Sick chicken I don't thinks she is going to make it! Help!

[jetmek94]

My one year old Bielefelder who has not yet laid. is struggling with something? She was fine up until 2 days ago. I noticed she did not come running for she afternoon snack? She seemed confused? I brought her over to the snack and she walked away and laid down and continued to follow the same pattern for the last 2 days. This morning I had to bring her out of the nesting area. Something she went and laid down. I brought her in, gave a salt water bath (egg bound?) egg yolk slurry with syringe no go. Electrolytes with water in a syringe she took very little. Scrambled egg she did eat some. She is alert and her breathing is normal, crop empty, and it doesn’t feel like an egg in her vent. There is a walnut sized lump though? I have never felt her vent before so I don’t know if that is normal? She has a great diet with plenty of options for hydration. ACV, Vitamins, probiotics added and plain water to choose from. She a lovely living area with lots of space which she shares with 6 other girls. I’m sorry to say my chicken keeping experience has been plagued with issues and I am getting tired!! Ugh!! I took pics of her poop today as it looks very off! I have no poultry vets available today and I have already spent a significant Amt of $$$ on them and am reaching my limit!! Any ideas!!

 

[Sally PB]

There is a walnut sized lump though?

Where is the lump, in relation to her vent?

The poop is the sign of not getting enough nutrition; it's just urates and bile (the green blobs), aka, starvation poop.

Scrambled egg she did eat some.

If she will eat that, give her more.

 

[jetmek94]

Where is the lump, in relation to her vent?

The poop is the sign of not getting enough nutrition; it's just urates and bile (the green blobs), aka, starvation poop.


If she will eat that, give her more.

Thanks for your response! Whey past away a short time ago. I feel awful. I watch the girls closely. If she was starving I don't know what to say. The only thing I can say is I'm sorry!! I spend so much time with them ( her) how can that be the cause?

 

[NatJ]

Thanks for your response! Whey past away a short time ago. I feel awful. I watch the girls closely. If she was starving I don't know what to say. The only thing I can say is I'm sorry!! I spend so much time with them ( her) how can that be the cause?

If a chicken quits eating, she can get thin and weak without you ever being able to notice. The feathers are very good at hiding the shape of her body, and chickens can act normal until they are in very bad shape. A person might lay around acting ill when they have a minor problem (upset stomach, headache, stubbed toe), but a chicken will pretend to be healthy until she is in such bad condition that she can't fake it any more (the equivalent of a person who needs intensive care in a hospital.)

Chickens act healthy even when they aren't, because that helps protect them from predators that would focus on any bird that looks weaker than the rest. Pretty much all prey animals do that, but it makes it very hard to spot problems when there is still time to help

She might have been "starving" (not eating, producing poop that goes with not eating), but she might still have died of something else. The thing that killed her might have made her quit eating for her last few days, depending on what it was (I don't have any useful ideas about what the actual problem was.)

 

[jetmek94]

Thanks for taking the time to respond. I just feel like crap. They are like my emotional support animals! LOL It's a bummer when you spend so much time caring for them. I can honestly say she had a good life! She was a sweet and beautiful bird. Lesson learned. Take care and thank you.

 

[Loving my girls]

Oh hun, please don’t feel bad, and I am so sorry to hear that your hen experience to date has not been good.
We have all lost hens, sometimes we just don’t know why We treat them as well as we can and that’s the best we can do, she had a better chance with you and more love with you than she would have got from some. Be glad she was loved and of the happy times she had, don’t dwell on her illness - truely it will never help.
Don’t give up on hens, if you need help of any sort, even just some encouragement just pop it on BYC we have all been where you are and have all made it through the fog and spend many an hour with our trusting and calming birds.
Be brave and carry on it will be worth it,
Big Bear Hugz