chicken is rocking back and forth and wont eat or drink ..

[Zylphrix]

and kind of acts narcoleptic (sp?) ... she is the smallest of my hens and im afraid she got too cold.

what should I do?

Mark

She doesnt rock always but when she does she ends up losing her balance.

 

[Cuban Longtails]

First thing I would do is separate her out and try putting a heat source over her to see if that would bring her out of it. Then I would put some sugar or electrolytes in her water to give her a boost of energy.

 

[dlhunicorn]

I would bring her inside... keep her quiet and get her warmed up . Add electrolytes to the waterer and when she is recovered introduce her SLOWLY back out to the cold .

 

[Zylphrix]

ok .. i already had her inside after finding her acting funny in the coop .. shes a little better but still pitifully weak. .. she is the smallest of my flock and i was worried about her at first but she seemed to be doing fine .. i checked on her this morning .. and that was only gone 6hrs ago .. its 47 degrees farenhiet here ..

she wont drink, .. i tried sugar water .. is there a simple home remedy for electrolites? .. lime? ..

i think shes close to death

though i got her to perk up for awhile .. but decided she needs rest and warmth more than me prodding her. ..

mark

 

[Zylphrix]

she seems to be much better now .. I think i got to her in time .. I brought in my other small chicken too but keeping her separate for now ..

will let you know how it all turns out

mark

 

[jjthink]

Hoping....

JJ

 

[sammi]

Your little hen needs warmth and water.
you can give her water by putting drops on her beak, or back near the "hinge" of the mouth.
do not pour water into her mouth.

this hen needs electrolytes as soon as possible.
they are available at feed/farm stores.
if you are not able to get them right away..you could use pedialyte (unflavored if possible)..to add to the water.
Pedialyte is not my first choice, but this is an emergency, and it is widely available at most grocery stores and drugstores.
mix it with some water.

hopefully the hen will rally after she has been hydrated.
then you can make up this mix..
small amount of layer feed, plain unsweetened yogurt or buttermilk..or milk, some chopped cooked egg.
don't make it soupy..just enough to moisten the feed.
if the hen is too weak to eat..roll the mixture into small pellets. place a pellet in her mouth and stroke the neck downwards to help encourage swallowing.

as soon as you can..do try and get some poultry/pigeon/or baby livestock vitamins
and some electrolytes.

please remember that chickens need protection from wet and drafts, and dry bedding.

the hen might be undersized due to being bullied away from food and water.
or she might be ill, or have worms or cocci.

don't return to her to the outside until she is eating and drinking well on her own, and not showing signs of illness. (especially respiratory illness)
symptoms to watch for:
wet or swollen eyes or swollen head.
breath sounds (wheezing/rattling)
mucus
not eating
acting ill (sitting hunched and depressed looking)


fingers crossed that she rallies, and is ok.

 

[Zylphrix]

thanks .. I have been getting her to drink though only a little .. and only if i give it to her .. I wish she would walk up and drink herself. I will get electrolites when the feed store opens in a couple hours.

keep your finger crossed .. thanks

Mark

 

[dlhunicorn]

not much to add to the previous posters advice except to nod head vigorously on the electrolytes and vitamins.... keep dribbling that water to keep hydrated. Dehydration kills quick.

 

[Zylphrix]

well darn ! .. she died bundled up in my lap. Poor girl.

I got my birds on Monday and kept them in the house 2 days watching to make sure they all got along .. this is quite an intro to chickens. .. I feel like crap! im gonna nap a bit then get up and bury her

Mark