We have a Sick bird I’m not really sure what is going on. This is my first experience with chickens and we live in an urban area. Saturday I noticed one of my 10 week old Americano was not hanging with the other chicks. I found her huddled up in the coop with one eye closed and was she was lethargic. She seemed fine that morning and I had to shoo her out climbing up on things I didn’t want her on. She was moved her to a dog crate indoors as soon as I saw the eye. The other chickens are doing fine. I thought she might of got poked in the eye by something she was always climbing and trying to get high or another chicken pecked it. The eye was one thing but that didn’t explain why she was lathargic. I thought her neck seemed swollen so at first I thought her crop was impacted. Now after searching the internet I think her crop is empty. I can feel her bones neck. She feels very different from the other birds and does not have the muscles that I can feel on my other birds. . On Sunday She wasn’t really moving off the perch and would wake up when we started giving her Electrolytes water with a dropper. She was pooping and it was green (very green) and had some form but lose. She was lathargic all of Sunday and just stayed on the perch never moving. She would pick open her one good eye and it was clear and shiny (she was alert). So I thought that was a good sign. She seemed very sleepy after a few minutes looking around though. She is breathing fine and no smell is coming from her beak.
On Sunday she seemed weaker and slept most of the day but seemed to perk up for a bit after some fluid. I finally went and got some eye gel wash from the feed store and We are trying to flush her eye with Ophthalmic gel (started 24 hrs ago) last night I couldn’t even get the eye open. Pic taken was taken on Sat. (sat) It looks worse now is more yellow I can’t really I could not get a decent shot of it today. She is still pooping but not much. I was able to get her to eat a small piece of cantaloup yesterday but only a pice and then just a few pecks. Last night she ate about a 1/2 table spoon of soaked feed. Not much but something I was surprise that I could even coax her to do that She won’t drink on her own. We are giving her dropper full of liquids every few hours but it now wipes her out she seems weaker. She closes her eyes and seems to fall asleep right as we are still giving her fluid. She seems wobbly to stand at all. Her wings are not droopy. She sleep on the perch with her head rapped around on her back all puffed out. She somehow finds strength to get up on the perch 12 inch high. I always just sat her in front of the food and water after I put her back in. The eye looks much worse and is swollen out. I can’t really get it pulled open and she fights it which just zaps her strength. I think we got a tiny bit of gel in it but not much and it was really stressing her so I just tried to clean the outside with the gel. We talked about taking her to the vet but my wife is like “It’s a $5 chick. They are are lots more at the feed store. We are not spending a ton of money on a $5 chick!” So we will let Mother Nature take its corse. I wish I could save her but it’s not looking good. Any ideas? I’m going out of town early AM. A friend is going to take her and keep trying to nurse her. She told me she knows someone who will cull her if I wanted. I can’t even bear the thought. I just don’t know what’s going on. This has to be more then a hurt eye. I’m attached to THIS bird more then I ever thought I could be but also understand life happens and everything dies. That even though they are feathered out they are still younger birds. Not that she has set on my lap and make sweat little noises. Sweet noises watching her go downhill really sucks. I cant believe I got so attached to these birds! This was the chick that I bonded with the most. She was the first to crawl in my hand and when all the chicks ran from me she would actually run to me. She was my top bird and made sure everyone knew it. I think that might of changed when I moved them to the coop a few weeks ago and I notice another bird kind of taking control of the flock. She was just jumping around a few days ago and now she is so ill and I don’t know what even is wrong. I was thinking she may of eaten something that was toxic. The other birds are fine. They got into my hosta plants so I thought they might of been toxic but I could find that hostes were toxic. All the flocks poop was very green yesterday but after I blocked them off from the flower bed they broke into there poop is turning more brown today. So I think they are flushing out what ever was causing that. Not so with sick bird. She only pooped twice yesterday more runny then yesterday and green and white. Any helpful solutions would be appropriated. I’m not ! I’m heading out of town in a early tomorrow. I have a friend that has offered to take her but I’m not sure she will really make a hug effort to save her. I really hate to leave her like this but This trip is a must do and not showing up because a sick bird is not an excuse my wife’s family will tolerate. I would like to really know if this is contagious disease or what! I just want to know what is causing this so I can make sure the rest of my flock is ok or is there environment safe. Did one of the other birds do this to her eye?? or did she just got something in there or poked it. She was still alive this morning and picked up her head when I walked in. I saw her pruning herself. So I there seems some good some bad so I don’t know which way it will go. I thought if trying some pumpkin and soked feed this morning. I haven’t given them that before but I do that for my dogs when they have issues. Any thoughts. Anything else I can I try in the next 24 hrs before I go?
