CONfused about sick hen!!!! All information seems to be contradicting. Can someone help?????

[MainStChicks]

Hi, Kinda new to all this! I've got four laying sex link hens. All have been pretty healthy. Had one get her eye pecked by the dominent hen so treated in isolation, she got healthy and happy, and back to the normal! Yeah!
The dominent hen which we call Dom has become very larthegic, distant from the flock, greenish yellowish, runny diarehha. I have had her isolated to watch her and see what and if she is drinking and eating. The first day she drank like there was no tommorow. Now (into the third day of isolation) she is drinking very little if at all. She has access to layer crumble. Nibbled a bit the first day. Now won't touch it. She is still eating mealworm treats, cause that's their favorite treats. I don't want her to become totally deprived of nutrition. I tried to give her plain yougart, scrambled egg with olive oil, buttermilk, bulttermilk and cornbread, she won't touch it.
She is not really showing any symptoms other than she's not laying, very larthagic, the diarehha, fluffed feathers, and loss of appetite. Last day before isolation saw her trying to lay an egg, with no sucess. Her breathing seems normal, crop seems normal, no foul breath. (No pun intended) Crop and wattles normal no paleness. No signs of parasites. Legs and feet look healthy. No feather loss. Checked her vent seems normal. With the diarehha her bottom got a bit nasty so took her and cleaned her up. Sure that didn't make any feel anything but violated. I made sure she was dry before putting her back in the isolation pin. I have newspapers down and change quit frequently, a low perch (which she isn't using much) and a box with D.E. and pine shavings for warmth and comfort. Tempertures and climates are warm and dry, as she is inside. Oustide it's been cold and raining with humidity. I put vinagar in their water. They do free-range daily normally. I noticed last night that 2 other hens have yucky bottoms too and egg production has dropped to 1 egg per day. I was getting 3 per day. Otherwise seem to be normal. I dismissed this to all the crazy weather we have in KY. One day it will be 60 degrees and then 23 degrees the next. It messes me up. I can't imagine what it actually does to nature. I have tried to look into this but everything is so contradicting and I don't want to be treating her for the wrong thing and make things worse. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Summerlove]

Here is a site I find useful http://www.durhamhens.co.uk/Hen Health.html

 

[casportpony]

Maybe this will help you, it's a cut and paste from another post of mine

When mine get sick, this is what I do:

• Thorough exam which includes inserting a gloved, lubed finger into the cloaca, check for cuts, bruising lumps etc.
• Dust for mites/lice with poultry dust even if I cannot see any. DE does not work.
• Weigh on digital kitchen scale (see avatar), record weight and weigh daily. any weight loss is bad.
• Place bird in a warm, quiet place on towel with food and water that it can't drown in.
• De-worm with Safeguard or Panacur, liquid or paste 50mg/kg by mouth and repeat in 10 days.
• Once warm, if not drinking, and crop is empty, hydrate with warmed Pedialyte or lactated ringers with a feeding tube - 30ml/kg every 6-8 hours.
• If not eating after 24 hours and crop is empty, tube feed baby bird food mixed with Pedialyte
• Inspect poop.
• If I suspect a stuck egg, treat for egg binding.
• If I suspect a bacterial infection, treat with antibiotics.

From: http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/avmed/cam/07_emergency_and_critical_care.pdf
Supportive Care
SICK-BIRD ENCLOSURES
Sick birds are often hypothermic and should be placed
in heated (brooder-type) enclosures


b (Fig 7.7) in a quiet
environment (see Chapter 1, Clinical Practice). A temperature
of 85° F (29° C) with 70% humidity is desirable
for most sick birds. If brooders are not equipped with a
humidity source, placing a small dish of water in the
enclosure will often supply adequate humidity. A moist
towel that is heated and placed on the bottom of a cage
or incubator rapidly humidifies the environment, as indicated​

by the fogging of the acrylic cage front.

FLUID THERAPY
Oral Administration
Oral administration is the ideal method of giving fluids.
This method is more commonly used in mildly dehydrated
birds or in conjunction with subcutaneous (SC)
or intravenous (IV) therapy. Oral rehydration (30 ml/kg
PO q 6-8 h) also may be used in larger birds (eg, waterfowl)
that are difficult to restrain for parenteral fluid​

therapy.

 

[casportpony]

Great info on tube feeding:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...cken-and-give-subcutaneous-fluid#post_9910754

More on tube feeding:
http://forum.backyardpoultry.com/viewtopic.php?t=7933

 

[MainStChicks]

Thank you all for the information. Seems to clear a few things up for me. I just hope it clears her up too! Gonna take these instructions and work with them. Thank you again! Will let you know if there is any improvements.

 

[casportpony]

If you decide to tube feed, send a PM and I'll help you.

 

[MainStChicks]

Thank you casportpony! I fixed her some warm mash and she ate some of it! So getting ready to check her vent! And get her cleaned up! She has a yucky bottom again today! I am assuming it's from having the diarreha. But want to try to keep her cleaned up so she doesn't further complications along with what's going on. Glad to see her eating though! And so glad I don't have to go that route!