Do very sick chickens ever recover and live for long?

[basement chick]

I am struggling with the thought of having my favorite sweet girl out down. I have never had any of my sick chickens get better. I am just hoping this one does because she is so friendly and i will miss her. I just wonder if anyone has ever had a sick hen recover and go on to live happily?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I had a bad case of capillary worms break out in my five hens. I have treated with ivermectin pour on drops on the neck. This was confirmed by a float test done by my vet. She barely eats. Very thin and weak. Now her Crop is not emptying. I am feeding her whatever she will eat (blueberries, fish, peas, apples, beans, kale, cooked corn, wet food pellets, etc.) and massaging her crop. Put acv in water today. She is passing some fairly normal looking droppings just small and a little loose but Brown with white on top like usual. At least no one is gaping and shaking their heads anymore and all breathing normally. Sorry I am depressed over this one more than usual....thank yoi

Did the vet not recommend a de-wormer?

I'm not sure how effective Ivermectin pour-on would be for Capillary worms. You can use Safeguard (fenbendazole) to treat those - dosage is 1/4ml per 1 pound of weight given for 5 days in a row. Alternatively you could use Praziquantel

The crop not emptying is concerning, she may still have an overload of worms or something else going on. See that she has plenty of water to drink, massage the crop and introduce some coconut oil into her. Try to determine if the crop is sour, impacted, slow, etc. This Article may help. I would try to keep her on softer foods if possible since things like apple, beans, etc., are harder to process. Wet feed or mashed egg would be good.

 

[Sneebsey]

Many sick birds can recover and live normal lives. If you can post with pictures and the symptoms of your bird then there are many here who may have experienced similar, or have knowledge of what the illness could be and help with a good diagnosis and treatment plan.

 

[coach723]

Did you repeat the float test after treatment to make sure it was effective? I'm also not sure ivermectin pour on is the best treatment for capillary worms, and have read that some parasites are becoming resistant to it. If at all possible I'd repeat the fecal to make sure that worms are gone and are not still an issue, and if they are, re-treat with a different medication.
If you cannot redo the float test, I'd consider re-treating with another medication anyway, to make sure they've been gotten.
If the parasites are the only thing going on, then getting rid of them and getting her insides healed up should allow her to live a normal life. If there is something else going on, then different story. There are some management things you can do to minimize re-infection with capillary worms, here is a link with info:
http://parasitipedia.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2649&Itemid=2938

 

[basement chick]

Here she is sitting with me. She is an Amber Link 3 yrs old

 

[coach723]

It depends on what the illness is. Some things are treatable and they can go on to live full, normal lives. Other things are likely to have a poor long term prognosis. Not knowing what ails your bird we really can't say.

 

[PirateGirl]

I have. I just want to tell you that to give you some hope. Mine did not have the same kind of illness as yours, but I lost 2 chickens, and I had a third one on death's door. I came home from work and expected to find her dead and instead she had escaped her hospital box and was wandering around my laundry room looking much improved. Good luck.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

If you are wanting to perform fecal floats at home, you may want to check out this thread it explains the equipment and solutions needed to do it correctly. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/doing-fecal-floats-at-home.1047614/

@Sneebsey mentions using Flubendazole as a dewormer they are in the UK, since the OP is in the US then Valbazen (Albendazole) or Safeguard (Fenbendazole) would be treatment of choice.

Do keep in mind, that crop issues are a lot of times a symptom of an underlying condition. Worms, coccidiosis, reproductive problems and infection are common causes.
Getting a fecal float performed by the vet to re-check the worm load is the best way to determine if worms and/or coccidiosis is still an issue with your hen. Since she is a Sex-Link and has some age on her, she may also have some reproductive problems as well.

 

[coach723]

Respectfully, I disagree with the mixing in water and looking to check for parasites.
If there are visible worms in droppings then certainly they are there. If worms are not visible with the naked eye then that does not necessarily mean they are NOT there. When a proper fecal float test is done the parasite eggs is generally what is looked for. The parasites themselves often do not leave the digestive tract as they cannot survive outside it, the eggs can and do, that is how they spread. The eggs are microscopic and cannot be seen with the naked eye, or a magnifying glass, so microscope is the proper way to identify them.
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/fecal-flotation

 

[basement chick]

I had a bad case of capillary worms break out in my five hens. I have treated with ivermectin pour on drops on the neck. This was confirmed by a float test done by my vet. She barely eats. Very thin and weak. Now her Crop is not emptying. I am feeding her whatever she will eat (blueberries, fish, peas, apples, beans, kale, cooked corn, wet food pellets, etc.) and massaging her crop. Put acv in water today. She is passing some fairly normal looking droppings just small and a little loose but Brown with white on top like usual. At least no one is gaping and shaking their heads anymore and all breathing normally. Sorry I am depressed over this one more than usual....thank yoi