Sick Hen - Lethargic, stands w/ eyes closed

[farmtotable]

Welcome to the world of chickens! Sometimes it's really hard to tell what's going on with them if there's no physical symptoms that make it obvious (hard or squishy crop, etc). Whenever I have a hen that seems a bit off or troubled, I always put them in the "hospital box" we built in the garage, which has food/water, heat lamp, clean shavings, etc. I also put an electrolyte in the water (try chick saver brand) or even just plain apple cider vinegar. My 50+ hens all free range, and just recently some of them got into some mushrooms which I've since discovered are poisonous - could that be it for yours? I live in the pacific NW, and apparently it's been a banner year for this particular type of mushroom because it's been all over the news. I went through our acreage and tried to remove them all. You might want to check also to make sure they're not eating long peices of grass, and make sure they access to grit at all times. Do your hens free range? Sometimes, too, I've noticed that chickens from feed stores just don't seem to do as well as chickens I've bought locally or hatched here on the farm. If her poop is super watery, it sounds like maybe she has diarrhea, so an electrolyte will definitely help. Personally, I don't like to load up a sick chicken with a bunch of medication (delouser, dewormer, etc) unless I'm positive what the problem is..... Anyway, I would isolate her in a safe warm place and see how she does. It sounds to me like maybe she got into something that's disagreeing with her.

 

[chicknmania]

That's correct about putting her in a hospital box, and the sooner the better. She is very sick. chickens don't exhibit symptoms until they are. Don't deworm her, it might make her sicker, it can be debilitatiing. You can do it later if you need to. Coughing AND diarhea, I'm not sure. Here's a site you can try. www.firststatevetsupply.com. Peter Brown will give you advice, I think you have to email him and there is a small charge. He's an expert and has saved many birds.. And he has meds to sell; he'll telll you what type to use. Terramycin is very weak and pretty useless, but if you want to start her on that, it's better tnan nothing. I think the dosage is 4 tsp per gallon of water. Seriously, don't waste any time. And ACV is ok as a preventative, but I think she needs more than that in this case. Make sure you watch the others for signs of illness also.

 

[amyhbass]

They are not free range (my own dogs make that impossible), so it couldn't be anything like the mushrooms. Their pen is fairly large, but they have removed all grass from the ground. We have sandy soil, so I have not been giving them any additional grit - maybe that's a mistake. I feed them a good quality chicken feed and kitchen scraps (veggies, starchy stuff, & dairy), so it's possible that something I fed them is disagreeing with her. I have her inside, and I've been able to get her to drink a little water now and then. I will add a little apple cider vinegar to it - maybe that will help. She is indoors now, breathing well and resting. FYI - These hens are all about 10-11 months old and came from a hatchery - BUT - and I think this could have been a terrible newby mistake - I bought some cute bantam biddies from an auction - thought they were hens, but they were not - (such a newby) - but I had them in the same pen with my brahmas for a few weeks before I finally figured out they were roosters and sold them. They might have introduced some disease or parasite that is just now becoming apparent. Either way, I will baby her and hopefully she will pull through this. I will keep a close eye on the others.

Thanks for the other web address - I will check it out.

 

[farmtotable]

Good luck and keep us posted! This website also has a really good list of table scraps that you should and shouldn't feed the chickens. Sounds like you already figured this out, but I would be pretty careful about buying any sort of critter at an auction, and if you do, make sure you quarantine them for a good bit. Search quarantine on this site as well, you'll find more articles! I would still give them access to grit, even if they're on sandy soil (the grit is a lot hardier than grains of sand). They should also have access to oyster shells once they're laying. I put out both in separate free choice feeders (I use rabbit feeders for that, it works great!) in their coops. Find a feed store in your area and buy it in bulk, especially the oyster shells. It's like $10 for a 50lb bag, vs. paying more than that for a tiny bag at a pet store.

 

[chicknmania]

Worm them with valbazen liquid cattle/sheep wormer. Dosage is 1/2cc orally undiluted, use a syringe without a needle to administer. Redose again in 10 days. You dont need to see worms in poop in order for them to have worms and the signs are there. Also, pick them up and visually inspect them for lice/mites, especially around the vent area. External parasites prefer moist areas to feed and breed.
Dont give them antibiotics.

