EMERGENCY!! Uncinscious Hen - Have No Clue! 4 y/o Hen suddenly barely alive!

[DarkWater1929]

It really isn't possible to correctly diagnose what may be wrong with your hen without actually examining the hen.
Check for a stuck egg by gently inserting your finger into her vent. It won't traumatize her and you will be able to rule out one possible cause.
Check her properly for external parasites.
After you've checked these basics that every chicken keeper should and must be able to do, take her to a vet.

I will check her, as you say. I cannot take her to a vet. I would sell a year of my life to be able to do so. I just can't

Thank you for your advice. I will check for parasites, and egg bindibg. She is a nice, heavy girl, though, and as you see, not anaemic. Again, thank you.

 

[Lilly7]

I copied your post to my justanswer account. If I get a viable answer I'll pay the fee and send you the answer here.

 

[DarkWater1929]

I copied your post to my justanswer account. If I get a viable answer I'll pay the fee and send you the answer here.

You are amazing! If you will pm me your address, I will gratefully reimburse you, as soon as I possibly can. What a wonderfully generous thing to do! I cannot thank you enough!
Very sincerely,
Patience

 

[Shadrach]

There is only so much you can do.
Check her crop. It should be full at roost time and empty in the morning.
This is a good article on crop disorders.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/
If there are signs of crop problems or you believe she may have eaten something toxic then it may be worth trying to flush her system.
Here is an article on how to tube feed.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/
If you decide to flush her system then you need to be looking at getting at least 0.2 litres through her in a 24 hour period. You need to do this a bit at a time, say 5ml doses constantly throughout the day.
Hydration is important and a supplement such as Nutri Drench is recommended by many.
Check her poop for any signs of worms or blood.
From the video it doesn't look like Coccidiosis to me but it's something you can treat for without much in the way of side effects.
Corid is what is usually recommended for this.
If she will eat then you may find she will eat more if you make her normal food into a mash by adding a little warm water and blending into a paste.
If she won't eat then tube feeding is an option.

 

[AquaDuck]

Aww poor girl!! I know nothing at all about this but I just had a thought; when my dogs eat something funky and possibly toxic, I give them activated charcoal. Is that something that works on chickens too? Worth a try?

 

[Lilly7]

You are amazing! If you will pm me your address, I will gratefully reimburse you, as soon as I possibly can. What a wonderfully generous thing to do! I cannot thank you enough!
Very sincerely,
Patience

The vet is asking if she is vaccinated against Marek's disease?

 

[Lilly7]

Aww poor girl!! I know nothing at all about this but I just had a thought; when my dogs eat something funky and possibly toxic, I give them activated charcoal. Is that something that works on chickens too? Worth a try?

Here's a site that says charcoal is ok for chickens.

https://thefrugalchicken.com/charcoal-chickens-healthy-backyard-flock/

Do you have any?

 

[Lilly7]

Still waiting for the vet's response. How is she holding up?

 

[RhodeIslandRed5]

If your hen is that old, perhaps it is that disease that they can get after their egg laying years are over? Just a thought. Good luck.

 

[Lilly7]

Here is the reply from the vet, sadly the answer really isn't much help:

Dr. Michael Salkin

Bird Specialist
I reviewed the discussion and video. Regrettably, Emily's presentation can indicate any number of illnesses or health issues in chickens. In avian medicine, there's rarely one cause of such a presentation, so we usually begin with a list of differential diagnoses and use lab tests, X-rays, and physical exams to differentiate one from another. Necropsy of a newly dead or a sacrificed severely ill bird then refrigerated (not frozen) can be an important diagnostic particularly in large flocks. Should she have such a flock, her best course of action might be to reach out to her county-extension poultry personnel or avian-oriented veterinarian (please see here: www.aav.org) for help in arranging a necropsy.

It's gotten to the point that caretakers have next to no resources outside of soliciting the help of an avian vet. The FDA has removed all antibiotics save tylosin in the form of injectable Tylan from the over the counter shelves. Dosing is 5 - 15 mg/lb into the breast muscle daily for 5-7 days. The new recommended egg withdrawal period for that antibiotic is so lengthy - 8 weeks for egg layers - it isn't financially reasonable for production flocks.


It's best to bring her inside as shown here: http://www.the-chicken-chick.c…

Please let us know how she is doing and if she made it through the night.