EMERGENCY!! SICK HEN

[Georgia Dream]

hey guys

I currently have what i would assume is a sick hen! Ive never had any sick hens before and im so unsure of what i should do!!

This morning i noticed how she was taking unusually long to get out of the coop so nosey me went to check on her when i noticed she wouldnt get off the perch she just sat there and closed her eyes well i didnt think anything of it i thought maybe shes just a little sleepy today, so i fed the others and let them go free range and a couple hours later i noticed she hasnt moved...well i tried to coax her out with food and water, even treats but nothing...she would let me pet her and touch her with no problem i even picked her up and she was so weak in my hands! so i put her back down and let her be went and did some chores ext came back and still she hasnt moved! well i finally brought her out of the coop and she immediately after putting her down layed down...she wouldnt move...i layed down food water nothing wasnt even interested..i stayed outside the most of the day trying to keep an eye on her but when i went in to fix lunch and came back she was gone!! i finally found her under my porch hiding...and i was always told if an animal hides they are going to die....so i got her out in the open and kept an eye on her for a couple hours till it was bedtime for the chickens and i put her back on her perch and she wanted to jump down..well i didnt want her to hurt herself in her weak state so i put her back on the ground same thing...lays there in the open and just does nothing!! so i took one of my old dog crates (its for a larger dog so its pretty big and spacious) and i fixed it all up like a make shift coop and i put her in it so she would be safe shes currently on my porch right now in the dog crate with food and water.. please help guys i dont know what to do!!

 

[enola]

Has she been wormed? Is she pooping?

 

[Georgia Dream]

Has she been wormed? Is she pooping?

not that i noticed...i chalked it up as she hasnt ate anything today either..

 

[enola]

Have you wormed her?

 

[Georgia Dream]

Have you wormed her?

mhm

 

[cafarmgirl]

Could be many things. Keep her warm and try to get some fluids and food into her. Start with the common, simple stuff: worms as Enola mentioned, check her for mites. Check her body condition, has she lost weight? Any bloating or swelling in her lower body? What do her droppings look like?

Definitely get some fluids into her as they dehydrate really fast. Tubing it to her is safest, you can do it with a syringe but it's hard to get enough into them that way and risk of aspiration is high. But it's better then nothing. Casportpony has some good instructions for tube feeding.

 

[Georgia Dream]

Could be many things. Keep her warm and try to get some fluids and food into her. Start with the common, simple stuff: worms as Enola mentioned, check her for mites. Check her body condition, has she lost weight? Any bloating or swelling in her lower body? What do her droppings look like?

Definitely get some fluids into her as they dehydrate really fast. Tubing it to her is safest, you can do it with a syringe but it's hard to get enough into them that way and risk of aspiration is high. But it's better then nothing. Casportpony has some good instructions for tube feeding.

you can tube feed a chicken? i mean ive done the syringe thing with kittens but chickens?! wow! im going to use D.E. if i can get my hands on it but she wont eat anything or drink on her own...im scared to try tubing her because ive never had to do something like this before...im just extremely scared im going to open the cage and find her passed away in the morning...she hasnt pooped that ive noticed but i thought she wouldnt because she hasnt ate or drank... she was eating fine last night its just been today...

 

[cafarmgirl]

They do die quickly if they aren't eating/drinking. DE isn't going to do her any good. Get a syringe and get some fluids into her, just go slow, be sure she's swallowing. If she's never been dewormed then I'd get some Safeguard for goats or some Valbazen and give her 0.5 cc, repeat in 10 days.

 

[Georgia Dream]

They do die quickly if they aren't eating/drinking. DE isn't going to do her any good. Get a syringe and get some fluids into her, just go slow, be sure she's swallowing. If she's never been dewormed then I'd get some Safeguard for goats or some Valbazen and give her 0.5 cc, repeat in 10 days.

how would i do that? she has a beak its not like i can open it up like a cats mouth...im so terrified i just want to cry but i know that wont do me any good..

 

[mg15]

you can tube feed a chicken? i mean ive done the syringe thing with kittens but chickens?! wow! im going to use D.E. if i can get my hands on it but she wont eat anything or drink on her own...im scared to try tubing her because ive never had to do something like this before...im just extremely scared im going to open the cage and find her passed away in the morning...she hasnt pooped that ive noticed but i thought she wouldnt because she hasnt ate or drank... she was eating fine last night its just been today...

Believe me tubing a chicken is not a big deal it is very simple.