Sick chicken and I'm inexperienced, please help?

[BigBlueHen53]

The crop (in front) is where food is stored temporarily. Sometimes called, colloquially, the "craw." Food is digested in the proventiculus and gizzard, aka the equivalent of the stomach. Grit in the gizzard grinds grain and seeds, because chickens don't have teeth. You should always provide a separate bowl or dish of crushed granite grit for your chickens for this reason. Also, in another vessel, crushed oyster shell, for making strong egg shells. Only laying hens will eat that. Forgive me if you already know some of this.

 

[Saaniya]

Hello, I have a sick chicken who is basically just standing still in my yard most of the day puffed up. Her comb and face have turned really pale and she isn't eating or drinking much but will if you put it in front of her for a little.ive checked her for mites/lice I don't see anything and I checked her poop I don't see any worms? She has no discharge from her eyes or anything and her breathing seems fine. She's been this way for about a week. All my other chickens are doing fine? I've put electrolytes in their water to see if that would help but doesn't seem to be working. Any help would be appreciated, I am very new and don't know much about chicken ailments. Thank you for reading

pale comb and face is always dehydrated bird pls take her indoor in comfortable place let her drink some electrolytes first

 

[Saaniya]

Thank you for your reply! I will go to the store in a few minutes. I'm just wondering if that isn't what's wrong with her, if it would hurt her more by giving it to her? Obviously doing something is better than nothing though. Her comb has also been a little purple on the ends. Here is a pic of her now I also didn't add that she has trouble getting on/off the roost lately....I have to come out in the morning and get her down

her comb is too floppy she is highly dehydrated

 

[BigBlueHen53]

The calcium won't hurt her in any case.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

If you don't have electrolytes you can give her some sports drink or sugar water with a pinch of salt.

 

[Nikki90]

View attachment 3798850
The crop (in front) is where food is stored temporarily. Sometimes called, colloquially, the "craw." Food is digested in the proventiculus and gizzard, aka the equivalent of the stomach. Grit in the gizzard grinds grain and seeds, because chickens don't have teeth. You should always provide a separate bowl or dish of crushed granite grit for your chickens for this reason. Also, in another vessel, crushed oyster shell, for making strong egg shells. Only laying hens will eat that. Forgive me if you already know some of this.

I will check her in the morning, thank you. I have two cups of oyster shells and grit in their pen where the food is kept but they free range in my yard all day so maybe she hasn't ate enough lately? Idk...

 

[Nikki90]

pale comb and face is always dehydrated bird pls take her indoor in comfortable place let her drink some electrolytes first

Yes I've been giving her some in her water I've been mixing in and she is inside now

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I will check her in the morning, thank you. I have two cups of oyster shells and grit in their pen where the food is kept but they free range in my yard all day so maybe she hasn't ate enough lately? Idk...

Unless you're getting soft or shell-less eggs, she's probably getting all she needs. It doesn't take much and many keepers think their hens aren't eating it at all because they don't see the level of these items going down much. But they do.

 

[Nikki90]

View attachment 3798850
The crop (in front) is where food is stored temporarily. Sometimes called, colloquially, the "craw." Food is digested in the proventiculus and gizzard, aka the equivalent of the stomach. Grit in the gizzard grinds grain and seeds, because chickens don't have teeth. You should always provide a separate bowl or dish of crushed granite grit for your chickens for this reason. Also, in another vessel, crushed oyster shell, for making strong egg shells. Only laying hens will eat that. Forgive me if you already know some of this.

I checked her crop this morning, it feels like a squishy ball at the bottom where it should be in that diagram but higher up like mid neck it feels hard. I'm not sure if that's a bone or not I can't get her to really stretch it out either.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Does her breath have an odor to it?