Help! My Hen is not well...

[WolfShadow1]

My Sophie, who is an 8.5 lb Pekin Duck Hen, 1.5 years old, hasn't laid an egg since November. She goes to her roost in the morning and sits in there, but nothing happens. Now she seems listless and doesn't want to talk. She usually cackles if you talk to her. She eats ok, but not with the enthusiasm she used to have. She does have a bumblefoot that I cannot get out and it sits at the base of her foot stem. Has to be miserable to walk on. She doesn't even care about getting into her pool. I am truely concerned about her but don't know if she has staph that has gotten to her blood stream or that something else is wrong. I've tried and tried to soften up the scab on the bumblefoot enough to get to the core but it is tougher than what I can deal with. I tried black salve for several days with absolutely no results. I hate watching her fade away but I have no Idea what to do. Any advise?sad

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
Try using tricide neo for the bumblefoot...here's a link for you to read and decide if you wish to use it. I've used it for bumblefoot and it works.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=303829

 

[buckboy101]

I dont know for sure but she probably needs some kind of medication

 

[Anianna]

Click here for a post about what a vet recommended for treating bumble foot. It may just be that she is in a lot of pain and it is wearing on her.

Have you seen any other symptoms? Does she have a runny nose? What did you do to soften the bumble foot? Is it possible you opened it to infection? Are there any signs of infection at the location of the bumble foot?

Without any signs of infection, I would recommend giving her some Polyvisol without iron (an infant vitamin drop you get at the pharmacy) and make sure she is drinking well. Chickens can have aspirin for pain relief. I don't know if ducks can, but the dosage for chickens is approximately 25 mg per pound of chicken's body weight each day according to the Poultry Pedia website.

Is there an avian or livestock vet you can get with to have her checked out? That would be ideal. I hesitate to recommend an antibiotic without more information, but it may be worth a try if giving her some pain relief and vitamins don't do the trick.

 

[WolfShadow1]

My Sophie died yesterday and I am heartbroken that I should or could have done more to save her. I wish I had known about these remedies ahead of time. I may not get another hen because for some strange reason, I keep seeing the pain in Sophie's eyes the night before she died. Thank you guys for your responses. I'm sure one of these remedies would have helped.