Sick peahen won't eat or drink and is very lethargic...

[DylansMom]

She was back to her normal self over the weekend....eating, drinking, jumping, playing, even took a dirt bath in my organic gardening soil.
Monday rolls around and she's acting weird again....weak, lethargic, won't eat or drink. So I force feed her some PB spiked with calcium and then later on that evening she's perked up again.
She played outside pecking everything in her path. This morning she was eating and drinking like normal but she's still having diarrhea...that white, watery mucus, but this time it has a yellow hue to it. I'm still taking her to the vet tonight but how am I supposed to get a fecal sample if it's all wet and runny like it is? I mean, I'm sure she'll poop while we're there but what if she doesn't and the vet wants to run some tests?

Save anything she poops today, put it in a plastic baggie. I think as long as it is less than 24 hours old they can use it. She def. seems to be fighting something, be it a disease or parasite or the onset of egg laying, I can't say, but it is good she is going to the vets. Make sure they test for everything we've talked about and that they check for a possible egg in the uterus.

 

[CrazyBirdLady7]

I will! Thank you so much!

 

[CrazyBirdLady7]

Paisley did so well at the vet last night! They were able to do a fecal float and found a microscopic round worm larve.
They even let me look at it through the microscope! Creepy looking things!
Anyway, the vet thinks that she just wasn't on a long enough dose of the SMZ and dewormer.
So, meds round two: 3 days Pancure oral once daily and 0.5cc SMZ orally twice daily for ten days.
Paisley seems to be in good spirits and is slowly getting her normal appetite back.
Still seeing runny urate poo but I'm hoping that will start to change as the meds take effect and she starts to eat more.
Thanks to all who have helped me through this with their advice and support

 

[2RustyPelicans]

Oh my gosh!! Thank you for the info. Came back from out of town emergency to a down peacock. Getting liquid electrolytes in him with watered down chick starter (what I had on hand). If he’s with us in the morning I’ll get some Exact baby bird food and feed him that. I’m sure it’s like other down animals - don’t over feed - multiple feedings through out the day.

 

[KsKingBee]

Oh my gosh!! Thank you for the info. Came back from out of town emergency to a down peacock. Getting liquid electrolytes in him with watered down chick starter (what I had on hand). If he’s with us in the morning I’ll get some Exact baby bird food and feed him that. I’m sure it’s like other down animals - don’t over feed - multiple feedings through out the day.

No, they are not like 'other down animals', and overfeeding them is not the problem. If they are sick it is because of either worms, cocci, blackhead, or infection. Show us a pic of the bird and its poo so we can try to help you.

 

[MelStL]

My almost 2 year old, very domesticated peahen hasn't eaten or drank anything on her own in over 24 hours. I took her to a vet last night who was able to give her some IV fluids and an Ivomec injection. We started her on a 3 day treatment for a bacterial infection too. This was all at about 7pm last night and as of 7am this morning I hadn't seen any improvement. I've been able to get her to swallow some peas and carrots and have been dipping her beak in her water dish to entice her to drink. She shows a little interest in her food but when she tries to eat she starts shaking her head like she's trying to shake something off of her beak. She's been extra sensitive about things getting on her beak, especially water, and wants to immediately wipe it off. The vet swabbed her throat and examined it but there's nothing lodged, no visible worms, no mucus. Her poop is white and clear, very liquid and mucus like. She did have some substantial "stinky poops" at the vet but could have been due to all the poking and prodding. I keep my bird inside most of the time, especially at night, but since it's been nice, I've kept her outside in her pen during the day. Shortly after I started doing that is when she stopped eating and started acting weird. I hadn't wormed her in several months either. So the vet thinks we might be looking at gapeworm, or a combo of bacterial infection spurred by a parasite? Not exactly sure. So I'm looking for advice, tips, ideas, because I am very attached to this bird and will be devastated if I loose her Also, does anyone know how long it should take the meds to kick in or when I should start seeing improvement if they're working? Thanks!

I just wanted you to know that I could’ve written this post about my peahen, Juneteen. She will be two next month and all behaviors and symptoms are exactly as you described. I have done everything that you are doing including the vet visit with the meds and fluids, and the only thing left for me to do is to get the supplies to syringe feed while she recovers.

I wanted to thank you and everyone on this thread for the information and exchange. My baby is not out of the woods yet, but this gives me great hope and a lot of strategy.

 

[casportpony]

I just wanted you to know that I could’ve written this post about my peahen, Juneteen. She will be two next month and all behaviors and symptoms are exactly as you described. I have done everything that you are doing including the vet visit with the meds and fluids, and the only thing left for me to do is to get the supplies to syringe feed while she recovers.

I wanted to thank you and everyone on this thread for the information and exchange. My baby is not out of the woods yet, but this gives me great hope and a lot of strategy.

How's your hen doing?

 

[MelStL]

How's your hen doing?

I am sorry for my delayed reply, but I have lost at least one animal every spring (except 2019) since 2017; and a couple in October. So, until she really got on the good foot, I didn’t want to document the process, yet. If I had lost her, I would’ve needed some time before posting about it.

HOWEVER, only as of today is a more comforting majority of her poop starting to look normal and increasing in volume. It was a looong. and. slow. recovery. as it has been two weeks since I pulled her from the coop and took her to the vet. She has been under veterinary advice/examination the entire time.

She received veterinary administered/supervised gavage feeding for about a week and had a couple of rounds of subQ fluids. The first bit of hope was that she gained (very minimal, but still) weight between her first and second vet visits (3 days) even though she was not eating or drinking on her own. She was also well-hydrated. A few days later she eventually started drinking when I dipped her beak, and a day or two after that she began drinking on her own, and a few days after that she began eating on her own, more and more each day (with some ups and downs).

Fecal exam showed no worms, but I had wormed her more than a week before, so that could have been an initial issue. She had a pretty aggressive gastric bacterial infection.

In the last couple of days she has been super affectionate and needy, but she is alone now and will not go back in with the chickens so I need to get her a roommate (besides me).

I will start a new thread and give a blow-by-blow so someone can benefit from my experience in the future, if that would be appropriate.