Hen with sudden alarming weight loss

[ShaylaJ]

Hello! I have a hen (named Connie) that is at least three years old but I'm not entirely sure how old she is. I have noticed that she is alarmingly skinny. I'm not sure why she is like this, I was thinking maybe old age but I don't have enough experience to be sure. She does not have any other symptoms that I have noticed yet, she just looks rough and skinny. I couldn't even find her crop and it is usually easy to find the crops on my other chickens (especially at night which is when I checked her crop).

I would really appreciate some help on figuring out what is wrong with her and how I can help her. Thank you

 

[LaFleche]

The others don't stop her from eating, she is at the top of the pecking order so doesn't get pecked away and she has access to food. Yesterday I tried feeding her scratch and food by hand but she would just peck the pieces and then drop them.

Take a close look into her beak and down her throat to see any obstruction or maybe yellowish/whitish lesion.

Does her crop empty overnight?

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you look into her beak and throat for anything unusual, such as yellow patches? Does she have a sour or bad odor from her crop? What do her poops look like? Has she laid eggs recently? Does she have any enlargement of her belly down below her vent? Is is hard to know exactly what would cause her to lose so much weight, but cancer could be a possibility. Crop problems, reproductive infections, or intestinal infections should be ruled out. If you should lose her I would either get a necropsy by the state vet (most accurate,) or a home/necropsy autopsy to look at the organs. Post any pictures here for opinions.

 

[WingsysRoost]

I had a hen with what I believe was cancer and the first signs were severe, sudden weight loss and difficulties with egg laying (repeated soft eggs despite calcium supplements). She was very lethargic, as well, and her feathers just did not look like those of a healthy chicken. Her comb and face got very pale. She could not gain weight, either, no matter what I fed her.

You've received some good suggestions on what to check already. If you are able to weigh her, that would be useful information as well. If you make a mash (warm water mixed with their food, allowed to cool before feeding), would she eat that? She might be having a difficult time with the dry food for whatever reason, which would be another reason for a drastic weight loss.

Another option to try would be egg. I usually do scrambled or hardboiled mashed. If she is capable of gaining weight, egg is a very good source of protein and works really well.

 

[nuthatched]

Have you ever wormed her?

 

[nuthatched]

No I do not think so. We have this powder stuff that is supposed to help with things like that which is mixed into their food but we have never dewormed her. Do you think it is worms? What signs and symptoms should I be looking for?

Weight loss, lethargy, dullness etc.
If the powder is de, it's not going to do a blessed thing.
Do the others allow her to eat?

 

[ShaylaJ]

Take a close look into her beak and down her throat to see any obstruction or maybe yellowish/whitish lesion.

Does her crop empty overnight?

Ok I will go out and look now. I'm not sure if it empties at night because I am having trouble finding her crop at all. I'll try and keep a close eye on it though.

 

[ShaylaJ]

Ok I will go out and look now. I'm not sure if it empties at night because I am having trouble finding her crop at all. I'll try and keep a close eye on it though.

I looked in her beak and down her throat and everything looks normal

 

[ShaylaJ]

I had a hen with what I believe was cancer and the first signs were severe, sudden weight loss and difficulties with egg laying (repeated soft eggs despite calcium supplements). She was very lethargic, as well, and her feathers just did not look like those of a healthy chicken. Her comb and face got very pale. She could not gain weight, either, no matter what I fed her.

You've received some good suggestions on what to check already. If you are able to weigh her, that would be useful information as well. If you make a mash (warm water mixed with their food, allowed to cool before feeding), would she eat that? She might be having a difficult time with the dry food for whatever reason, which would be another reason for a drastic weight loss.

Another option to try would be egg. I usually do scrambled or hardboiled mashed. If she is capable of gaining weight, egg is a very good source of protein and works really well.

Thank you for your input! if it is cancer what can I do about that, or is it just something I have to make her as comfortable as I can with until she passes? I fed her some food that I turned into a mash with water like you said but she didn't eat much of that but she did eat some raw egg I gave her. She is an ameraucana so she is a bigger chicken so what should I look for when I weigh her, just seeing if she is gaining weight?

 

[ShaylaJ]

Have you ever wormed her?

No I do not think so. We have this powder stuff that is supposed to help with things like that which is mixed into their food but we have never dewormed her. Do you think it is worms? What signs and symptoms should I be looking for?