Sick Chicken

[MrsDudley2002]

I have no clue what is wrong. No sign of physical injury, eating out of my hand just fine, laid an egg this morning, and the rest of the flock is completely normal.

This gal though…it’s like she’s drunk or something. When she tries to stand she falls forward.

I gave her an Epsom salt soak and she’s now resting, but what could this be and how should I treat whatever it is?

PS. Trying to post a video, but it’s not letting me???

 

[MrsDudley2002]

Instagram Post w/ Video

 

[Eggcessive]

Your video is private. How old is she? Can you get her drinking some water with electrolytes? A cup of water with a tsp of sugar and a tiny pinch of salt can be substituted. Could she be dehydrated, or been kept from food and water by the others? Have you seen any soft or shell-less eggs recently? Do you have any pictures of her or her droppings? How does her crop feel—empty, full, firm and squishy?

 

[MrsDudley2002]

She is just over a year old. Her crop is full, but she hasn’t pooped since we found her like this a few hours ago. I can’t get her to drink anything, but she’s eating well.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would hold a small cup or cat food/tuna can up to her beak to offer the water. Dip her beak in it. You also can hold a spoon to the side of her beak, or use a dropper or a pipette to drip some water into her beak. If you can get a human calcium tablet or a Tums, break it in half and put it into her beak to swallow, in case she has another egg stuck. Do you have any mold in your feed or any poisonous plants in the area? Has anyone sprayed for insects or weeds? Feed or scratch can get moldy overnight if there has been any rain drip into it.

 

[MrsDudley2002]

I would hold a small cup or cat food/tuna can up to her beak to offer the water. Dip her beak in it. You also can hold a spoon to the side of her beak, or use a dropper or a pipette to drip some water into her beak. If you can get a human calcium tablet or a Tums, break it in half and put it into her beak to swallow, in case she has another egg stuck. Do you have any mold in your feed or any poisonous plants in the area? Has anyone sprayed for insects or weeds? Feed or scratch can get moldy overnight if there has been any rain drip into it.

 

[MrsDudley2002]

No mold that I’m aware of and the rest of the flock is perfectly fine and has the same access she has. I’ve tried a dropper and holding a small bowl of water to her beak and she is not interested at all, but I’ll keep trying. I’ll try to get her to eat the Tums and hope for the best.