need some direction for a sick chicken

[azygous]

Poultry Nutri-drench is a different formulation than regular chicken vitamins. Nutr0drench doesn't need to be metabolized in the liver like the other supplements. It goes directly into the blood stream for max effect.

Videos are a bit different from posting photos. In order for a video to embed here, you do need to post it to YouTube first. Then copying the URL and pasting that here, when you post, it embeds as a watchable video.

What does this hen do when you offer sunflower seeds or other grains? I buy whole grains, buckwheat, oats, couscous, etc, and offer them as treats. These have complex carbs and high protein and satisfy their urge for hunting and pecking. You might find she has more of an interest in whole grains than for regular milled feed, although she still needs commercial feed.

 

[awagnon]

Poultry Nutri-drench is a different formulation than regular chicken vitamins. Nutr0drench doesn't need to be metabolized in the liver like the other supplements. It goes directly into the blood stream for max effect.

Videos are a bit different from posting photos. In order for a video to embed here, you do need to post it to YouTube first. Then copying the URL and pasting that here, when you post, it embeds as a watchable video.

What does this hen do when you offer sunflower seeds or other grains? I buy whole grains, buckwheat, oats, couscous, etc, and offer them as treats. These have complex carbs and high protein and satisfy their urge for hunting and pecking. You might find she has more of an interest in whole grains than for regular milled feed, although she still needs commercial feed.

ok thats good to know. up until she got sick again, she devoured sunflower seeds. doesnt even look at them right now. eating the egg & rice tho & some mash i made her.

 

[awagnon]

Well my girl isn't eating today. I stopped the Corid yesterday to give her vitamins and after a night of LOUD stomach grumblings, I ended up 'force feeding' her a few torpedos of feed, rice and egg this morning because she was not even interested in anything I offered her. She didn't throw it back up, but her neck looks VERY large still this afternoon. The 'bulge' is a lot higher than the level of what I would think her crop is, but she's so skinny, it may just be her shape throwing me off. She had been drinking well until today. I haven't seen her drink at all so I have been syringing the side of her beak and she is taking it in that way. I have gotten some Nutri-Drench down her.

She was back to doing the head and neck gyrations today. Her poops are more solid, but dark black. I have 1 more day of wormer, tomorrow. Have not seen any worms expelled so I don't think she had a heavy load if any at all. She's been on Miconazole as well with that to try to help prevent sour crop. I don't detect any foul smell from her mouth, but want to be safe since her crop does not seem to be emptying this afternoon and was slow to empty since she's been crated.

She has been lying down most of today. Def less energetic than yesterday. She can still get up and stand without any issues, fights me when medicating/feeding her so she still has good energy. No change on her appearance.

I would have hoped she'd be better today since she seem to be improving yesterday so this is very disheartening.

 

[azygous]

The black stools are a sign that worms may be dying in her intestines and she is absorbing (digesting) them, turning the poop black. It's a good sign she's pooping them out and they aren't forming a blockage.

Try not to be discouraged. Unless she has a chronic underlying issue, worming should improve her digestion and overall health.Try to resist the urge to force feed longer than just one day, though. She can get dependent and lose her natural appetite, which should improve after the worms have cleared out of her system.

 

[awagnon]

The black stools are a sign that worms may be dying in her intestines and she is absorbing (digesting) them, turning the poop black. It's a good sign she's pooping them out and they aren't forming a blockage.

Try not to be discouraged. Unless she has a chronic underlying issue, worming should improve her digestion and overall health.Try to resist the urge to force feed longer than just one day, though. She can get dependent and lose her natural appetite, which should improve after the worms have cleared out of her system.

Oh wow, I did not know that! Well that's encouraging. Maybe her off day today was from the toxins from dying worms. I will stop the force feeding now that I can get some Nutri-Drench in her. I was just so worried she would get even skinnier than she is now if she didn't eat something. I will try to coax her to eat some rice and soft boiled egg yolk in the morning. Hopefully she'll feel better. Her crop area felt like a water balloon most of the day. No idea why, because she wasn't drinking very much. I only fed her maybe 2 tablespoons of food because I didn't want to stress her out too much. It was the size of a lemon this evening. I am going to check her first thing and hope it has gone down.

 

[awagnon]

Update: @azygous My girl finished her 5 day Safeguard wormer and also her Miconazole dosing. She has been going out with her sisters during the day once it warms up enough. I bring her in at night because the temps here are in the low 30's high 20's. I don't feel she has enough body mass to generate enough body heat to prevent her from freezing to death, so she's sleeps in her crate inside. She seems to settle well.

