Chicken that is sick

[ChickensInPittsburgh]

Hi, I feel bad for having to keep asking for help but I need to fix my chicken, stitch. She was the first chicken I ever hatched out and my little star. Originally I thought she was a he therefore her name is Stitch. She started acting slightly off about 2-3 weeks ago so I started putting Electrolytes and probiotics in the water everyday. ( usually I put electrolytes and probiotics every month and electrolytes everyday during the hot months ) I noticed she was slimmer than usual so I gave her yogort and egg for her and she ate it up. Her booty was looking bad so I washed her up and kept an eye on her. Fast forward to this week, I noticed she was acting even more off so I got her and noticed she had lost even more weight, to the point where she is almost skin and bones. Her crop is emptying and filling and she is still eating but not gaining weight. She’s having a hard time standing up and is just crouching. She leaves the coop eats and then crouches. Her toes/claws are turned inwards and not outwards like they normally should be. I thought she might be egg bound so I gave her an warm salt bath but that didn’t help much. She also has this small yellow growth on her eye, I’m not sure if has been there and I haven’t noticed it if it just showed up. I’m running out of ideas on what to do and wondering if I waited to long to reach out. I was busy fixing my brooder because of a recent attack and I didn’t have the time to write a post. Is there anything I can do? If she is suffering should I cull her so she isn’t in pain?

Below are so pictures of her

 

[nuthatched]

What's her diet? Have you ever wormed her,

 

[ChickensInPittsburgh]

What's her diet? Have you ever wormed her,

After I had a sick chicken last year I changed everyone to layer crumbles and they have free choice grit and calcium. I’m not sure what you mean by worming her?

 

[nuthatched]

After I had a sick chicken last year I changed everyone to layer crumbles and they have free choice grit and calcium. I’m not sure what you mean by worming her?

What's the protein on the layer?
Wormed, is giving her meds to kill and intestinal parasites that could be using her food she eats.

 

[ChickensInPittsburgh]

What's the protein on the layer?
Wormed, is giving her meds to kill and intestinal parasites that could be using her food she eats.

16% is the protein contents. Just in case this is a picture of the food breakdown. I don’t think I have wormed them before.

 

[WingsysRoost]

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. It's always hard when they're not feeling well.

You said that you thought she might be egg bound. Has she been laying? If she has been, what do her eggs look like? If she hasn't been laying, when did she stop?

How do her face and comb color look? Is she paler than usual at all? How are her droppings?

Has she been checked for any parasites, either lice/mites or worms?

Unsure what the bump on her eye is. It might or might not be related to everything else. How does her eye look other than the bump? Any changes to her pupil or anything else surrounding her eye?

Your description of her sounds like one of my hens who unfortunately passed from cancer - skin and bones and eating but not gaining weight, combined with rapid weight loss, sounds very much like what happened with her. I truly hope that isn't the case for your bird, and that the issue is fixable.

 

[nuthatched]

16% is the protein contents. Just in case this is a picture of the food breakdown. I don’t think I have wormed them before.

A higher protein feed might help her gain weight but if it's a reproductive issue or because of worms, she needs meds.

 

[ChickensInPittsburgh]

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. It's always hard when they're not feeling well.

You said that you thought she might be egg bound. Has she been laying? If she has been, what do her eggs look like? If she hasn't been laying, when did she stop?

How do her face and comb color look? Is she paler than usual at all? How are her droppings?

Has she been checked for any parasites, either lice/mites or worms?

Unsure what the bump on her eye is. It might or might not be related to everything else. How does her eye look other than the bump? Any changes to her pupil or anything else surrounding her eye?

Your description of her sounds like one of my hens who unfortunately passed from cancer - skin and bones and eating but not gaining weight, combined with rapid weight loss, sounds very much like what happened with her. I truly hope that isn't the case for your bird, and that the issue is fixable.

I’m so sorry for the loss of your hen. Thank you for responding. She stopped laying 1 month or 2 ago but she has always been an off and on layer so I didn’t think much of it. Her eggs normally are nice round cream colored eggs so I noticed when they stopped showing up.

Her comb still looks red and upright like normal and I’ve noticed her tounge is slightly pale but not by much. Her butt is pasty around all the back feathers. I’m washing it off everyday so she can still use the bathroom. I haven’t payed much attention to her poo though.

She doesn’t have any mites or lice on her and none of my chickens do. I’m still confused on how to check for parasites. So she hasn’t been checked for them.

Other than the bump her eyes are fine. She has a good response time. If I lightly blow in her eye she shuts it. If anything comes close to her eye she shuts it and she knows where she is going.

 

[ChickensInPittsburgh]

A higher protein feed might help her gain weight but if it's a reproductive issue or because of worms, she needs meds.

The feed store I go to is closed on weekends. My plan will be to get a dewormer and a feed with a higher protein. Thank you! Is there a specific dewormer that is more effective or better? Is there anything I can do in the meantime? I’m trying to keep her comfortable. She is eating mealworms right now for being good and not dying.

 

[nuthatched]

The feed store I go to is closed on weekends. My plan will be to get a dewormer and a feed with a higher protein. Thank you! Is there a specific dewormer that is more effective or better? Is there anything I can do in the meantime? I’m trying to keep her comfortable. She is eating mealworms right now for being good and not dying.

It depends on the type of worm, a product called valvzen is what mound people use for roundworms, I think.