Help! My hen has stopped drinking any water and has barely eaten for 3 weeks.

[BugStalker]

@BugStalker my neighbor has a microscope! I'm going to see if I can see anything, since I hate to give her the dewormer if it might not be necessary, so if there is something, I'll feel better about it... but I'm also just curious.... I'm a bio major, but it's been some time.
edit: I just tried to google it, but if looks like if I want to do a float, I need to get some sodium nitrate...or the eggs will burst with water... have you actually done it? Or can I just look at the dropping under the microscope without water? I'm going to have to collect some in the morning... Thanks.

If it's wet enough, I try to use the liquid from the dropping, instead of water. I have flotation solution that's better than water, too. I don't know how long it takes for them to burst in water, or if some kind of saline would keep it from happening. It's not the most reliable method, which is why it won't rule out anything. An actual float is much better. I will try to post some demonstration videos...

 

[BugStalker]

Yes, before having her come to the house tonight, I put out a large flat black lid, hoping she'd stop for a drink! It didn't work, but I'll definitely put it out tomorrow. I'll probably also water so she can drink off of the grass and leaves.
For the water lid, how much baking soda would you add to the water? I've already been including electrolytes... Would you still include the ACV? Or is that instead of the ACV?

Electrolytes include the baking soda, so you don't need more. I found that initially, mine had to see water dripping into the dish before she would drink, so I would fill it in front of her. I don't know if mixing ACV and baking soda reduces their effectiveness. The electrolytes would mix with digestive acid, anyway, so it would seem they would still provide their main benefit. If the ACV includes the mother, I'm not sure how well the bacteria would survive a ph change.

 

[BugStalker]

If you have a microscope somewhere around 80x, (I've heard 60x-100x,) you can do a smear without needing to float. Just put a drop of water on a slide, smear in a bit of sample dropping, adding a cover slip helps, compare what you see under the microscope with charts.

It isn't an accurate count. You can confirm they have parasites this way, but not that they don't.

The above is for the smear method. It's a quote of where I initially mentioned it on these forums.

A traditional float will mix the dropping sample in flotation solution in a tube smaller than the slide, filled over the brim without spilling, let it sit for 10 minutes to float any eggs to the surface, and then collect them on the bottom of a slide by touching it to the solution over the tube. It's cover slipped and turned over to search for eggs.

 

[amyduck]

If it's wet enough, I try to use the liquid from the dropping, instead of water. I have flotation solution that's better than water, too. I don't know how long it takes for them to burst in water, or if some kind of saline would keep it from happening. It's not the most reliable method, which is why it won't rule out anything. An actual float is much better. I will try to post some demonstration videos...

Thanks! I need to go to work this morning but will try what you post later IF I can even get a sample.

 

[amyduck]

Hope she gets better soon.

I was hoping to see some action overnight, but her crop doesn't feel like it went down at all.... but I suppose just a tiny bit, as she did pass a couple of small wet droppings. Something, is somehow getting through, but not much. It really worries me, how do I get food down her if her crop remains so full?

 

[BugStalker]

After getting the oil into the patient, you want to massage the crop gently in a circular and slightly upward motion. This will direct the contents toward the crop "drain". Massage for five to ten minutes. If the crop refuses to empty, repeat the oil and massage again in 30 minutes. If the crop still refuses to empty, then give a stool softener such as Dulcolax (docusate sodium). Wait 30 minutes and massage the crop. The crop should empty. Add more oil if it doesn't and massage again. This should do it.

This part of the crop article usually works to get things moving again.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I was hoping to see some action overnight, but her crop doesn't feel like it went down at all.... but I suppose just a tiny bit, as she did pass a couple of small wet droppings. Something, is somehow getting through, but not much. It really worries me, how do I get food down her if her crop remains so full?

She's moving about right?
If she's drinking and moving about, then I'd just offer feed free choice.

She needs to be given some fluids if she's not drinking on her own. Tube or syringe fluids into her. If you are going to the vet, have them show you how. There's loads of Youtube videos about how to tube and syringe fluids into chickens.

Offer her wet mushy feed or you can tube a little wet feed into her, but she needs hydrated very well first.

Treat the crop symptoms.

Treatment for crop
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

How to tube
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/crop-feeding.75454/

How to syringe
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

 

[Goosebaby]

Thanks Goosebaby - I had a hen that died of it about 2 years ago, so I guess that's possible... even though i've improved their diet...and the most recent chicken that died didn't have it...
That said, the hen that had it, died very suddenly, I guess her liver hemorrhaged Is there anything that can be done to reverse fatty liver disease? At this point, with how little she has eaten, she's probably used up all her fat reserves!

Reversing it, or managing it depends on if the liver hasn’t lost structure, unfortunatly there’s no way to tell that without imaging done.

But liver problems in birds are treated the same way in birds as they are in humans, diet changes if needed and cleansing the liver with milk thistle, antioxidants, and E, B & C vitamins. There’s also Denamarin “small dog size” or Vetriscience SAMEe.
Lemon juice in water, blueberries, dark leafy greens are typical foods that can help the liver also.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Getting her to drink would be my priority right now as birds can become dehydrated and succumb to that fairly quickly. Is she eating wet feed? Maybe try some watermelon (seems like eggcessive suggested this earlier in the thread?) or something to get fluids in her. Have you given the safegaurd yet? I'm cheering for her recovery

 

[amyduck]

She's moving about right?
If she's drinking and moving about, then I'd just offer feed free choice.

@Wyorp Rock After my post above, I picked her up wrong and she threw up on me... not sure how much but maybe a table spoon... She didn't seem to aspirate fortunately. After that I gave her 2 t. of coconut oil and the myconazole massaged a little but had to rush to work.

After I left, my partner saw her walk to the back of the yard 40-50 ft... where she was "foraging" a bit...but it's not clear she ate much. After that she sat between the fence and the compost bin all morning until I went to get her...

I massaged her crop, it seems a *tiny* bit smaller but not by much and I only saw evidence of one very small splatty dropping. After massaging her she walked about 15 ft to under the lemon tree where I put water and a variety of foods, she looked, but didn't have any. I'm about to get her to add another two tablespoons of oil, the safeguard for the day, and the Bactrim.... I do have the ducolax... but I really don't feel anything in her crop, so I'm a bit unsure about using it.

I'm wondering about water, if I tube it in, but the crop isn't really emptying and already has water, does it make any difference?

Thanks Wyorp Rock!