probably indicate anaemia. The scaly leg mite (Knemidocoptes mutans) is often carried in poultry without signs, kept in check by the bird's immune system. But if the bird becomes stressed and the immune system is weakened, the mite multiplies and scaly leg results - so this is secondary to something else.
Norma has probably got air sac damage resulting from the 'cold' - tylosin (the antibiotic in Tylan) has some effect against Mycoplasma, which was probably part of the respiratory infection that Norma had, as well as some activity against other secondary bacterial infections. Tylan in an injectable form is not licensed for use in poultry, but is licensed in soluble form, though as explained before, there is increasing resistance to this drug by mycoplasmas.
As Norma was not treated (I assume that this is because of the egg withdrawal - next time I would advise treating the birds and not using the eggs for a good 10 days after treatment), her infection could have been quite severe and resulted in permanent damage to her airways - leaving her with a less functional respiratory system, less energy, less appetite (a bird that has difficulty breathing will choose not to stop breathing to swallow), rapid weight loss, etc. Electric fences do not tend to make birds sit still, they just avoid being in touching range after getting a jolt.
I would doubt that Norma has managed to get too close to it. None of us can help repair permanent damage, so quality of life has to be considered in Norma's case. If her tail is moving or you can see her body moving when she breathes, then she is having difficulty and I would recommend that she is put to sleep. Remember that if a bird looks ill, then it's actually extremely ill; they hide sickness for as long as they can. As well as her discomfort, she may be a constant source of infection to the other birds. She will also be at increased risk of further respiratory infections because of the damage she's probably already sustained.
