Drooling Chicken

[Chuckaloo Lover]

Hi

Went to let my ladies out this morning and one of my birds (A Hamburg) couldn't get over the perch to come out. She has lost all energy, drooling excessively, got a black substance on her beak, shaking her head and making a gurgling sound. She also feels cold and seems confused. Pecking at everything that she wouldn't normally bother with.

I have separated her from the others and brought her inside where it is warm (we are quite cold here in England now). She has food and water and appears to have had some.

I'm really upset as I haven't ever seen this before. I always seem to lose my favorite hens too! This one was sat on my shoulder yesterday while I was sorting out food and water for them!

Appreciate any help/advice.

Lisa x

 

[lorijohnson823]

Any chance she got into a substance that's poision?

 

[litmisredneck]

Sounds like she got into something that she should not have. I have no advice to help, but search on here and you might find some help.

 

[casportpony]

Hi

Went to let my ladies out this morning and one of my birds (A Hamburg) couldn't get over the perch to come out. She has lost all energy, drooling excessively, got a black substance on her beak, shaking her head and making a gurgling sound. She also feels cold and seems confused. Pecking at everything that she wouldn't normally bother with.

I have separated her from the others and brought her inside where it is warm (we are quite cold here in England now). She has food and water and appears to have had some.

I'm really upset as I haven't ever seen this before. I always seem to lose my favorite hens too! This one was sat on my shoulder yesterday while I was sorting out food and water for them!

Appreciate any help/advice.

Lisa x

It sounds like she *might* have something stuck in her esophagus.





If she doesn't, this is what *I* do when one is not quite right...

• Do thorough exam. Check for lumps, bumps, cuts bruising, watch walk (if they can). Pray for poop. Poop can give many clues.
• Weigh them on a kitchen scale to get baseline weight and then weigh daily.
• If no cuts are present, dust for mites/lice, even if I cannot see them. Dust bird outside.
• Deworm with Safeguard for goats (fendendazole) at the rate of .5cc/kg using a 1cc syringe without needle.
• Bring inside and provide heat source and place on light colored towel. A warm bird is more likely to perk up and eat a little than one that's chilled.
• If the bird is not drinking and the crop is empty, I will tube feed it a small amount of lactated ringers solution (LRS) or Pedialyte. Sometimes I'll do sub-q fluids instead. Never force feed or water a chilled bird.
• If the bird does not start eating, and the crop has cleared, I will tube feed small amounts of baby bird food mixed with Pedialyte or LRS.
• Once I have a good poop to look at, I might give an antibiotic.

Note that giving medicine orally and tube feeding can kill a bird if not done correctly. Here are a couple of links for you to look at:
http://forum.backyardpoultry.com/viewtopic.php?t=7933
http://www.peafowl.org/ARTICLES/24/

 

[CMV]

In the UK there are vets everywhere that work for a fraction of what it costs here in the States. Take her to a vet. (I fear the black you are seeing may be old blood.)

 

[Chuckaloo Lover]

Many thanks everyone. She has perked up on her own but I am still keeping her inside and watching her. It's a complete mystery as to why she became so unwell but I hope she is over it now.

Casportpony, I will keep a copy of those links as I'm sure that I will need to use them at some point. Chickens can be such hard work!!!

 

[casportpony]

Soooo happy to hear she is feeling better! Thanks for the update.

 

[nemahelk]

I had a chicken doing this and the only thing I could come up with is she ate something she wasn't supposed to. I put some activated charcoal in her beak, didn't expect her to make until this morning. but she is perkier and her comb is lightening back up. she still is not up to par, but she is not drooling today. I gave her some more tonight, am hoping it works but she is definitely improved. I thought of activated charcoal because it attaches itself to poisons and helps them to pass through the system. might be worth a try, it also kill yeast infection in the same way in animals.

 

[casportpony]

I had a chicken doing this and the only thing I could come up with is she ate something she wasn't supposed to. I put some activated charcoal in her beak, didn't expect her to make until this morning. but she is perkier and her comb is lightening back up. she still is not up to par, but she is not drooling today. I gave her some more tonight, am hoping it works but she is definitely improved. I thought of activated charcoal because it attaches itself to poisons and helps them to pass through the system. might be worth a try, it also kill yeast infection in the same way in animals.

Welcome to BYC!

Hope your hen gets better.

-Kathy