Why not??? Antibiotics kill infectiions, and they help prevent secondary infections!!! When our flock had ILT, that was one thing the State vets told us to do...give them antibiotics to prevent any secondary infections. We were under quarantine and the vet's observation and advice the whole time, as well as that of the ChickenDoctor Peter Brown (first state vet supply).With their help, we were able to save three quarters of our flock, and many we still have today, though that was six years ago. They are NOT carriers. NEVER introduce new birds into an existing flock, without quarantining them for a month first!

 

[amyhbass]

Thank you all for your helpful advice and support. She seems better this morning - sitting in normal nesting posture instead of lying on her side. I am giving her water with a little apple cider vinegar regularly (she doesn't drink on her own) and have dipped her beak in some tasty yogurt a few times - hopefully she's getting some down, but not much yet. I went to the First State Vet Supply website and ordered the emergency kit and some VetRx. I noticed one of the other chickens was gently snoring last night when I went to close up the coop - might be coming down with the same thing - or maybe they just snore sometimes and I haven't noticed? I will get the supplies to try to clean and decontaminate the area this weekend and start de-worming the others while they are in apparently good health - maybe I will boost them a bit with some vitamins from the emergency kit first. I added ACV to their water this morning. I so appreciate all the help I am getting here. I love my animals and want them to be happy and healthy.

 

[chicknmania]

And furthermore, Valbazen is just for roundworms! Chickens can pick up a whole variety of worms. If you're going to do it at all use a broad spectrum dewormer that are usually a lot easier to tolerate than just roundworm medicine. Free range flocks usually do not get worm infestations, but chickens in a pen can. I don't think this is worms, it would not cause coughing.

 

[cafarmgirl]

And furthermore, Valbazen is just for roundworms! Chickens can pick up a whole variety of worms. If you're going to do it at all use a broad spectrum dewormer that are usually a lot easier to tolerate than just roundworm medicine. Free range flocks usually do not get worm infestations, but chickens in a pen can. I don't think this is worms, it would not cause coughing.

I'm sorry but this is just not correct. Valbazen (albendazole) will remove most worms a chicken can pick up. It is Wazine that is only effective against roundworms.

Also, any chicken, free range or not can and will get worms. They scratch and peck in the dirt and worm eggs are carried around and deposited all over the place by wild birds. Free range chickens are just as likely to get worms as any other chicken.

 

[chicknmania]

I'm sorry but this is just not correct. Valbazen (albendazole) will remove most worms a chicken can pick up. It is Wazine that is only effective against roundworms.

Also, any chicken, free range or not can and will get worms. They scratch and peck in the dirt and worm eggs are carried around and deposited all over the place by wild birds. Free range chickens are just as likely to get worms as any other chicken.

Oh, well, you're right. We use Fenbendazole, and I was thinking of Wazine. But yeah she does mention coughing, I think that's a respiratory symptom. Anyway, I'm not going to argue about it, whatever. When chickens are that sick, it's not worms. Sorry, just my opinion. Had a couple of experiences ya know?

 

[cowcreekgeek]

Oh, well, you're right. We use Fenbendazole, and I was thinking of Wazine. But yeah she does mention coughing, I think that's a respiratory symptom. Anyway, I'm not going to argue about it, whatever. When chickens are that sick, it's not worms. Sorry, just my opinion. Had a couple of experiences ya know?

I'm a big fan of Fenbendazole, as it's well proven to be extremely safe/effective. When given at 20 mg/kg for three consecutive days, all worms (save for tapeworms) are eliminated, and at a rate that will not create other problems, even for sick birds (it's been tested, and proven safe, all the way up to 1 gm/kg, which is fifty times this amount ~'-)

Parasites, whether internal or external, can indeed make chickens that sick or, at minimum, prevent them from getting better ... might be some other illness/disease that is the last domino, but it's often the parasites that sets 'em up, and knocks 'em over.