Weight loss and toes curling

[moarthan]

4 year old New Hampshire Red lost huge weight and now toes are curling... anyone experience this?

 

[AidKD]

Could you provide some more detail on how she's acting, please? Is she pooping regular, eating, drinking, etc.?

 

[Eggcessive]

Are the toes curling under on both feet? I would try giving some human vitamin B complex which helps if there is a riboflavin deficiency.
Does she lay eggs? Is her tail down or up. Is she eating and drinking? Canyou get her drinking well, and add some electrolytes, Gatorade, or Poultry NutriDrench? How does shed crop feel—empty, full, soft and puffy or firm?

 

[moarthan]

Could you provide some more detail on how she's acting, please? Is she pooping regular, eating, drinking, etc.?

She lost about 2 kg over 6 week period, then seemed to stabilise a little. I took her to the vet and they wormed her (as they said the one I used didn't cover all), gave me some antibiotics, did an xray and that was 7 weeks ago and she hasn't improved. She can't get up steps or roost and this morning I found her lying on her side. I hand fed and her legs were curled under her, and then she walked around for a while and I have isolated her and given her immune booster water, roo mince and meal worms. She is such a cuddler I can't bear to lose her. She is almost 4 years old.

 

[moarthan]

Are the toes curling under on both feet? I would try giving some human vitamin B complex which helps if there is a riboflavin deficiency.
Does she lay eggs? Is her tail down or up. Is she eating and drinking? Canyou get her drinking well, and add some electrolytes, Gatorade, or Poultry NutriDrench? How does shed crop feel—empty, full, soft and puffy or firm?

Sorry, just noticed your other questions. Yes both feet were curling. Should I give her a whole Vit B tablet? She stopped laying when she lost weight, but then all 4 of my chickens all stopped at the same time and have resumed for over 2 months. Her tail is up. She eats small portions at a time and occassionally her crop sometimes feels full but other times just empty. I have isolated her to monitor her water and food intake. She feels like just a skeleton to be honest. I have gatorade so will giver her some tomorrow.

 

[Eggcessive]

Break the tablet in two, and crush it in a spoonful of water. Give that to her with a dropper or syringe orally or, put it in some cooked egg if she will eat that. Cancer, crop problems, or a reproductive infection could be making her sick. The key is to keep her eating and drinking, moistened chicken feed, scrambled egg, tuna. Check her crop early each morning to see if it is emptying normally. If it is full in the morning, check if it is soft or hard, and check her breath for a sour odor. Four years in some chickens is older, and health problems may be common.

 

[moarthan]

Break the tablet in two, and crush it in a spoonful of water. Give that to her with a dropper or syringe orally or, put it in some cooked egg if she will eat that. Cancer, crop problems, or a reproductive infection could be making her sick. The key is to keep her eating and drinking, moistened chicken feed, scrambled egg, tuna. Check her crop early each morning to see if it is emptying normally. If it is full in the morning, check if it is soft or hard, and check her breath for a sour odor. Four years in some chickens is older, and health problems may be common.

I will make her scrambled eggs in the morning and try all this in the morning. The xray did show a lump on her wing joint, but they thought it was a minor fracture, and the wing has dropped, but I can actually feel the lump now through her feathers. Honestly she is only 1.5 kg now and I don't want her to suffer. She has been such a gem. They are apparently a strong breed and she has been amazing. Horrible to ask, but the vet just kept saying to come back $$$... if she isn't better in the next 7 days I really feel like I should show her mercy... thoughts? it breaks my heart to ask, but is this a kindness in this instance?

 

[coach723]

Do you think the lump on her wing joint has gotten bigger, or can you just feel it better because she's thin?
I would give the vitamins a bit of time to see if she improves, vitamin deficiency is fairly common, and can cause some weird symptoms sometimes, curled toes and balance issues are common ones.
Sometimes it's hard to know for sure what's going on inside, they hide symptoms really well. If she doesn't improve with all you are doing, and seems to be wasting away, then if you think she's suffering, and it's time, then you are probably right. Usually if they are acting sick, then they are pretty sick. It's really a personal decision about when the time has come, and yes, if they are suffering, then it is a kindness. I usually give them a chance if they seem to be fighting, trying to eat, drink, not happy with all the messing with them, having some quality of life. Some cancers can cause them to slowly waste away, you often don't know for sure that's what it is until they are necropsied. No one will question your decision, if it comes to that.

 

[moarthan]

Do you think the lump on her wing joint has gotten bigger, or can you just feel it better because she's thin?
I would give the vitamins a bit of time to see if she improves, vitamin deficiency is fairly common, and can cause some weird symptoms sometimes, curled toes and balance issues are common ones.
Sometimes it's hard to know for sure what's going on inside, they hide symptoms really well. If she doesn't improve with all you are doing, and seems to be wasting away, then if you think she's suffering, and it's time, then you are probably right. Usually if they are acting sick, then they are pretty sick. It's really a personal decision about when the time has come, and yes, if they are suffering, then it is a kindness. I usually give them a chance if they seem to be fighting, trying to eat, drink, not happy with all the messing with them, having some quality of life. Some cancers can cause them to slowly waste away, you often don't know for sure that's what it is until they are necropsied. No one will question your decision, if it comes to that.

Thanks. The Vet did Xray & ultrasound and said their were no lumps that seemed cancerous. They put her on antibiotics, worming tablets & pain relief, but of course that was short term. She is eating, but just not putting on weight. I will keep trying.

 

[coach723]

If you have not done so already, you might try a different feed. Formulas change sometimes, based on supply (which we all know is an issue these days), and it could be she's not digesting something well. I had issues several years ago with one particular feed (my birds were having crop issues, too many to be coincidence) could find no other apparent reason, and when I switched feeds it cleared up. It's hard to know. Some probiotics would do no harm and might be helpful if the issue is in her gut. Sav-a-chick makes one you can mix in water, probios is an all species one that is powdered, you mix it in some moistened feed. Wouldn't hurt to try. It's usually not recommended to give them too many carbs, but if she's not gaining or is still losing then a bit more might help, some scratch corn, BOSS, meal worms, all can cause weight gain. I wouldn't over do it, but a little might help her gain.