Chicken refuses to eat?

[daisyag13]

K, need some advice. I've been treating a sick chicken for over 2 weeks now. (see original issues here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ly-pooping-water-belly.1662097/#post-28574321)

We drained her water belly, treated her bumblefoot (still ongoing), treated her with antibiotics and dewormer for 5 days, and treated for impacted/sour crop. We thought at one point she was on death's bed, but she perked up the next day and has been vocal ever since and even doing chicken things like scratching and even bowing up to other chickens (through the fence in a seperated run). Her digestive system seems to be back to normal now and is pooping regularly and her crop emptying. She'll drink water and even peck at things on the ground, but she refuses to eat more than a few pieces of pellets of food. She acts like she's interested in food, especially when the other chickens are getting their treats, but she only manages to eat a few morsels. So we have been tube feeding her for 14 days now. I've tried to offer her scrambled eggs, food mixed with warm water, snacks, but nothing more than a few nibbles. What do I do? We're about to go out of town at the end of May and if she's not eating by then, she'll starve to death. Please help!!!!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

In your other thread, it does look like she may be suffering from a reproductive disorder.

Look inside her beak to make sure there's no Canker or lesions that may be making it hard for her to swallow.
I'd try Torpedo feeding to see if that will encourage her to swallow food and perhaps restart her.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...eeding-what-is-it-and-when-to-use-it.1532744/

 

[daisyag13]

In your other thread, it does look like she may be suffering from a reproductive disorder.

Look inside her beak to make sure there's no Canker or lesions that may be making it hard for her to swallow.
I'd try Torpedo feeding to see if that will encourage her to swallow food and perhaps restart her.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...eeding-what-is-it-and-when-to-use-it.1532744/

I haven't noticed any Canker or lesions when I tube her, but I'll look more closely tomorrow to see if I see anything.

I will also try the torpedo feeding and see if that works. Didn't even know what that was. Thanks!

 

[daisyag13]

@Wyorp Rock

So, I've been torpedo feeding her since Thursday and she still has not had any interest in eating on her own. She will still only drink.

There is no canker or lesions in her mouth either. Thoughts?

Is she hopeless on getting back to normal?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Do you have her isolated or with her flock?

If she's isolated, try feeding her with the flock or bring in a few of her friends to eat with her, often this will kick off the eating.

 

[daisyag13]

Do you have her isolated or with her flock?

If she's isolated, try feeding her with the flock or bring in a few of her friends to eat with her, often this will kick off the eating.

We put her back with the flock before we started torpedo feeding her in hopes they would encourage her to eat. She's been back with them for days now. She did show some interest in eating treats again today though! YEA! At least a step in the right direction.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

We put her back with the flock before we started torpedo feeding her in hopes they would encourage her to eat. She's been back with them for days now. She did show some interest in eating treats again today though! YEA! At least a step in the right direction.

Hopefully she's getting on the right track!

 

[daisyag13]

@Wyorp Rock
Well, she was starting to eat more of her snacks and even eating some out of the feeders, but never got to where she was even close to eating enough to actually sustain herself (crop still felt empty after she "ate").

So we're still torpedo feeding her, and over the last couple of days, she seems to sometimes struggle to swallow her food. One time I could tell her airway was blocked because her comb and wattles started turning purple right after I torpedo fed her some food. Checked and the torpedo was stuck at the back of the throat which I managed to get out. After that, checked her throat after giving her a torpedo, and each one I could still see in her throat no matter how small I made them. The tops of the torpedoes would still be right beside her trachea opening with the majority of it actually down her esophagus.

Do you know what would cause her to not be able to swallow properly? This is probably why she's not eating her own. May have been an issue the whole time but I only noticed it because she turned purple that one time. She drinks water with no problem on her own. Her crop is emptying just fine, so I know it's not an impaction or even sour crop. Thoughts?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

No signs of Canker or lesions inside the beak?

Any inflammation in the throat that you can see?

Has she been dewormed?