Can she possibly survive?

[looptloop]

I posted about 2 weeks ago in regards to my Buff Orpington pullet not feeling well. She is 29 weeks old, just started laying within the last month or so. I ruled out egg-bound and impacted crop. I started treating her for Cocci then.... I dribbled Corid/water in her beak, but about a week ago she refuses to drink even that. She hasn't eaten anything I've offered either. She has gotten so thin and weak she has trouble standing if she even tries.

She only has pooped like 4 times in the past week, and smells strongly of urine in the kennel.

I just don't see how she has held on this long, is it possible that she could survive not eating or drinking for over a week?

HELP! What do I do??

 

[jjthinkagain]

If at all possible, an avian vet. I think you're going to lose her imminently otherwise, since cause of her ailing is not yet known and she is now so very weak. She needs hydration, tube feeding.......This is an emergency situation.
JJ (aka jjthink)

 

[AinaWGSD]

You really need to either seek veterinary attention or put her down. At this point it will take a lot of intensive care (we're talking a catheter directly into the bone for fluid therapy here at this point as well as tube feeding for several days) if she has any chance to recover. Most likely she will die whatever you do, but if you do nothing more than what you've been doing she will be dead within 24-48 hours for sure. Chickens are large enough to survive a week without food if they started at a good body condition, but a week without water is going to cause deadly dehydration. Right now, in addition to whatever caused her to be ill in the first place, you are looking at kidney failure and her body breaking down muscle and organs to keep itself going. I've seen a macaw recover from that kind of starvation/dehydration, but it was a young bird with no other health problems and even then it surprised us all that the poor bird recovered.

 

[looptloop]

Many, many thanks. I realized the situation was severe.

I just went to check on her and she stood up and tried to come out of the kennel. I let her out in my laundry room with scrambled eggs and water, she seems to want to walk around. It's killing me because as soon as I think she should be put down, she acts like she wants to live. UGH.

I will call the local vet to see what they would charge me to put her down.

 

[jjthinkagain]

Well, maybe they can help her live rather than help her die.

I rescued an injured roo that didn't eat or drink for 7 days and he made a full recovery with really great care. Do give her 3 drops liquid children's vitamins - Polyvisol without added iron - daily to help boost her strength. Dribble slowly along her beak line with dropper, so she swallows on her own and doesn't choke. Stuff tastes wretched so offer cut up blueberries or something else tasty as a reward.

JJ

 

[Causin Chaos]

Are there any special treats that she loved that you can offer her to get her to eating? Maybe some watermelon or canalope ? That would get some liquid in her. Try yogurt too mine love it. Hope she gets better soon.

 

[looptloop]

Why, oh why didn't I think of this earlier.... I think she is completely infested with lice. I picked her up to try to feed her some scrambled egg and saw things scurrying about on her. I have poultry dust and I just dusted her and thousands upon thousands of these little things were just falling off of her.

I could have so easily saved her life if I had thought to check for parasites. I've never seen them on any of the other chickens, so I don't know how she got *so* infested. She must have been miserable. Now she will probably die of starvation. I just feel so horrible. *cry*

 

[grassfedeggs]

Don't beat yourself up! You are only human and you obviously did the best you could for her. I'm sure that from now on you will be super vigilant about checking for parasites, and you have helped others like me to know what to look out for. Good luck.

 

[Miss Lydia]

What makes you think she's going to die is she that bad off? I hope now that shes lice free she'll come around for you, all the best

 

[looptloop]

Thank you for the posts, it does make me feel a little better.

Miss Lydia, I fear that she will die because she has hardly eaten or drank anything in several days. She can barely walk, is very weak and is refusing to eat/drink. i think she is starving......