On Sunday she seemed weaker and slept most of the day but seemed to perk up for a bit after some fluid. I finally went and got some eye gel wash from the feed store and We are trying to flush her eye with Ophthalmic gel (started 24 hrs ago) last night I couldn’t even get the eye open. Pic taken was taken on Sat. (sat) It looks worse now is more yellow I can’t really I could not get a decent shot of it today. She is still pooping but not much. I was able to get her to eat a small piece of cantaloup yesterday but only a pice and then just a few pecks. Last night she ate about a 1/2 table spoon of soaked feed. Not much but something I was surprise that I could even coax her to do that She won’t drink on her own. We are giving her dropper full of liquids every few hours but it now wipes her out she seems weaker. She closes her eyes and seems to fall asleep right as we are still giving her fluid. She seems wobbly to stand at all. Her wings are not droopy. She sleep on the perch with her head rapped around on her back all puffed out. She somehow finds strength to get up on the perch 12 inch high. I always just sat her in front of the food and water after I put her back in. The eye looks much worse and is swollen out. I can’t really get it pulled open and she fights it which just zaps her strength. I think we got a tiny bit of gel in it but not much and it was really stressing her so I just tried to clean the outside with the gel. We talked about taking her to the vet but my wife is like “It’s a $5 chick. They are are lots more at the feed store. We are not spending a ton of money on a $5 chick!” So we will let Mother Nature take its corse. I wish I could save her but it’s not looking good. Any ideas? I’m going out of town early AM. A friend is going to take her and keep trying to nurse her. She told me she knows someone who will cull her if I wanted. I can’t even bear the thought. I just don’t know what’s going on. This has to be more then a hurt eye. I’m attached to THIS bird more then I ever thought I could be but also understand life happens and everything dies. That even though they are feathered out they are still younger birds. Not that she has set on my lap and make sweat little noises. Sweet noises watching her go downhill really sucks. I cant believe I got so attached to these birds! This was the chick that I bonded with the most. She was the first to crawl in my hand and when all the chicks ran from me she would actually run to me. She was my top bird and made sure everyone knew it. I think that might of changed when I moved them to the coop a few weeks ago and I notice another bird kind of taking control of the flock. She was just jumping around a few days ago and now she is so ill and I don’t know what even is wrong. I was thinking she may of eaten something that was toxic. The other birds are fine. They got into my hosta plants so I thought they might of been toxic but I could find that hostes were toxic. All the flocks poop was very green yesterday but after I blocked them off from the flower bed they broke into there poop is turning more brown today. So I think they are flushing out what ever was causing that. Not so with sick bird. She only pooped twice yesterday more runny then yesterday and green and white. Any helpful solutions would be appropriated. I’m not ! I’m heading out of town in a early tomorrow. I have a friend that has offered to take her but I’m not sure she will really make a hug effort to save her. I really hate to leave her like this but This trip is a must do and not showing up because a sick bird is not an excuse my wife’s family will tolerate. I would like to really know if this is contagious disease or what! I just want to know what is causing this so I can make sure the rest of my flock is ok or is there environment safe. Did one of the other birds do this to her eye?? or did she just got something in there or poked it. She was still alive this morning and picked up her head when I walked in. I saw her pruning herself. So I there seems some good some bad so I don’t know which way it will go. I thought if trying some pumpkin and soked feed this morning. I haven’t given them that before but I do that for my dogs when they have issues. Any thoughts. Anything else I can I try in the next 24 hrs before I go?
