Found chicken on ground, lethargic...not eating, drinking now--more details in thread

[ChickenLord33]

Hi all. The other night when I went to close up the chickens, one hen was sprawled out on the ground instead of on the roost and I thought she was dead. To my surprise when I touched her she was still alive and would stand up on her own after I picked her up. No blood or physical damage. I brought her inside where it was warm and put her in a cage with a towel, fresh water and food. Her crop was full but not hard. The next morning I was able to dip her beak and feed her water and she ate some food and scratch. I took her outside to get some sun and she stood there not wanting to do much. But at least she ate and she would open her eyes. Her crop was soft and I massaged it throughout the day just in case something was going on there.

The next day I could not get her to drink or eat hardly anything at all. She has lost a ton of weight. Her crop is smaller but has some food in it I think, from what I can feel. She is still defecating (sometimes diarrhea, sometimes more normal looking poos). But this morning she seems almost dead as she is so skinny and doesn't even want to hardly open her eyes or respond. She doesn't want to stand up either. I try to give her water but she just lets her beak get wet and doesn't take more sips. She doesn't eat anything.

Is there anything I can do? Is there anything I could have done better? I do not think she is egg bound, I do not think her crop is impacted. What do you think happened? She is less than 2 years old...is it just bad luck and she got some sort of sickness? It happened so fast. Thank you.

 

[ChickenLord33]

I couldn't figure it out. I kept feeding her water with an oral syringe every day and sometimes she would drink on her own if I'd promote her to drink out of a shallow dish. She would snack on meal worms and some corn from her scratch every once in awhile, but every day she would eat and drink less and less.

This morning I gave her her final sips of water and tried to interest her in food but to no avail, I could tell it was her last. I gave her a bunch of love and said my goodbyes. She passed away around noon. Rest in peace Green Queen.

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

I'm so sorry for your loss I would be so sad too
you did a good job trying to keep her going

 

[RoyalChick]

So sorry to hear. I am not an expert so you are up to where I would be in terms of examining her crop and giving her some water - you might want to give her some sugar water for a bit of energy - Gatorade is a good cheap substitute that works in a pinch.
In the hope that others weigh in to help you I would post a few more details like: how old is she, is her comb pale (show pictures), any history of other illnesses in your flock, any recent introductions to the flock, does she lay and when did she last lay.
I think folk will ask you all those questions for sure!
Good luck with getting some help for her.

 

[ChickenLord33]

So sorry to hear. I am not an expert so you are up to where I would be in terms of examining her crop and giving her some water - you might want to give her some sugar water for a bit of energy - Gatorade is a good cheap substitute that works in a pinch.
In the hope that others weigh in to help you I would post a few more details like: how old is she, is her comb pale (show pictures), any history of other illnesses in your flock, any recent introductions to the flock, does she lay and when did she last lay.
I think folk will ask you all those questions for sure!
Good luck with getting some help for her.

Thank you for the tips. I was just able to get her to eat about 15 meal worms. I still can't get her to drink water though. I'm going to go get a water dropper to try to drop it into her mouth!

She is about 2 years old. No other illness in the flock. No new introductions to the flock either. She usually lays but hasn't since the night I found her on the ground. I've attached a few photos of her comb. It's not super pale, but maybe more than usual. Thank you.