9 month old crossbeak chicken latargic and not doing well

[Dandelion_Hen]

My little crossbeak Americana is 9 months old and yesterday we found her just about upside down in the run of the chicken coop. I had started to notice that day that she was feeling unwell and was getting my husband to help bring her inside and that is when we found her laying on the floor. She has been inside the house in the bathroom since yesterday evening. She ate a lot of wet food yesterday evening and drank water. This morning she drank some water on her own but has eaten hardly anything. Her beak deformity is such that she needs wet chicken food to eat, so she has been getting that for her whole life twice a day, with the food left out and always available. It did get very cold here (9-25 degrees) and I’m wondering if that had something to do with her troubles? She was unable to eat enough and keep up her body temperature in the cold. She has been mostly just sitting in one spot and hardly moving, mostly just sleeping. Her wing feathers are drooped to the floor. She does seem lighter than normal as well. She’s pooped a few times in there but it has been very watery. No evidence of worms or anything. All the other chickens are happy and healthy. I’ve been giving her water through a syringe today. How long will it take for a chicken to feel better, if she is going to get better? Any advice you might have with be much appreciated, we sure do love our little chicken.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Does she lay eggs - have you check for an egg?

She may have gotten dehydrated if her feed froze, but I would suspect she has more going on if she's not perking up after getting warm and you getting fluids into her.
Check her crop to see if it's emptying over night (does it feel like it has something in it or is it air or fluid filled?). How about inside her beak, is it free of dried food, lesions, canker, etc.? Any lice/mites?

You can try direct dosing her with poultry vitamins to see if that gives her a boost. A fecal float will tell you if worms are an issue.

 

[Dandelion_Hen]

Does she lay eggs - have you check for an egg?

She may have gotten dehydrated if her feed froze, but I would suspect she has more going on if she's not perking up after getting warm and you getting fluids into her.
Check her crop to see if it's emptying over night (does it feel like it has something in it or is it air or fluid filled?). How about inside her beak, is it free of dried food, lesions, canker, etc.? Any lice/mites?

You can try direct dosing her with poultry vitamins to see if that gives her a boost. A fecal float will tell you if worms are an issue.

Thank you for your reply. She crossed over the rainbow bridge last night.

she was not laying eggs yet and no eggs. Her crop felt empty, no lice or mites. I did not get a fecal float done. Do you suggest I do that for the rest of my flock to see if they have worms? Everyone else seems super healthy. Our poor little bird went down quick, whatever got her. I would like to know so I can prevent that for the future.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you for your reply. She crossed over the rainbow bridge last night.

she was not laying eggs yet and no eggs. Her crop felt empty, no lice or mites. I did not get a fecal float done. Do you suggest I do that for the rest of my flock to see if they have worms? Everyone else seems super healthy. Our poor little bird went down quick, whatever got her. I would like to know so I can prevent that for the future.

I'm sorry that she died

If possible, it's best to get a fecal float so you know if worms may be an issue. Usually you won't see worms in the poop unless there's a heavy infestation.
It's good that everyone else is doing well.
The only way to get more information about what may have caused her death is to send the body to your state lab for necropsy. In some state the service fee is nominal, while others it's quite expensive. You can find your lab in the link below.

https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

 

[Dandelion_Hen]

I'm sorry that she died

If possible, it's best to get a fecal float so you know if worms may be an issue. Usually you won't see worms in the poop unless there's a heavy infestation.
It's good that everyone else is doing well.
The only way to get more information about what may have caused her death is to send the body to your state lab for necropsy. In some state the service fee is nominal, while others it's quite expensive. You can find your lab in the link below.

https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

Thank you for your kind words. She was the sweetest little thing, came when I called her name, loved pets and her chicken bath days. I will miss her a lot.

I will collect some samples from the other girls to make sure we don’t have worms. Thank you for the other information on the diagnostic labs.