Help my pet hen dying! :(

[Chickensaurus]

My pet hen Red is dying! she can't stand or walk! she's barely drinking, I fed her a couple beakfuls of apple baby food.
Not sure what is wrong with her? She's been like this for 2 days! Please help my fellow chicken lovers!

- Chickensaurus

 

[mistifier99]

Sadly she may just be passing away with nature. This has happened to me on various ocassions, and even though it was extremely sad, I took them to the vet, and they found nothing wrong with them. And just told me that she died maybe from stress, or heat. And that maybe it was just a freak thing.

 

[Chickensaurus]

Thank you for your reply, it's extremely hot here lately, so as soon as she showed signs of being sick I took her inside to be in the comfort of the aircon. I'm not sure how old she is but she was fine a week ago.

 

[Eggcessive]

She needs to have electrolytes given orally by dipping her beak into it or by offering her as small cup up to her beak. If that doesn't work you will need to give her a few drops at a time with a dropper or syringe. She could have become dehydrated somehow, or she could have something else going on such as poisoning, coccidiosis, or any number of things. If she starts to rehydrate tomorrow, I would offer her some scrambled egg and some feed with water in it. Do her legs or wings seem paralyzed, or can she move them? Could she have gotten into something that may have poisoned her? Is she having any diarrhea? Keep her warm tonight and tomorrow.

 

[Chickensaurus]

She is drinking water, she drank a lot yesterday, today I have to help her to drink. I put water in a lid for her and that's all fine. She isn't interested in eating, that's why I fed her baby food cause its easier to eat. She can't move her wings or legs at all, she can only shuffle her tail a bit. Her wings and legs are paralyzed. She has runny poo's and her bum is red. Not sure if a spider could of bitten her? I checked her over for ticks. But there is nothing.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would suspect that she could have botulism from eating a toxin in a decayed animal or fish carcass, or from vegetation that has rotted without air getting to it. It can cause paralysis that can progressively spread from legs to wings, then to the neck. It can cause death within 12-24 hours, but if not much of the toxin is eaten, chickens who survive for 48 hours usually live with supportive care. Other causes could be lead poisoning, chemical poisoning, or possibly mareks disease, but Mareks usually affects one side more often. I would search for the thread "Go Team Tube Feeding," and tomorrow get some tube feeding equipment and KayTee baby bird feed in case you need to start crop feeding. I really hope you can help her recover from this. I would look around for anything another chicken could get into.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would also check your feed for mold in case that could be a cause for her illness. Smell it, and look for any obvious mold.

 

[Chickensaurus]

Thank you for your help, she came inside when she was well and ate a bit of the dogs pet mince from the butcher. I immediately shooed her outside. Could that be something to do with it? She has been like this since Friday but has gotten worse over the weekend. What about bread with mold on it? I always check the bread but they could eat it after it sitting there for days. I only have one other hen and she seems fine. I usually feed them cooked rice, pasta and oats. Watermelon. I give them laying pellets in their pen in the feeding tray. I will try send a video of her. I have a medicine syringe, but she seems to be eating the apple baby food off the spoon nicely. She just needs to eat more.

 

[Chickensaurus]

She seems to be breathing fast, and leaning over on one side. Every now and then she tries to move, opens her beak like she is yawning and her tail goes up in the air and she wiggles around, then lays her head back down.

 

[mistifier99]

Is she real old?