Does "Refeeding Syndrome" Apply to Chickens?

[MROO]

After a long quarantine, I recently added a young (3 mo) Sapphire Gem pullet to my small (14) flock. She seemed to integrate okay, roosting with the flock, just off on another perch. I've never seen her actively picked on and she never showed obvious wounds. She's pretty flighty, so getting hands on her in daylight is nearly impossible and handling her at night creates contagious panic in the coop. At last night's night-check, she let me pick her up without a fuss. I thought it was "progress" until I had a good feel of her. There's nothing to her! Apparently, the older birds were keeping her away from the food and water.

She didn't "look" sick at all and until last night, she had been quietly active, but I pulled her to see if she'd eat and drink normally. She gorged! The poor thing pecked at chick starter/grower for a half hour, nonstop except when I pulled her away to make sure she drank. I tried to keep her from her filling her crop with dry crumble then splitting or souring her crop with a lot of water.

She is currently in a separate pen with four Nankins roughly her age. So far, so good socially and they are sharing resources well. She pretty much just sits while the other youngsters go about their business. I'm about to take her a scrambled egg and dose her with electrolytes again. Any other recommendations?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

That's about all I would be doing. Hopefully after a few days she starts to feel better. It's hard to add only one bird, it's very stressful on them. Glad she's with some she can be more comfortable with.

 

[NatJ]

The poor thing pecked at chick starter/grower for a half hour, nonstop except when I pulled her away to make sure she drank. I tried to keep her from her filling her crop with dry crumble then splitting or souring her crop with a lot of water.

Many months too late to help in this case, but if you have that situation in future: you can put food and water in a dish together, give it a minute or two for the water to soak in so you can tell if it needs more water, then let the chicken eat it.

Since the feed swells up when it gets wet, the chicken can eat wet feed until she thinks her crop feels full, and taking a drink will not make it swell further to a dangerous level.

 

[MROO]

Way after the fact, but an update. "Saphira" was not a solo addition. She went in with four Nankins about her age - the ones I separated out with her while she recuperated. I guess she was the "oddball" and caught all the grief. She's now a happy, healthy (beautiful) adult, somewhere in the middle of the pecking order and laying big, gorgeous pinky-brownish eggs. She was an accidental addition, meant for a friend of DD's who didn't have room for all six. I'm glad she pulled through the bullying, she's one of the sweetest birds in the flock!