help!!! just got 2 severely malnourished hens

[Eggs4Sale]

Ahhhhhh, how sad!

Thank goodness you're there for them now.

My prescription for them : TLC, and lots of it, and I know you're doing it anyways so it's an easy suggestion!

I agree on the Poly-Vi-Sol without Iron. Hardboiled egg yolk mixed with lay crumbles. Twinkies and Haagen-daaz. Wait, we don't want them THAT fat.

 

[nature nut]

Thanks for your help. So far I've gotten the layena and oyster shells plus a vitamin/electrolyte/microbes/acidifier powder to add to their water. I did order some avia charge 2000 from mcmurray today and I'm going this afternoon to get the polyvisol and other stuff. After they gain some weight I'll worm them.

Would the comb be cool in the discolored area if it is from frostbite? I imagine so if the area has been damaged. Also the one that has only laid one egg with no shell so far is pacing around clucking. She was making a loud racket earlier and I went out to check for an egg but she has not laid one. How often would you think they would lay eggs? They have only laid 1 each the first day none the second day and none the 3rd day. I'm just worried because I've never had chickens before and I don't know how to tell if they are egg bound.

 

[jjthink]

Great job. Do they seem to be eating the things you bought? The lack of calclum can cause no end of trouble and may be the reason for the soft shelled eggs which can be very hard to pass. Hopefully they will respond to the oyster shell and eat some quick! In a pinch a Tums liquified with a bit of water can be administered gently witha dropper slowly alongtheir beak line (so they can swallow of their own accord) - this may help with pushing a difficult egg out. See if they'll gobble down some sunflower seeds. Runningto meeting but checked in real quick and will be back later! Jj

 

[ve]

Move in new place is stress for them(no matter that here is better).Give them few weeks before lay.Can take even longer

 

[chicknmania]

Catfood can kill them, way too salty. Maybe for a teeny snack once in a great while.

 

[nature nut]

they are eating the layena and have eaten a good bit of the oyster shell. This afternoon I looked again and the Amerucauna finally had laid her egg and it had a shell!!!!

They are walking around more and dustbathing today. They did still drink the water after I put the vitamin mix in and I threw in some black oil sunflower seeds which they didn't eat right away but did eat later. I think I'm going to feed this egg back to them in the morning. They still tire easily but I imagine with a bit more time and exercise and they'll be running around. Thanks for all the help yall.

 

[Judy]

Sounds like you're doing just great! The powder you bought sounds like it has it covered. If you want to boost protein even more, a can or two of tuna or canned mackerel would be good, rather than the cat food. You can actually give them any kind of meat, if you avoid salty or smoked or cured stuff. A bite or two of your Big Mac is fine, or a couple spoonfuls of your chicken and dumplings!

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
This is very good advice and it's very important about using the Wazine 17 (piperazine 17%) first and then in 2-4 weeks use ivermectin.

My advice is much like the others:

Please quarantine (for their sakes and your birds') for 30 days. That gives diseases that have a 21 day incubation period a time to appear and then time to show themselves. Even smaller pens will be way better than what they had!

Check thoroughly for parasites and treat them with permethrin dust as it's very very safe and gentle. (The repeat worming later with ivermectin will also help if they have any).

Use Yogurt daily for a week and then weekly until they're of normal condition. Their diet is changing and in animals that depend on bacteria for digestion of woody foods and grasses it takes a whole month for the bacteria in the gut to adjust to a change. So help that bacterial colony stay healthy and thriving by using live-culture plain yogurt weekly after the first concentrated week.

I would recommend using crushed oyster shell for them. You can give them a little starting now, and should! The "flour" from the crushed oyster shell (the powdery stuff) can be used in their feed to help facilitate good eggs right away.

I would spray their feed twice weekly with cod liver oil or fortified wheat germ oil. (On the WGO you have to read the label - it should say it's fortified with A, D, and E - it's marketed to horse people so you can find it in the horse section of some TSC stores and feed stores). The vitamin D will help them better absorb the calcium, the A (and E in w.g.o.) will help their over-all immunity. Use a travel-sized hand held sprayer from the cosmetics section of drug stores or in garden centers. On other days, supplement vitamins/minerals/electrolytes in their water for a week and then weekly thereafter.

After the first week, oyster shell and granite grit can be offered free choice. Just give a little at first so that they don't hog it down.

Thank you for taking these poor birds. I hope you're able to give us updates on how they do. You REALLY should do 'before and after' pictures for your own records. Also keep a notebook on them and what you do; the information is very important to your flock history from now on.

/hugs for taking them on!!


Added: I didn't see about the oyster shell before, or the new shelled egg. Woot!!!

 

[nature nut]

Just wanted to give everybody an update on the girls. They are doing very well, still no infection symptoms. Their wattles and combs are now a vivid red and they are walking around energetically and even running around sometimes. they don't have to stop for rest breaks and don't breath out of their mouths anymore. they feel like they are getting more meat on their bones.

I get an egg every 2 or 3 days from the ameraucauna but the RIR has only laid 2 so far. I think she may be molting because I'm starting to see a lot of her feathers scattered around. Those lazy girls love to roost! They head into their house at dark and stay in there until after lunch sometimes I have to go run them out of the house silly things.

I'm giving them the avia charge 2000, vitamins, layena, oyster shell, probiotics, and eggs every 2 or 3 days. Their dust bath is sand and dirt with DE. I've given the 1/2 tums treatment one time. They have been with us for 2 weeks. Do you think that I should wait about 2 more weeks before I give the first wormer? and if they still have a little of the dried poop residue left in their butt fluff should I go ahead and give them a bath?

I hope to have some pics for you next time

 

[Judy]

Great news!

I'd certainly go ahead and bathe them; should not stress them at this point. Not so sure about the wormer, but I'd probably go ahead with the Wazine at this point, as well.