Help! I've inherited chickens.....

[ChickieMcGee]

You've come to the right place, there are lots of knowledgeable and helpful people here. How many chickens did you start with? About how many eggs a day do you get? Can you post a pic of the sick one's poo? Droppings are very revealing. Is this sick one behaving the same way the others did that died? Is it coughing, sneezing, standing huddled or fluffed or with its eyes closed? Do you see any drainage from eyes or nostrils? Thanks, all this will be helpful and possibly diagnostic.

You guys are incredibly helpful -thank you! She’s no longer standing. No sneezing or coughing. No moisture from eyes or nostrils. She’s laying with her legs behind her or to the side (I thought she might have an injured leg at first but it doesn’t seem to be that either). We started with 12 chickens. One died, I think in their first year, so that was about 3 years ago. And three others died this year. The first was why I called the vet in the first place..she thought that chicken had a tumor..she lived about 3 more weeks. We get approx 3/4 eggs daily from the healthy 7. I’ll post poo pics when I can get back out to her.

 

[ChickieMcGee]

I would order a used copy of a good chicken book online which can give you a lot of details about chickens. Storys Guide to Chickens is an okay one. You can bet a ton of info here, but it can be subjective. We have learning center pages written by members. The emergency forum and other forums are a great place to search.

Lifespan varies with chickens. Some can live 8-10 years and rarely older, but after 2-3 years, it can be common to lose a chicken now and then to reproductive disorders, such as salpingitis, cancer, and others. You can always save a body, keeping it cool, and send it into the state vet lab for a necropsy to find out exactly what the problem was. Many of us do a basic necropsy at home, which can help if it is an obvious problem, but the best are done by the poultry vets.

I would glove up and insert a finger inside her vent to feel for a stuck egg. Bring her inside in a basket or dog crate if it is safe, get her warm, and offer food and water. She could be dehydrated from not being able to stand. Electrolytes (pedialyte or gatorade) or the chicken kind are helpful.

Thanks so much. I’ll tried dropping water into her beak this morning but it didn’t work. I’ll try electrolytes with a dropper when I can get back out to her. And will look for an egg (with gloves on!) and bring her inside.

 

[Eggcessive]

I usually hold a cup up to the beak and dip their beak into it to get them the idea. Mix a little cereal bowl of chicken feed with water, and add a little yogurt or cooked egg, and hold that up. You can get a lot of water into them adding it to water.

What type of feed do you give them? Do you have poultry grit and crushed egg shell available separately for taking? You must be doing something right if you are still getting eggs fromolder hens. Mareks disease is one of many things that can cause lameness. It would be rare in these older hens. More likely would be egg binding, injury, dehydration, or an internal infection putting pressure on her sciatic leg nerves.

 

[ChickieMcGee]

I usually hold a cup up to the beak and dip their beak into it to get them the idea. Mix a little cereal bowl of chicken feed with water, and add a little yogurt or cooked egg, and hold that up. You can get a lot of water into them adding it to water.

What type of feed do you give them? Do you have poultry grit and crushed egg shell available separately for taking? You must be doing something right if you are still getting eggs fromolder hens. Mareks disease is one of many things that can cause lameness. It would be rare in these older hens. More likely would be egg binding, injury, dehydration, or an internal infection putting pressure on her sciatic leg nerves.

She’s up and walking again!! I’ll try all your advice when I can get out to her (have to supervise work going on inside for a couple more hours). They have crushed oyster shell flakes & grit. They eat organic Egglands Best crumbles and these days they’re going nuts for black sunflower seeds (+ a little organic scratch). I’ve never feed them eggshells but have read that they should be well cooked first.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

That's good news! Keep us posted.

 

[ChickieMcGee]

You guys are just awesome. Thanks so much.
She's back up & walking around, full of energy, looking lively. I gave her (and all her sisters) yogurt, cheese & gatorade. She was so hungry for the cheese! I can’t tell if she’s egg-bound...I went at her with gloved hand but just managed to aggravate her. I think I’ll give her an Epson salts bath tomorrow when I’ll have a helper. I can’t figure out how to attach a video but I have attached a photo of her .

 

[CatWhisperer]

That looks normal. You might want to try a higher protein diet in the winter. Like meat bird crumbles. Add crushed egg shells and/or oyster shell on the side for their calcium requirements. So glad she got better!

 

[ChickieMcGee]

That looks normal. You might want to try a higher protein diet in the winter. Like meat bird crumbles. Add crushed egg shells and/or oyster shell on the side for their calcium requirements. So glad she got better!

I forgot to mention that I also give them Happy Hens Mealworms as a treat. But will definitely add the egg shells in.
Thanks so much...I'm so relieved she's back to her perky & very cheeky self today!

 

[Eggcessive]

Glad that she is doing better today. Keep an eye on her and make sure she is taking fluids well.

 

[ChickieMcGee]

Will do. Thanks so much!!