My Chicken is a Little Skeleton, What is Wrong with Her?

[Toshiko24]

Hey,
I have a Cochin Hen that I hatched out back in April of 2015 so she is 4 now. Cochin's are a VERY friendly, winter hardy, VERY feathery bird. Feathers from their eyes down to the little claws on their toes.She has always been a good weight bird but about a week ago i noticed she feels like she is a little skeleton.

When I feed the other birds their dinner she will not come to eat with them, instead she just wanders off and starts hunting for bugs in the yard. I have offered her the feed away from the other birds but she will only eat maybe one or 2 pellets then go back to looking for bugs. She hangs out by the water dish and is drinking a lot. She will come and eat bread from me and sometimes some lettuce. I always teach my baby chicks 'The Spotlight Game' where they chase a flashlight beam around after dark so they can catch bugs. I have been doing that with her after the others are done eating and go to bed so she can at least have something to eat since she is willing to eat those. (Lots of cockroaches are out looking for chicken feed crumbs Yuck >.<)

Anyway its just very out of character for her, she has never had an issue with the feed before. I have 19 birds that are between the ages 2months-5years old and free range my backyard together. 2 of them are roos (a 5year old roo and a 1 year old roo). She hangs out with the 5year old roo. Neither of the roos bother her. They all get along quite well and she is not low in the pecking order so i know she isn't getting bullied out of eating with the others. (They let the 4 2month old babies steal treats from them, its cute.)
My neighbor gets a raccoon in her coop and has lost a few birds to it but I don't have any problems with predators in my yard that could have hurt her. I have a 6ft plastic fence. I think its too slippery for the coon to climb on and my birds are too big for hawks to take more than one look at.

I have not noticed her laying any eggs. When I was feeling her body to see if she had anything weird hiding under her feathers I did notice her back end on the underside is kinda poofy like a pillow? (Not her vent, like between her vent and the back of her legs.)

I have no vets in my area that will touch a bird with a 10 foot pole. They say they don't know anything about birds and/or birds are just too fragile and can go into shock too easy.

Has anybody had anything like this with their chickens or maybe know what is causing her to suddenly be so weirdly selective on her food and causing her to loose so much weight?
Sorry I know this is kinda weird and I probably didn't explain it super well. >.<

 

[Dec17]

If you feel the front left of her chest below her neck there should be a lump there it’s basically where they store there food before digesting it but I’ve forgotten feel that and it should be quite full quite large lump on a bird that size if that is full then she is eating happily after that worms might be another thing to look for if you can feel food in there of not maybe try her on some different food treat her a bit like you said with lettuce

 

[The_BirdNerd]

Have you checked her crop? Sometimes my chicken doesn’t eat her pellets at all and just wants to eat bugs, dirt and grass.

In the morning and at night you should check her crop to see if it’s empty (morning) and full (night). If it is this way and her droppings look normal then she might just not be getting enough minerals and vitamins.

Check her breath to see if it has a ‘sour smell’ as this could be sour crop. It could also be the reason why she is drinking more water than eating.

I wish I could provide more info but I would wait for someone more experienced to respond!

 

[Dec17]

The front left as your looking at her

 

[Dec17]

The front left as your looking at her

Have you checked her crop? Sometimes my chicken doesn’t eat her pellets at all and just wants to eat bugs, dirt and grass.

In the morning and at night you should check her crop to see if it’s empty (morning) and full (night). If it is this way and her droppings look normal then she might just not be getting enough minerals and vitamins.

Check her breath to see if it has a ‘sour smell’ as this could be sour crop. It could also be the reason why she is drinking more water than eating.

I wish I could provide more info but I would wait for someone more experienced to respond!

That’s the name crop cheers

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you gather some of her droppings overnight in a dog crate, and get the sample tested for parasites? Worms or coccidiosis, or enteritis could keep her from absorbing the nurtrients of her food. Diseases such as cancer or Mareks disease can affect appetite or cause wasting. Crop disorders which may make her crop feel hard and impacted or puffy/boggy first thing in the morning, can also keep her from eating and digesting food. When I have a sick chicken, I will separate them and offer foods such as chopped scrambled egg, chicken feed made wet with water, and either canned cat food or tuna. Sorry about your cochin, and I hope that you can figure it out. If you lose her, getting a necropsy by your state vet probably would give you some answers.

 

[RhodeIslandRed5]

If she's four years old, it could be a reproductive problem. Chickens can do that after their egg laying years are over.

 

[coach723]

If the abdomen is bloated then it very well could be a reproductive problem, that is not uncommon in hens over 2 years old. Those problems can take many forms, infection, internal laying, cancers. It can cause digestive slow down, so crop problems can be symptom, and when they don't feel well they will go off feed. Getting a fecal is still a good idea, to rule that out as a possible problem. How the droppings look could maybe help, if you can post a picture of the bird, so the abdomen is visible and the droppings. If you don't have a vet that will do a fecal you can use a mail in option. If she does have reproductive problem then most of them do not have much in the way of treatment and the long term prognosis is poor. I just keep them comfortable as long as they are doing normal chicken things. When they are no longer obviously feeling well, then I end their suffering.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000J5SOZ4/?tag=backy-20
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...e-video-graphic-photos.1201052/#post-19020612

 

[RhodeIslandRed5]

Try seeing if she'll eat a nutrient rich treat like scrambled egg. But if she does continue to starve herself, I think the best thing to do would be to end her suffering.

 

[bintekhan]

Hope your hen is going to get well soon

My bantams are having the same issue. They are not eating properly. Poop test for parasite s came negative. There might be something wrong with their intestines.

Bloating, swelling and inflammation is there , body temperature has been raised at the absomabdo atea . I can feel the intense heat.

They were on sulfa drug for three days , saw a bit improvement , but with that they started to have slow crop so I discontinued the medicine. After few days I started to give them flagyl but now again they have started same issue . Slow crop.

I can feel the breast bone. Eating just few pieces of veggies. Poops are watery green and white. Previously they were rasdish brown with lots of smell or Undigested food particles. They are not absorbing nutrients . Any one of you can suggest a good antibiotic for intestinal infection please?

And kindly let us know a bit about salmonella infection symptoms please?


Thanks.