Emaciated chicken

[epeloquin]

I took over a chicken from a friend two days ago. She is a Buff Orp and is about ten months old. The reason I took her was that she was becoming lethargic, spending a lot of time away from the other chickens and under the coop. Then they started to pick on her. When I got her home I offered her food and water which she took greedily. She produced several good, healthy poops. I also noticed that she is extremely thin. She literally has no discernable breast muscle. I did not realize this when I first got her because I had not picked her up and she had been keeping herself rather puffed.

Today I noticed that she is not eating much. She is pooping but less. I removed her foor for a few hours and found that her crop is still full. I massaged her crop for a while and left her with a couple tablespoons of food and her water.

I do not know if she was actually sick or if she was starving because the other chickens would not let her eat or if it was a combination of the two.


Aany ideas?

 

[ninjagirl]

Try giving her some olive oil and a crop massage to help it to empty out. Also you can try offering her some scrambled egg or hardboiled egg yolk with a tsp of plain active culture yogurt. Extra calories and probiotics. And I am a big promoter of raw ACV in the water. Good luck to you and your new found friend!

 

[cowcreekgeek]

I took over a chicken from a friend two days ago. She is a Buff Orp and is about ten months old. The reason I took her was that she was becoming lethargic, spending a lot of time away from the other chickens and under the coop. Then they started to pick on her. When I got her home I offered her food and water which she took greedily. She produced several good, healthy poops. I also noticed that she is extremely thin. She literally has no discernable breast muscle. I did not realize this when I first got her because I had not picked her up and she had been keeping herself rather puffed.

Today I noticed that she is not eating much. She is pooping but less. I removed her foor for a few hours and found that her crop is still full. I massaged her crop for a while and left her with a couple tablespoons of food and her water.

I do not know if she was actually sick or if she was starving because the other chickens would not let her eat or if it was a combination of the two.


Aany ideas?

She probably needs a bit more time to process what she has eaten, and isn't eating because she's made such a pig of herself ... my own do that, unless I sorta meter their intake.

I'm hopin' you didn't put her w/ your flock right away, and that you're cleanin' up very well when you go between the new bird and any you already have ...

Indeed, ACV in the water is great, and for all your birds. The target pH is 5~6, which is usually four teaspoons to the gallon (but never in galvanized metal containers). The tannin in Apple Cider Vinegar helps to 'cut through' any coating in the mouth, throat and intestines, which help them to expel excess mucus, and improves the uptake of nutrients/vitamins, which is why it's considered as a proper treatment for young emaciated birds.

It also creates an acidic environment that's a bit more hostile towards internal parasites, although I'd treat this one w/ fenbendazole at the minimum rate of 20 mg/kg body weight, before introducing it to my flock ... well ... actually? I'd not introduce any outside birds to my flocks.