chicken has given up on life.

[flappychicken]

My poor baby warf wont eat or drink she has been like this for weeks and I fear that I am not doing enough for her I have been basically force feeding her yogurt and blueberry juice (along with water).

What's wrong with her: She went blind in one eye, now she has just given up on life. she is weak and I don't know how to help her. the only thing that is really wrong is she is blind other then that she has just given up.

 

[Eggcessive]

Is warf her name, or some kind of chicken? How old is she? Is she old enough to lay eggs? Is her blind eye grey in color or cloudy? Can you try to get Poultry NutriDrench and give her a few drops orally? Wet chicken feed mixed with a lot of water and soft chopped egg would be good to offer her. I would not force feed her, but offer it up to her beak in a small cup or scoop. Fluids are more important than food at first, but the wet feed will get more fluids into her. Tube feeding may be necessary until you can get hereating or find out what is going on.

 

[rebrascora]

A photo would really help but it is possible she has a disease called Marek's which is unfortunately not curable. In the final stages it produces tumours and is like cancer. If she is no longer interested in food and she hasn't eaten in days then it would probably be kinder to end her suffering.
There is a time to die for all things, much as we would wish it otherwise. If you have the money to take her to the vet and it would make you feel better (like you have tried everything to fix her) then do it. The vet should give advice based on what is best for the bird, which may be to put her to sleep even though you do not want to hear that. My guess is that if she is as poorly as she sounds, she may save you the trouble of making that decision. At least giving us the chance to see a photo or two of her, particularly a close up of her eye, might indicate if Marek's is the likely cause or if it may be something else.

 

[rebrascora]

When a chicken is this sick getting them to eat anything can be a challenge. Apple has many good properties and so does grass. Both will do her good and animals instinctively know where to find nutrients or trace elements that they need so I would continue to give her some grated apple if she will eat it and also access to grass. Ensure she has a source of grit. Certainly, ensure that she also has access to formulated chicken feed and I would suggest that a mash made with chick crumb and water with some scrambled egg or grated apple or apple pure mixed into it may encourage her to keep eating.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I still haven't read that @flappychicken has ever fed this chicken, chicken feed.
Please tell us what they have been fed as their primary food.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

What I'm gleaning from post #10 is that the bird had never been fed a complete chicken feed. If this is true, a possibility is any of a long list of nutritional deficiencies.
As was said, there are so many different things that could cause the symptoms you report.
A dog vet isn't your best course of action unless you can find a good avian vet with poultry experience.
If the bird hasn't eaten in that long, it is dying.
NHVDL
21 Botanical Lane
Durham, NH 03824
Phone: 603-862-2726
https://nhvdl.unh.edu/tests-fees-forms

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you go buy some chicken feed for her? Mix a small amount in a bowl with water. You can also add a bit of cooked egg to make it appealing. She really needs to eat a balanced diet.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Okay I can give her some eggs For night I have given her grain again this morning.

I'm sorry but in reading and rereading 3 pages of posts, I've yet to read a reference to anything edible besides apples, yogurt, grain and now eggs. Grain is not chicken food. It is woefully deficient in essential amino acids and many vitamins and minerals.


PLEASE help us help you by telling what kind of chicken feed you are providing. Is it grower, layer, starter? Also, what is the protein % (clearly printed on the bag and guaranteed analysis tag).

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Does anyone else think the chicken needs its beak trimmed? I see a parrot beak situation there.

Beak trimming is the least of the worries for this bird...

If she doesn't get nutrients... she is dying!

WHAT GRAIN ARE YOU FEEDING????

You have some of the best people here trying to help you... but if you won't listen or can't hear the truth then we are wasting our time trying to help. Dork, I get! You're in good company. But you clearly are NOT stupid. Now please give a CLEAR answer to what "grain" you are feeding? Corn, rice, wheat, oats, barley, millet... WHAT??? Is there a reason why you choose grain instead of chicken feed? Is grain a generic term you are using for chicken feed?

Maybe a little blatant... but NO rudeness intended. Please note... Some people in other countries don't have access... or maybe price is a factor... we CAN help you come up with alternatives for nutrition if you need... But make NO MISTAKE... this girl IS having nutritional issues that ARE accentuating anything else she might have going on. She is compromised. Nutrition is the ONLY thing that can boost her immunity...

For ME... as a last ditch effort... I will offer raw egg yolk from my own flock... recognizing there are possible issues that could be caused by that like salmonella or whatever.. never had it happen yet. I know nutrition seems like too simple an answer if you haven't experience previous issue... but it's never a problem until it is. She is a dual purpose breed and maybe just isn't as good at foraging or is better at hogging the low nutrient grain than some of her flock mates that are doing better...

Were you able to get a poop pic?

The head leaning to the side does make me wonder.. I don't usually see that in a resting chicken. It is usually pulled in or tucked one direction or the other. How does it look when she is actually awake?

I personally cull illness out of my flock. But if I was gonna let her stay I would let her stay with the flock as long as she wasn't being picked on. I agree chickens get lonely and need some support from friends. MAYBE that is the reason she escaped.

Come on Warf... show us that fighting Cling-on spirit, so we can explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before!

 

[Eggcessive]

Can she walk or is she having any weakness in her limbs? So many different illnesses can affect chickens. Mareks is one of them. Blindness is also common from other diseases, such as cataracts, ,injuries, infections, vitamin deficiency, avian encephalomyelitis—a virus that affects chicks under a month old with tremors, but can cause blindness as well, and others. It sounds like you may lose her if she refuses food and water. You may want to degt a necropsy by your state poultry vet to look for a cause of death. Promptly refrigerate and save the body, then contact the state vet. Here is a good link with contact info for each state:
http://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm