Help! poorly Ex-bat Chicken

[DeeDee234]

One of my ex-battery hens is a bit under the weather at the moment and would appreciate some advice on whether there is anything more I can do for her.

We've had her for 7 months now and she's normally very social, super friendly and nosey but the last few days has just been stood on her own, fluffed up with her head sunken and her tail low to the ground. We brought her in to the house yesterday and made up a bed for her with water and some warm mashed pellets mixed in olive oil, we left her in a quiet darkened room. She drank a little but barely even touched her food. We kept her in over night and this morning seemed a little brighter but still not herself. She had a good drink this morning and ate a little oatmeal and meal worm. Her dropping seemed normal but she did do a watery one first thing this morning but assume thats from not eating much?

We thought being away from the other hens would effect her so we have put her back outside today and she started off well having a little scratch and peck around but is now just stood still all by herself. Debating on whether to bring her back inside?? Its hard to know what to do for the best and whether sometimes what you think is best does more harm than good.

We've checked her over generally and no sign of being eggbound, mites or crop problems. Her crop seemed a little solid yesterday so we have her a little massage just in case.

I've heard epsom salts are a good general remedy. Has anyone tried this?

My hens normally get a regular dose of apple cider vinegar in their water and poutlry spice in their food etc Not sure if something like Poulty Tonic might give her a boost.

Any suggestions, possible diagnoses, or TLC treatment ideas would be greatly appreciated. Want to do as much as I can for my litle one.

Hope to hear from someone soon and Happy New Year to all.

 

[Judy]

Her stance and fluffing suggest cocci, which can occur in an adult, particularly when moved to new property, as the species of cocci are no doubt different. You could try a round of Corid. The only thing is, when really overcome with cocci, they are usually reluctant to eat or drink. You could also try the "home remedy" for cocci in the link below. I would also worm her with Safeguard or Valbazen. I don't know what is in Poultry Tonic; Google brought up at least two brands.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/461910/will-antibiotics-from-feed-store-treat-coccidia/0_20

 

[DeeDee234]

Thank you, I will definitely try the home remedy. I have ordered some treatment online but need to do something in the meantime.

I have recently wormed all my girls and they regularly have apple cider vinegar so I was hoping to avoid any of them contracting the likes of cocci

As I'm not 100% sure what her diagnosis is, I was trying any general remedies I could from what i have at home.

Is bringing her inside a good idea? I thought bringing her into the warm would make it harder for her to adjust to cold temperatures outside. Also, I hate having to isloate them from their group when they are in view of eachother as it seems to distress them even more.....and me! When brought inside she just sat or stood quietly in her bedding. If she was her usual self she would be nosing around the house

 

[Judy]

I wouldn't separate her unless she is being pecked, myself -- or if she's inside now, maybe keep her for another day of TLC and good treats, then return her before she is too strange to them and has to endure full introduction.

 

[mothaclucka]

One of our hens had a similar problem. It turned out to be an infection. Our coop is pretty big, but this meant we weren't able to move it. The vet gave us some powdered antibiotics and after a few days she perked up. We've had to buy a smaller coop but it's got wheels on so we can move it round for a bit of fresh ground!!
We were recommended to try remedies for her being egg bound before visiting the vet.

 

[DeeDee234]

Hi. Thank you so much for your response. I took my girl to the vet in the end & they confirmed it to be an infection so she had a week of injected antibiotics. We put her back outside in a separate run for a week in view of the others and reintroduced her to the hens last week & she got picked on quite a bit which was hard to witness! She still doesn't seem 100% and still looks very tired but has her moments where she will forage with the others but then takes her self to a corner for some quiet time. I'm still giving her some supplements in her food & water so I'm just hoping for the best. She'd lost a lot of weight (down to 0.8kg) so think it's going to take some time to build her strength back.

I still have everything crossed for her as she has come a long way from when she first got poorly. So keep your fingers crossed for my girl.

Thanks again

 

[mothaclucka]

It took our little one a while to settle. As soon as she got her appetite back she perked up. We were having to mix the anti-biotics with water and force feed her as she wasn't/couldn't eat. She's now got her winter feathers and looks better than ever.
Fingers crossed! I bet she'll be fine. They're strong little things.