Chicken sleepy and not eating

[Agathe]

I have a chicken that's suddenly very sleepy (appears to fall asleep standing up). I tried giving it water with honey and scrambled eggs, but it won't take anything. I have separated it from the flock. Didn't notice anything out of the ordinary this morning. It appears to be closing only one eye at times, so I put some saline solution on it, but since's it's lethargic, I don't really think it's an eye infection or anything like that. Chicken otherwise look normal. I'm not actually sure if it's a rooster or a hen as they haven't started laying yet. It's an Orpington and they all look the same, but if I'd guess I'd say it's a roo.

We have no local vet as I am on an island and the vet on the mainland knows little about chicken, so I'm not sure there's any help in calling them. Any suggestions? I am at a loss myself and have no idea what might be going on.

 

[Agathe]

Oh, and just to clarify, I can't see any puss or swelling on the eye. Nothing on it looks out of the ordinary.

 

[The chicken Hatcher]

@Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock @azygous

 

[Agathe]

After force feeding it some water with honey and scrambled eggs, it has perked up a little and ate by itself. It did however have a runny poop. No odd color, but runny. It perked up right after it pooped. Still keeping an eye on it though.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have a chicken that's suddenly very sleepy (appears to fall asleep standing up). I tried giving it water with honey and scrambled eggs, but it won't take anything. I have separated it from the flock. Didn't notice anything out of the ordinary this morning. It appears to be closing only one eye at times, so I put some saline solution on it, but since's it's lethargic, I don't really think it's an eye infection or anything like that. Chicken otherwise look normal. I'm not actually sure if it's a rooster or a hen as they haven't started laying yet. It's an Orpington and they all look the same, but if I'd guess I'd say it's a roo.

We have no local vet as I am on an island and the vet on the mainland knows little about chicken, so I'm not sure there's any help in calling them. Any suggestions? I am at a loss myself and have no idea what might be going on.

After force feeding it some water with honey and scrambled eggs, it has perked up a little and ate by itself. It did however have a runny poop. No odd color, but runny. It perked up right after it pooped. Still keeping an eye on it though.

I'm glad she is dong a little better.

How old is she?
Photos of the poop and bird may be helpful.

What do you feed?

Work on hydrating her. Check for lice/mites and see what the crop feels like.

 

[Agathe]

I'm glad she is dong a little better.

How old is she?
Photos of the poop and bird may be helpful.

What do you feed?

Work on hydrating her. Check for lice/mites and see what the crop feels like.

I'm on my phone so I'm struggling to add photos. I noticed that the comb and waddle is pale but it can change back and forth and is suddenly red again.

The poop has normal colors but is runny.

It has perked up some and will occasionally walk around and eat like normal but it is still sleepy. Hydrating seems to help somewhat.

They all eat grower feed mostly and grass. Occasionally oats or mealworms for treats. The wander freely at times so i can't rule out that they have eaten something poisonous. But they mostly go the usual place and eat the usual things.

It is extra warm today but not warmer than they've had before and they have shade to keep in.

I have seen it breathe quickly on one occasion and Will sometimes keep its mouth open.

I'll try to add photos later but its the best I can do right now.

 

[azygous]

Any balance issues or trouble walking? I not, it's more likely a bacterial infection. Can you get hold of an antibiotic? You might be able to find Fish Mox at the feed store. Or even a left over prescription you might have. People antibiotics work fine for chickens.

If you get the Fish Mox, the dosage is 250mg per day for ten days.

 

[Agathe]

Any balance issues or trouble walking? I not, it's more likely a bacterial infection. Can you get hold of an antibiotic? You might be able to find Fish Mox at the feed store. Or even a left over prescription you might have. People antibiotics work fine for chickens.

If you get the Fish Mox, the dosage is 250mg per day for ten days.

Thank you! No balance issues. I can call the vet and ask for antibiotics, but sadly it's proven a bit difficult with them as they want to see the animals, and that would mean leaving the rest of the flock for a whole day to travel with the sick one, which of course would add a lot of stress on the sick chicken.

It has survived the night and has perked up quite a bit. It drinks and eats by itself and walks around. It isn't quite itself yet though, but much better than it was. It doesn't close one eye anymore and it doesn't sleep standing up. I'm hoping it means it might make it.

 

[Agathe]

I just thought I'd give an update in case anyone else comes across this thread. The chicken appears to be back to its normal self today. This morning it was still lethargic so I fed it some honey water in a syringe and some scrambled eggs. Quite quickly it got better and I put it back with the other chicken. They were giving it a hard time some of them, but it fought back like a champ. I've several time seen it both drinking and eating on its own. Poop is back to normal.

Not sure if it matters, but the honey I used in the water was super honey because that's all I had on hand. It has added bipollen and propolis in it and is supposed to be very good for humans. Maybe it helped it pick back up again, but that's only guessing.

 

[azygous]

Yes, your chicken responded to the glucose infusion from the honey. The problem may have been shock from a hot weather episode or a bout of not eating enough. Chickens get low blood sugar, too, on occasion.

The signs of low glucose in chickens resemble bacterial infection. You did the right thing by trying the honey. Often, raising the chicken's glucose is all it takes.

I suggest you get a bottle of Fish Mox 250mg online to keep it on hand. That way, you won't need to waste time trying to finagle a prescription out of a vet. https://www.kvsupply.com/item/aqua-mox-250mg-capsules-100-count/P06184/