HELP! Dying chicken?

Date sort Score sort
S

SaraBethChickenLady

In the Brooder
May 8, 2018
6
1
19
HELP! I have a 4 year old Isa Brown “Maria” that I free range along with my other hens (and rooster)..she was missing for 2 days and I found her yesterday morning stuck outside. She was lethargic and wasn’t opening her eyes. The temperature has been in between 30-40 degrees here so I am afraid she went too long without water & got too cold.
I brought her inside on a heating pad and slowly warmed her up. A few hours later she started opening her eyes and lifting her head.
I have been giving her liquids through a medicine syringe and she is started perking up. I have not been able to get her to eat or drink on her own though. She is still just very lethargic and wants to sleep.
I am still keeping her in the crate under a heat lamp and am giving her liquids with electrolytes and vitamins every hour. It’s been over 24 hours now since I found her and she has improved but still not wanting to stand. Her comb is still bright red.
My question is..am I just prolonging her dying and making her suffer more or is there any chance after being stuck that long that she will survive?
I am open to any advice! This is my first chicken I have had this happen to and one of my favorite chickens 😕
 
SaraBethChickenLady said:
HELP! I have a 4 year old Isa Brown “Maria” that I free range along with my other hens (and rooster)..she was missing for 2 days and I found her yesterday morning stuck outside. She was lethargic and wasn’t opening her eyes. The temperature has been in between 30-40 degrees here so I am afraid she went too long without water & got too cold.
I brought her inside on a heating pad and slowly warmed her up. A few hours later she started opening her eyes and lifting her head.
I have been giving her liquids through a medicine syringe and she is started perking up. I have not been able to get her to eat or drink on her own though. She is still just very lethargic and wants to sleep.
I am still keeping her in the crate under a heat lamp and am giving her liquids with electrolytes and vitamins every hour. It’s been over 24 hours now since I found her and she has improved but still not wanting to stand. Her comb is still bright red.
My question is..am I just prolonging her dying and making her suffer more or is there any chance after being stuck that long that she will survive?
I am open to any advice! This is my first chicken I have had this happen to and one of my favorite chickens 😕
Click to expand...
I am so sorry this happened. I’m not an expert but I belive if you take good enough care of her she will do fine!
 
What do you mean, stuck?
Chickens can go long periods of time without food, shorter periods of time without water, but just one day or 12 hours isn’t going to do much damage. I wouldn’t have her under a heat lamp; there’s really no need for that unless you found her almost frozen to death, and even in that case a heat lamp would be too much. ISA browns don’t typically have a long life span since they are a hybrid breed meant to lay a copious amount of eggs in their lifetime. She could be coming to the end of her natural life cycle, or she could be experiencing reproductive issues. Check her crop - make sure it is emptying overnight. That this time while she’s separated to get a poop sample and see about a fecal float test to check for worms. I would also check her vent to make sure she’s not bound egg bound.
 
SaraBethChickenLady said:
Thank you! I am hoping so.
Click to expand...
Chickens are very self healing. I would keep fluids in her but let her be in between. One of my WLH injured her leg badly I didn't think she was gonna make it but she did. I made sure she had food and water, feeding her in a small coop locked in so the other chickens wouldn't push her away from food. As the other poster advised you take away the heat. It will make going back into the coop to shocking from the temp changes. Her sleeping a lot helps her recoup. I think she will come along too. Good luck. Give her some sugar water also. Might pep her up some.
 
Aapomp831 said:
What do you mean, stuck?
Chickens can go long periods of time without food, shorter periods of time without water, but just one day or 12 hours isn’t going to do much damage. I wouldn’t have her under a heat lamp; there’s really no need for that unless you found her almost frozen to death, and even in that case a heat lamp would be too much. ISA browns don’t typically have a long life span since they are a hybrid breed meant to lay a copious amount of eggs in their lifetime. She could be coming to the end of her natural life cycle, or she could be experiencing reproductive issues. Check her crop - make sure it is emptying overnight. That this time while she’s separated to get a poop sample and see about a fecal float test to check for worms. I would also check her vent to make sure she’s not bound egg bound.
Click to expand...
She has not had any emptying today. Could this be a sign of being egg bound?
 
SaraBethChickenLady said:
She has not had any emptying today. Could this be a sign of being egg bound?
Click to expand...
Do you mean that she has not been pooping? Egg bound hens usually cannot pass any droppings. Can you insert a clean or gloved finger inside her vent 1-2 inches to feel for an egg or obstruction? Has she been laying eggs up until now? It is possible that she did not return to the coop earlier because something was wrong or she was sick. Some hens who become egg bound may suffer temporary paralysis in the legs. If you suspect that she is egg bound give her some human calcium orally.

Right now I would offer water, electrolytes, or water with sugar. Hold it up to her beak. How does her crop feel—empty, full, hard, dough-like or puffy?
 
Eggcessive said:
Do you mean that she has not been pooping? Egg bound hens usually cannot pass any droppings. Can you insert a clean or gloved finger inside her vent 1-2 inches to feel for an egg or obstruction? Has she been laying eggs up until now? It is possible that she did not return to the coop earlier because something was wrong or she was sick. Some hens who become egg bound may suffer temporary paralysis in the legs. If you suspect that she is egg bound give her some human calcium orally.

Right now I would offer water, electrolytes, or water with sugar. Hold it up to her beak. How does her crop feel—empty, full, hard, dough-like or puffy?
Click to expand...
She has not pooped. I just put her in a warm bath for 5ish minutes and dried her off. Her crop feels empty.
 

Similar threads

R
    • Sad
Hen Currently Dying, How to Help?
2 3 4
Replies
32
Views
4K
aliris
A
J
Help!
Replies
3
Views
514
CCsGarden
CCsGarden
ILoveMyChix
Help! Worms? Cocci?
Replies
8
Views
990
casportpony
casportpony
naturally_rach
Unknown injury? after being out all night... escalating to potentially life-threatening/what to do?
Replies
3
Views
699
LuciferRoo
LuciferRoo
M
    • Sad
Mysterious hen death
Replies
5
Views
903
Mogal
M

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom