HELP!! My hen is lethargic, shivering, and her head is falling

[RoosterHuggerLiz]

I have a 4-year-old hen named Mel that often strays from my yard, today when going to put them away I found her in the corner of the coop using the wall to hold her head up, when I picked her up she was shaking and lethargic - how can I get her energy up? I can't bring her into the vet until Monday!

She's my favorite and oldest chicken! We do have a rooster and she is his favorite which might be adding on to the stress -

I thought it was heat stress but her comb is still bright red - I'm getting fluids and egg yolk into her to try and give her some energy, what else can I do to help her?! Any ideas on what happened?!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I would separate out the rooster.

Any chance you have a predator lurking about that could be attacking the hens? Just asking - the peck marks on the white hen do look like it's from a beak, but you just never know.

For both hens, I'd work on hydration. Electrolytes or sugar water - get them drinking first, then offer wet mushy feed. As mentioned previously, chick starter or your gamebird feed are fine to give for extra protein.

Now, look at the feed that the hens have been eating - is the feed fresh and not molded. Could they have gotten into anything rancid/rotten? (compost?)

While the white hen does have peck marks, her curling over the head is still concerning. I've had hens beaten by roosters and usually they have suffered much worse and bloody injuries, ripping of the skin, but if it's really hot where you are her stance could be heat exhaustion.

Check the red one's crop to see if it's emptying overnight. The crop is on the right side of the breast. You should feel food/water in it when she's been eating/drinking. Take out food/water overnight while she's sleeping and then feel her crop to see if it's empty/flat in the morning before she eats/drinks. If it's not, then work on hydration, give her 1 tsp coconut oil twice tomorrow, then re-check, if it still doesn't empty, let us know.

If possible, get a photos of both of their poops/overnight droppings.

I'm very sorry that they are both not doing well.

 

[SmiYa0126]

Hello! Is she still laying? How is she eating? Do you have aqua mox on hand?

 

[BDutch]

I’m no expert, but apart for vitalized water and high protein feed I would keep her away from the rooster. Can you get your hen in the house or the rooster in a separate run?
@Wyorp Rock

 

[RoosterHuggerLiz]

I’m no expert, but apart for vitalized water and high protein feed I would keep her away from the rooster. Can you get your hen in the house or the rooster in a separate run?
@Wyorp Rock

I don't have any high protein feed other than chick feed and quail feed at the moment - would either of them work? And I'm planning on keeping her inside for the next week or two just until she starts getting a bit better, I have a separate 60 square foot pen I might put her in with one of my old roosters (he's 9 and hasn't mounted a hen in years)

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Possum would be likely for an egg eater.

Sugar will raise their glucose and help them recover if they are suffering from heat exhaustion. 1tsp sugar to 1cup water.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

White sugar is fine.

 

[SmiYa0126]

Update, after treating them with amoxicillin, one of my hens has begun to get better but the other one has sadly passed, she was an old lady and I guess her body couldn't take it.. I have kept my chickens in their coop for the past couple of days while I try to figure out what happened. I walked my yard and found remnants of RAT POISON so I will in fact be speaking to my neighbors about their placement of such nasty items.

Amoxicillin did help my hen recover along with lots of water, does that mean it was an illness and not the poison? Because if it was the poison, and I am in fact sending my deceased girl in for an autopsy, If it was in fact poison I will be going to court with my nasty neighbors.

I'm so sorry!

How horrible, what's wrong with people!

I don't think amoxicillin would work for rat poison.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Update, after treating them with amoxicillin, one of my hens has begun to get better but the other one has sadly passed, she was an old lady and I guess her body couldn't take it.. I have kept my chickens in their coop for the past couple of days while I try to figure out what happened. I walked my yard and found remnants of RAT POISON so I will in fact be speaking to my neighbors about their placement of such nasty items.

Amoxicillin did help my hen recover along with lots of water, does that mean it was an illness and not the poison? Because if it was the poison, and I am in fact sending my deceased girl in for an autopsy, If it was in fact poison I will be going to court with my nasty neighbors.

I'm sorry for your loss.

It would be a very good idea to send the body for necropsy so you can learn more.

I'm glad the other one is recovering.

 

[BDutch]

If its to much too get clean in a sand bath I would give her behind a real bath. And dry with a hair blower (temperate heat). Chickens seem to like that (no experience).