My 2 year old hen seems lethargic

[mnkytwn]

We have given all the hens Safeguard, and checked for lice, which we found on them. Could this be the cause of the sickness in the one? We promptly dusted all of them with Sevin and cleaned their coop and dusted that as well. The one that is sick does not seem to have an impacted crop and she doesn't feel like she is egg bound. Any other suggestions on what could be the problem and what we could do for her? Also, how long does it take for Safeguard to kick in and for us to notice a difference in her behavior?

 

[enola]

Chickens immune system can be SEVERELY compromised by internal and external arasites. When they have both, they can go downhill very quickly.

If she is eating and drinking and pooping, you should see improvement in a few days. The Safeguard will kill the worms as it works hrough her system..

 

[dawg53]

We have given all the hens Safeguard, and checked for lice, which we found on them. Could this be the cause of the sickness in the one? We promptly dusted all of them with Sevin and cleaned their coop and dusted that as well. The one that is sick does not seem to have an impacted crop and she doesn't feel like she is egg bound. Any other suggestions on what could be the problem and what we could do for her? Also, how long does it take for Safeguard to kick in and for us to notice a difference in her behavior?

Lice are an irritant more than anything else. If left unchecked they can make a chicken look unkept and scraggly looking, causing feather loss due to the chicken continuosly scratching itself etc...sevin dust will take care of lice. Redust your birds in 7-10 days to kill nits hatched from eggs.
Give the wormer 24-48 hours to do its job. In the meantime give your hens buttermilk mixed with scrambled eggs for two days...especially the sickest one you're dealing with.

 

[mnkytwn]

When we got home this afternoon, the sick one was still looking terrible, so we caught her and brought her in the house. I figured I'd try to make her eat. We mixed some layer crumbles with water to make a mush and before I could try to feed her she went at it herself. Ate the whole thing. Then we made her scrambled eggs mixed with buttermilk and she ate most of that too. I'm worried b/c I haven't seen her drink water, but I'm optimistic that she has an appetite. I see that as a good sign. Any suggestions on how to get her to drink water, besides forcing it down her throat? I'm hoping by getting some food in her she will show improvement in the morning.

 

[enola]

If she is not drinking make sure everything you feed her is a moist as possible.

 

[mnkytwn]

I tried to feed her this morning. She ate a little bit though not as much as last night. I took her outside in our fenced side yard (away from the other chickens) and when she got up to walk she was all wobbly and unsteady. She's pooping, and her poop is green with the white stuff that's usually on top. Any thoughts?

 

[enola]

How is she doing today? Still eatiing wet food?

 

[mnkytwn]

She quite eating yesterday and wouldn't stand up. We decided the best thing to do was put her out of her misery. It was sad but the right decision.

 

[enola]

A spring tune-up for the rest of your chickens might help them ward off any ilnesses. I always worm my hens and treat them for mites and lice. How many hens do you have?

 

[mnkytwn]

We have four more left. They have already been wormed and treated for lice and mites. They all seem healthy and happy. We are going to watch them for a couple more weeks to ensure their health before we add any new members to the flock.