Chicken is Dying! (Please answer!)

[chikan]

One of my first chickens I ever got is now dying. She is a leghorn chicken and is about 4 and a half or 5 years old. At first, she didn't move around a lot, but she still could walk and she was active. But now, she sleeps all day, doesn't eat, and she can't walk. Now her comb is bleeding, and I also noticed that there are these little bugs under her in her feathers. If you pop the back of them, red stuff comes out which I am assuming is blood.

Another thing is that about a mouth ago or something, she was attacked by a raccoon, but the raccoon didn't injure her at all, except for maybe pulling out a few feathers, and she was traumatized for about a week, but then she recovered.

So usually, when I come home I find her on the floor of the chicken coop. She looks dead, but she isn't, because I can still see her breathing, and she can't hold up her head anymore, and I doubt that she can open her eyes anymore. Ants on her now, and I know she's probably going to die soon, and I'm really sad. It's probably too late to find a cure, but is there anyway I can heal her? And more importantly what is she dying from? Old age?

I'm so grateful to anyone who answers! Thank you.

P.S. We kept a lively chicken with her, but the lively chicken seems fine, except for that she's losing a lot of feathers around her neck and it seems like it's taking forever for the feathers to grow back. Should we separate the chicken from the dying one to prevent this one from dying too?

 

[chikan]

When I say "At first", I mean about a week ago.

We've had her ever since she was chick, so it's hard seeing her like this.

 

[LindsayB]

Sounds like she has mites and they are draining her of life. I would treat her ASAP for any kind of external parasites! Why wouldn't you move her to a better area if she has ants on her??

I'm sorry I just don't understand this!

 

[chikan]

We have no where else to put her and my parents will not let me bring her in the house.

 

[chicmom]

Oh...She is more than likely infested with parasites. They can literally suck the life out of a chicken.....It might be too late for her...You could try and make her comfortable though.....Give her a good dusting with Poultry dust or Seven Dust, that will kill those nasty parasites. Sounds like they are really eating her alive......

If you decide to try, after dusting her for the mites or lice, put her in a box or crate on some comfortable bedding. Give her some water mixed with vitamins/electrolites and put it down her beak with a dropper.....Keep her warm and see what happens...Although, it may be too late, at least you can make her comfortable in her last moments.....

You should really inspect the whole flock for parasites......and treat the whole flock....

Good luck with her,
Sharon

 

[Attila the Hen]

I am no expert but I would separate the two chickens immediately and if the ants are on the dying chicken I would put her out of her misery and kill her.Sounds like she had mites. Check the search engine on mites on how to treat them. So sorry for this happening.

 

[LindsayB]

Get a cardboard box, laundry basket..something! If she has ants eating her alive she needs to be somewhere else. I would dust her right now for mites. If you can't do anything then just put her out of her misery.

 

[polishchickens111]

I'm so sorry, it is so hard to lose the ones you care about.

I'm no chicken medical expert, but I think to be safe you should definatley isolate the other remaining chicken. Good luck to both of you.

 

[chikan]

Do you think my other chicken is suffering from mites too?

 

[LindsayB]

I would go ahead and treat them all. If one has them chances are the rest do too.