GOOD and BAD NEWS- Update?**Shaking Girl

[Dandelion007]

Pine tar is supposed to work great at keeping chickens from pecking. You can pick that up at a feed store. You can also find vitamins & electrolytes there as well. Do you feed calcium? Just a thought. Cat food is good to increase her protein. Until she gets to feeling better, I would definitely keep her from the others. If you keep her in a dark place, she will stay quiet and minimize stress giving her time to regrow her feathers. Make sure she doesn't have blood feathers when you put her back. For some reason, chickens find them really tasty. I would reintroduce her after the feathers get past that stage. That's when the pine tar will come in handy. A paint brush makes the application easy. You may have to reapply for a few days.

Are you having this problem with more than just this hen? I would watch to see if another starts getting picked on since you removed her.

Good luck!

 

[beautifulbirds]

What exactly are you feeding your hen?

 

[BabyGirls]

I am feeding all of the girls a mix of layer and scratch then when I let them free range in the evening I give them treats either wild bird seed, fresh veggies, bananas or bread.

My little one that is sick, I am feeing her scratch, bird seed and wet cat food (which she seems to be eating well over last two days) She is not drinking though (that I have seen) so I am worried about that. And not sure even if I do get her electrolytes how will I get them into her?

She is on day 2 and still staggering pretty bad. She is getting more adventurous today though and walking around exploring more but her legs seem like they can't support her body and she is shaking still? Her poop is good and her eyes seem alert so I don't know what to do.

Is she suffering? She seems totally out of it when she walks

 

[kinnip]

It sounds like she's dehydrated. Use a dropper or needleless syringe to squirt fluid on her beak. If you can get it right under the top beak, it usually just sucks right up in there.

 

[beautifulbirds]

It sounds like you have some sort of deficiency; vitamin or mineral perhaps? I use wheatgrass juice and garlic juice for mine. The wheatgrass juice is a food and has nearly all the vitamins you need, the garlic juice is a powerful, but natural, body disinfectant (or cleanser). I would use the wheatgrass juice in the morning and the garlic juice at night.

 

[BabyGirls]

HI to everyone- here is an update so any other thoughts would be greatly apprecaited-

I am on day 9 with her, giving her antibiotics and vitamins in the wet catfood but she is not walking that much better. She seems just a little better and very alert but not walking better.

We came home the other night and found her on the kitchen table sleeping beside my computer (where I am always sitting). It was so cute, she jumped high enough over the boxes we put up to keep her in the sun porch but must have been waiting for us and went to the table. I felt bad as I think she is lonely.

One big concern for me now is that her poop went from being somewhat firm (green/brown and some white in it) to now being very liquid (all the same colors as above) It is getting bad as she went about 6 times last night alone ! Not sure why or what is going on-is that a bad sign ? She seems to have a great appetite (feeding her wet catfood / scratch and wild bird seed) I still have yet to see her drink anything (other than the water I add into the wet cat food so at least she'll get some liquid). Thoughts Please??

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

It sounds like possible botulism. Here is a link to check out her symptoms and get an idea of what it may be.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044#TABLE_2

 

[dlhunicorn]

....giving her antibiotics and vitamins in the wet catfood .
...One big concern for me now is that her poop went from being somewhat firm (green/brown and some white in it) to now being very liquid (all the same colors as above) It is getting bad as she went about 6 times last night alone ! Not sure why or what is going on-is that a bad sign ?

Stop giving her catfood... there is too much salt in that (will cause the excess watery droppings). She needs a balanced diet for poultry (not a cat)
What antibiotics? What supplements?
I suggest you give her her normal feed (you can add babyparrot handfeeding formula to it to concentrate the nutrition >you can get this at a pet store)
I strongly urge you to put electrolytes in her water .​

 

[BabyGirls]

Hi everyone, I have been busy with both my girls and trying to save them. The most frustrating thing for me is I just don't know what is wrong and how to help them.

My little one that I brought into the house is doing better (walking wise-still staggers a little and lifts her leg up real high and curls her toes then sets it down). I stopped the antibiotic, yogurt and vitamins to see if they were causing the almost liquid poo. She had that for 2 straight days and I worried dehydration could set in?? I will watch today as she is only getting layer and scratch with a dish of water (what I always give all my girls).

Her feathers are almost all grown in and I know she is lonely (she stairs into a mirror I put in there for hours) I feel bad as I think she misses her sisters- When is the right time to put her back with them and will they hurt her (she's been gone 12 days!)

My other little girl is not roosting at all, walking very slow, doesn't scratch when I let her out for a few hours in the evening and now has lots of Poo built up on her bum? What should I do ? Should I bring her in, should I clean her up? HELP Please

Thank you all so much again for all your help- it really means alot- I appreciate it!

 

[dlhunicorn]

My adivce is this:
Keep them in a warm draftfree and temp stable environment (give that bird with the gunged up bum a bath > just enough warm water up to the bum so she doesnt chill )
Give them the advised age appropriate feed > go to the pet store and get some babyparrot handfeeding formula (this is a powder you add water to to make a kind of prridge) and add just enough of that to the feed to make it clump together... this will concentrate the nutrition... stop the scratch.
Offer a live culture non-flavored yogurt free choice.
These are basic support measures for ill birds to help their immune system get back on track ... it will take a few days to see improvement but I think you will.