Two days ago, I got her to eat 3 soft boiled eggs on her own. But the increased appetite seems to be short lived. She is drinking fine. I offer her some sunflower seeds and she gobbles them up. She will eat a few pellets, but she's still not eating enough. She used to LOVE mash, but doesn't even try it now. ugh Today before I brought her in I gave the flock some sunflower seeds and BSF worms. She ate them eagerly & pecked her sisters when they got near the bowl she claimed, and growled at me when I picked her up to bring her in. lol I gave her some in her crate so she likes me again.

I weighed her again and she's at 3.2 lbs. She seems to have good energy/color/alertness. More than she had a week ago, Lord only knows how. Although she does walk around a bit slower than she used to. She can keep up with the flock, however. No one is picking on her. She isn't standing alone or puffing up when she's out with the flock.

She's still doing her cobra dance with her head and neck, every once in a while, but not as much as before. She seems to like it when I raise up her crop and massage it. Her stomach is STILL growling/grumbling LOUDLY, especially after she eats a couple of bites. If she's eating and this starts, she stops eating and walks away from her bowl and then I have a hard time getting her to eat more.

Her poops are still pretty watery, but they are browning up and getting a bit thicker in consistency so I think things are starting to move through better.

How I can get some weight on this girl? Should I torpedo feed her before I take her out and when I bring her in?? She really hates that, but if I have to I have to. I just don't want her to stop eating on her own.

I have some wild bird food with different grains in it. Is that OK to give her for some added variety and calories? I don't want to just feed her sunflower seeds and cause a nutritional imbalance, but she's got to eat more of SOMETHING! I can get her some scratch if that would be better. I have the nutri-drench & probiotics to give her in her water to help keep her nutrition up.

Should I keep her inside until she's better to make sure she eats?? I think she's happier out with her sisters I did see her out at the feeder this afternoon, but wasn't close enough to see if she was actually eating. Thanks for all your advice!

 

[azygous]

Sounds like some progress, even if small. How would you feel about giving her a flush? I still suspect a blockage of some degree. I would prefer the three-day Epsom salt flush, but that requires tubing half a cup of solution twice a day for three consecutive days.

Or you could try one of the short flushes. One-fourth cup warm water with one teaspoon Epsom salts. She would be required to drink it all. Epsom salts gently stimulate the intestines to empty, hopefully flushing out any leftover dead worms or anything else slowing down digestion.

 

[awagnon]

Sounds like some progress, even if small. How would you feel about giving her a flush? I still suspect a blockage of some degree. I would prefer the three-day Epsom salt flush, but that requires tubing half a cup of solution twice a day for three consecutive days.

Or you could try one of the short flushes. One-fourth cup warm water with one teaspoon Epsom salts. She would be required to drink it all. Epsom salts gently stimulate the intestines to empty, hopefully flushing out any leftover dead worms or anything else slowing down digestion.

Is that in addition to offering food? I am afraid to with hold anything she might want to eat since she's so skinny and still losing weight. Will this require tubing? Not sure I can do that by myself as she was really struggling against me toward the end of administering her wormer and anti fungal. Will chickens drink this water mixture if I just replace her water with it? She doesn't drink that much of her regular water per day I don't believe, but I haven't been measuring it so she might be. I will have to figure out a way to do it, if it seems it's necessary. It just seems to stress her out when I mess with her face lately. hmmm wonder why. lol

She is pooping a lot more than a week ago, but it's not normal yet.

 

[azygous]

You would mix the solution, only a fourth of a cup, and give it in a dish so she can drink it as she feels like. This is instead of regular plain water until after she consumes it all. And yes, she can have regular food while she drinks it. We will need to see what comes out in her poop afterward.

To put weight on a chicken, high grade protein does it the best. That would include eggs, tofu, yogurt, fish, ground beef. These foods should not replace regular feed, though. I would give them only once every two or three days to avoid overworking her kidneys.

 

[awagnon]

You would mix the solution, only a fourth of a cup, and give it in a dish so she can drink it as she feels like. This is instead of regular plain water until after she consumes it all. And yes, she can have regular food while she drinks it. We will need to see what comes out in her poop afterward.

To put weight on a chicken, high grade protein does it the best. That would include eggs, tofu, yogurt, fish, ground beef. These foods should not replace regular feed, though. I would give them only once every two or three days to avoid overworking her kidneys.

Ok. I will start the flush tomorrow and just keep her inside so I know if she had drank it all. It's not going to be very warm tomorrow anyway. No one has been picking on her when I return her to the flock so her position in the pecking order still stands. Will continue to offer her extra protein as advised. Will post results as they happen.