- Aug 2, 2011
- 13
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Can someone give advice? I have a 29 week Ameracauna pullet that has not yet laid. She is lowest on the pecking order of my 3 hens, so rarely gets her fair share of the food. Four days ago I noticed she was unusually quiet and lethargic, not eating or drinking much. She would walk around a little while with the other girls then sneak off to rest. I found her under the coop and thought she might be laying, but now i realize she just wasn't well. I called a avian vet friend who x-rayed her and said her gizzard was full of rock, stone or oyster or some other substance of mineral content. I saw the x-ray and it looks to be fairly large jagged pieces. The vet feels her gizzard is impacted with these bits and therefore the food is not processing well through her system. He thinks she has been deprived of food and filling up on rock of oyster shell. She is dehydrated and malnourished. They kept her for two days and tube fed her food and mineral oil to help move things through, and gave her fluids. She came home yesterday and seemed a little perkier but still not really eating on her own. I got her to eat an ounce of scrambled egg, but she didn't drink much. The vets also prescribed Reglan (metoclopramide) by dropper every 12 hours until normal appetite returns.
It is unusually cold here in Virginia- freezing in October, but she spent the night in her coop with the girls and survived, but still not eating. I brought her in this morning to warm her up, give her meds and try to get her to eat. No luck. I finally gave her a dropper of water and maybe a teaspoon of yogurt mixed with olive oil. She is still quiet and sleepy.
I feel so awful about her getting to this point - I didn't realize she was getting so little to eat. I even have food in many places so that if she got chased away she could find another source.
Should I try tube feeding her or is the impaction too much for her? Has anyone heard of this gizzard problem before? I think if I don't get some food into her soon she will starve or freeze. Please help!
It is unusually cold here in Virginia- freezing in October, but she spent the night in her coop with the girls and survived, but still not eating. I brought her in this morning to warm her up, give her meds and try to get her to eat. No luck. I finally gave her a dropper of water and maybe a teaspoon of yogurt mixed with olive oil. She is still quiet and sleepy.
I feel so awful about her getting to this point - I didn't realize she was getting so little to eat. I even have food in many places so that if she got chased away she could find another source.
Should I try tube feeding her or is the impaction too much for her? Has anyone heard of this gizzard problem before? I think if I don't get some food into her soon she will starve or freeze. Please help!
