Depressed, malnourished Easter Egger, won't eat, please help

[casportpony]

Once you have corrected hydration you can tube the baby bird food at 10-15 ml per pound 2-4 times a day.

-Kathy

 

[ChickenChaser9]

My 3 month old Easter Egger Luci lost her best friend, the rooster to a fox and I began noticing that all she would do is lie down in the nesting box. I figured it was normal, she was depressed. But a few days later she still hadn't moved. I picked her up and she was all bone, no meat. She can't stand and when I help her she wobbles. I took her inside to try nursing her back to health. Now all she's doing is lying down and she does nothing but sleep. I think she must have been losing weight before her buddy died. The adult pellets I think she couldn't eat yet. I switched back and she ate a bit yesterday but no matter how hard I'm trying, she won't eat today. I put her beak in her water and she drinks just a bit. And she pooped but I don't know if it's normal or... Its runny clear pasty with some white. I got her durvet vitamins and electrolytes and put it in her water today...She's my favorite chicken and I'm really worried about her...if anyone can help I'd really appreciate it...

I have had some success with mixing corn meal into plain unflavored greek yogurt. Its easy on the digestive system, can stimulate the growth of new and healthy gut bacteria with the probiotics and the corn meal is a great energy boost. Just make sure the ratio of meal to yogurt still has a creamy consistency that makes it go down easy. This can be spoon fed with no difficulty and you can get yogurt and corn meal pretty much anytime from anywhere. Best Wishes.

 

[casportpony]

Quote: But what about fluids?

-Kathy

 

[ChickenChaser9]

But what about fluids?

-Kathy

Water is still the best, the yogurt has a high fluid content for a food item so it helps with hydration. The point is to get her feeling energetic enough to want to take drinks on her own. You can force feed her water using an eye dropper and of course if you choose to add electrolytes or vitamins always follow the directions on the label.

 

[casportpony]

Quote: But the with the amount of water they actually need, 10 - 15 ml per pound, don't you think using an eye dropper stress the bird, and isn't the risk of them aspirating much greater?

FWIW, I have a duck right now that's looking a little off, not eating, not drinking, and pooping green. Treatment for her is is 120 ml of fluids now, 120 ml fluids 60-90 minutes later, then maybe one more time before I tube food to her.

-Kathy

 

[ChickenChaser9]

But the with the amount of water they actually need, 15 - 15 ml per pound, don't you think using an eye dropper stress the bird, and isn't the risk of them aspirating much greater?

FWIW, I have a duck right now that's looking a little off, not eating, not drinking, and pooping green. Treatment for her is is 120 ml of fluids now, 120 ml fluids 60-90 minutes later, then maybe one more time before I tube food to her.

-Kathy

Yes, I do agree with your concern. That is why ideally the cornmeal/yogurt mixture will give her the energy and drive to drink on her own. Of course we do not live in an ideal world and dehydration is going to complicate your attempts to nurse her back to health so if she is REFUSING to drink you are going to have to step in at some point before she suffers from dehydration. You know and have tried to dip her beak in water to encourage her to drink, that is still the BEST option. I'm so sorry to hear your trouble with the duck. I know much less about them so I am hesitant to ofer advice on treatment for it.

 

[casportpony]

Quote: Duck caught, fluids given. Total time to fill syringes, catch duck, tube 120 ml warmed fluids, put duck back was less than 5 minutes...

Okay, so here's my real concern... Unless the bird is drinking tons of water on it's own, which I don't think this one is, it will be dehydrated, but hard to say how dehydrated, and a dehydrated bird should *never* be force fed until hydration status is corrected, 'cause force feeding a dehydrated bird can kill it. Always best to start with fluids for the first several hours, then once they are pooping clear liquid, probably okay to give liquefied solids.

-Kathy

 

[Seiryu]

At first that was what I was doing, dipping her beak into the vitamin electrolyte water mixture. I followed the directions on the label and its been giving her a little pep. But when she refuses to drink at all I give her the mixture through an eyedropper. She doesn't seem stressed by it. I read protein helps so I give her the egg mixture through the eyedropper then give her more water. I just took her out to spend a little time with her friends and she was copying them. When they drank she drank. Not much because she still cannot hold herself up. But I believe it's an improvement. I do not have any plain yogurt on hand but will get some first thing tomorrow. I just bought her the baby bird food like suggested but I don't know how much my Luci weighs. Just that she has no meat on her bones and no muscle strength.

 

[casportpony]

At first that was what I was doing, dipping her beak into the vitamin electrolyte water mixture. I followed the directions on the label and its been giving her a little pep. But when she refuses to drink at all I give her the mixture through an eyedropper. She doesn't seem stressed by it. I read protein helps so I give her the egg mixture through the eyedropper then give her more water. I just took her out to spend a little time with her friends and she was copying them. When they drank she drank. Not much because she still cannot hold herself up. But I believe it's an improvement. I do not have any plain yogurt on hand but will get some first thing tomorrow. I just bought her the baby bird food like suggested but I don't know how much my Luci weighs. Just that she has no meat on her bones and no muscle strength.

She should weigh about 2 pounds at her age, but if she's as thin as you say, she's probably more like 1 pound. Can you get 15 eye droppers of fluids into her?

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Another thing... being very thin she is probably hypothermic (too cold), so would be best to keep her in a warm room (80-85 is ideal).

-Kathy