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

[amyduck]

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

Thanks - if she doesn't seem to have any lumps in her crop, do I still do the ducolax?

 

[amyduck]

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

Unfortunately, she is turning her nose up at any food I drink I put out for her (I think she gets mad easily....!) She might be getting a little bit of grass seed in the yard, but that likely isn't much. I gave her safeguard yesterday and about to give it again...

 

[BugStalker]

Thanks - if she doesn't seem to have any lumps in her crop, do I still do the ducolax?

Docusate sodium is soapy, and helps lubricate like water and oil, but in a little different way. I think it bonds the water and oil to make everything more slippery. I had one case where it didn't work, with cancer, though it worked in a more advanced cancer case, but she didn't get an apatite. I have used a little in birds with watery crops, in case there were solids stuck further in, but it's possible the oil&water would've worked by themselves, eventually.

 

[amyduck]

Docusate sodium is soapy, and helps lubricate like water and oil, but in a little different way. I think it bonds the water and oil to make everything more slippery. I had one case where it didn't work, with cancer, though it worked in a more advanced cancer case, but she didn't get an apatite. I have used a little in birds with watery crops, in case there were solids stuck further in, but it's possible the oil&water would've worked by themselves, eventually.

Do you just pop in the capsule or cut it?

 

[BugStalker]

Do you just pop in the capsule or cut it?

I have done both. The capsule usually dissolves pretty fast.

 

[Animal Export]

sad!!!

 

[amyduck]

sad!!!

Yes, it's very distressing... I've been a mess, especially on the heels of losing my other hen, a month ago today...

 

[BugStalker]

Also, I wouldn't try the surgery or molasses, if it doesn't seem to work, sometimes the more watery crops take longer. I think I let them soak overnight, and they were smaller the next morning, with soapy droppings, and got smaller through the day, though they kept drinking. Magnesium is hard to dose properly with a full crop, and trying to flush a liquid crop might cause aspiration.

I assume she has grit, in case she is working on some fibrous plant. Sometimes fungal infections will cause them to lose grit. I don't know if it would help to try feeding her a few pieces. I expect she would eat them if she needed to.

 

[amyduck]

Hi all,
She finally seems to be losing some of what was in her crop, but this afternoon it's mostly water!
Here's this morning, it seems like 3 different droppings, clearly wet. Thicker than they look here:

Then this afternoon when I came back from work, two very liquid droppings with hardly anything in them. And just now, I went out on the deck to check on her, and there was this older one, again mostly liquid with a few urates:

When she saw me coming she got up and left this behind: (NOTE: the green on the right is a reflection of some leaves, it's not in the poop!

I placed a paper towel on it to get a closer look and the worm-like thing on the left, and also to give you an idea of the amount of liquid.
So what is the brown thing I picked up with the paper towel?

I can't tell if this is some kind of worm, or plant material. I tend to think it's old plant material, but what do you all think? I've only seen white round worms... I looked at it under a crappy kid's microscope and couldn't really tell if it was plant or animal material..

I would really appreciate next steps... If that is a worm, what's next, if not, then what?

 

[BugStalker]

I thought it was intestinal lining when I first looked at it, but I'm not sure. It might help to post another topic asking what it is for more opinions, or tag some poop inspectors...

She finally seems to be losing some of what was in her crop, but this afternoon it's mostly water!
Here's this morning, it seems like 3 different droppings, clearly wet. Thicker than they look here:

View attachment 3139088

Then this afternoon when I came back from work, two very liquid droppings with hardly anything in them. And just now, I went out on the deck to check on her, and there was this older one, again mostly liquid with a few urates:

View attachment 3139094
When she saw me coming she got up and left this behind: (NOTE: the green on the right is a reflection of some leaves, it's not in the poop!

View attachment 3139095

I placed a paper towel on it to get a closer look and the worm-like thing on the left, and also to give you an idea of the amount of liquid.
So what is the brown thing I picked up with the paper towel?
View attachment 3139097
I can't tell if this is some kind of worm, or plant material. I tend to think it's old plant material, but what do you all think? I've only seen white round worms... I looked at it under a crappy kid's microscope and couldn't really tell if it was plant or animal material..
View attachment 3139098
I would really appreciate next steps... If that is a worm, what's next, if not, then w