emaciated, but otherwise healthy-seeming hen

[ShadyHoller]

Hi all. Apologies in advance for a question that surely has already been asked. I just can't seem to find it.

Here's what I've got: a year-old buff orpington hen who has been skinny for a long time, and who is gradually getting skinnier and skinnier. She is now about the size of a pigeon and looks horrible. Her flock-mates are thriving. They all have access to pasture, clean water, reasonably clean and well-ventilated coop, and a buffet table of feed, scratch, oyster shell and grit. None of the birds have any external parasites. Like I said, the other birds look great. No one picks on this skinny bird, and she acts like she's perfectly healthy. Her butt/oviduct look normal. But her body looks just awful. Based on how gaunt she is, I expect her to drop dead at any moment.

Any experiences out there with one hen who wasted away while the rest of them were big fatties?

Thanks!

 

[ShadyHoller]

I should also add: if it's coccidiosis, why aren't the other birds showing signs of sickness? Egg production for the flock as a whole is normal. The skinny bird has been that way long enough that, if the disease was contagious, I would have expected other birds to come down with it.

 

[casportpony]

This is 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 to check for an egg, 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. Warning - Safeguard/Panacur (fenbendazle should not be used during a molt)
• 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.

 

[animallover505]

Is she bottom of the pecking order?