Help, problem with hen...... sick girl

[Chickiemom1012]

My hen has her neck crunched down against her body, and her tail is turned to the left if you are looking at her. She is up and out free ranging with the others but very lethargic and crouching down and slepping quite a bit. real slow and easy to catch???

What could be wrong with her, no other symptoms.....

 

[crtrlovr]

hope someone who can help will see this soon and give you some information you can use.

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

well a couple of questions first
what does her manure look like?
Is it green or red or brown or yellow?

does she eat good?

(1) it could be botulism of which you need to isolate her and treat her with
5 tbsp of epsom salts to a qt of warm water mix good and
take a syringe and take the needle off and suck up the solution 5 times and empty it into her crop and goes to the gut

also only give her this epsom salts water for 5 days see if she will eat on the 2nd day of treatment
till then do not feed her

give the wet mash probiotic as food till she is off the epsom salts water

for one bird
3 tbsp of dry feed crumbles
4 tbsp of butter milk or any kind of milk
1 tbsp of yoguart
and a 1000 Vit E capsule with the tip cut and squeezed into the wet mash
mix good and end with 1 tbsp of applesauce on top of wet mash

after a couple of week take out the vit E and feed the mixture once a day for a while then once a week

(2) if she has a runny manure of any of the colors I mentioned she will need the
2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar in gallon of water
and the wet mash probiotic once a day with the Vit E for two weeks

email me back with answers or put the answers here I will try and get back to you

 

[crazy hen quartet]

I have a hen with the same symptoms, just all of a sudden. She also laid a shell-less egg today. I'm anxious to see responses to this thread if there are any other thoughts.

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

the same questions apply to the last person asking?
To really help any one we need answers to the questions on feed, manure, water, snaks, treats etc
then one can help better

and as for the shelless egg it denotes the hen is not getting her calcium intake every day

so I would say give the oyster shell daily as say a one or couple of cups per day
the reason is the oyster shell needs up dating every week
if feeding say a qt a week
as chickens peck thru it and eat the parts they like and then will not eat any till new is put in feeder

so throw out the old oyster shell into the pen soil and then they will scratch thru it
but give them new oyster shell every few days.

also you can use the wet mash probiotic and add a calcium pill crushed also a Vit D pill crushed per chicken
feed this twice a week till improvement is noted

email me any questions

 

[crazy hen quartet]

she eats layer crumbles, a bit of scratch before bed time and leftover fruits and veggies a few times a week. Up until two weeks ago they were free range but with access to crumbles all day, but we had some company with a dog so they have been in the pen (150 sq feet for four hens, roosts and a nesting box) the last two weeks.

As far as manure, I can't differentiate hers from the rest of the flock but there are no unusual droppings in the pen.

I did observe her drinking water, and she did perk up for a moment when she saw a bug she wanted to catch... almost had it but the other girls beat her to it.

No interest in scratch tonight.

 

[Chickiemom1012]

I also am unable to seperate her dropping from the others.

They are fed crumbles and are allowed to free range. They are also getting a fall digestive health treatment of fresh pumpkin, dandelion greens, fresh garlic and shredded carrot that has been accessible to them for about a week now. I am not sure on her eating or drinking as they are allowed out all day. I have nine bantam hens.

She is getting very lethargic now, she is out of the run and moving around but sleeping alot. I was wondering about her not having enough vitamin B.

I am also treating a Silkie that had an impacted crop and had surgery..... don't ask!!! I am obsessed with the girls and the kids are really attached. She is on a diet of Activia yogurt, crumbles (wet), and baby bird formula (the stuff used to hand feed baby birds) loaded with vitamins and good stuff as her weight was down. Can I feed the other hen the same mix after the epson salt treatment.

The silkie is also getting ACV in her water as well for the sour/impacted crop issue.

 

[Glenda Heywoodo]

she eats layer crumbles, a bit of scratch before bed time and leftover fruits and veggies a few times a week. Up until two weeks ago they were free range but with access to crumbles all day, but we had some company with a dog so they have been in the pen (150 sq feet for four hens, roosts and a nesting box) the last two weeks.

As far as manure, I can't differentiate hers from the rest of the flock but there are no unusual droppings in the pen.

I did observe her drinking water, and she did perk up for a moment when she saw a bug she wanted to catch... almost had it but the other girls beat her to it.

No interest in scratch tonight.

Glenda Heywood
A note of importance her is this
(1) stop the scratch
(2) add a feeder of whole horse oats
they will help the hens body needs more thn corn.
(3) corn only adds fat to the hen, which they do not need.
Oats will encourage chickens to eat healthy.
(4) do not foget he
Grit ina feeder
Oyster Sheel in a feeder also

 

[Glenda Heywoodo]

I also am unable to seperate her dropping from the others.

They are fed crumbles and are allowed to free range. They are also getting a fall digestive health treatment of fresh pumpkin, dandelion greens, fresh garlic and shredded carrot that has been accessible to them for about a week now. I am not sure on her eating or drinking as they are allowed out all day. I have nine bantam hens.

She is getting very lethargic now, she is out of the run and moving around but sleeping alot. I was wondering about her not having enough vitamin B.

I am also treating a Silkie that had an impacted crop and had surgery..... don't ask!!! I am obsessed with the girls and the kids are really attached. She is on a diet of Activia yogurt, crumbles (wet), and baby bird formula (the stuff used to hand feed baby birds) loaded with vitamins and good stuff as her weight was down. Can I feed the other hen the same mix after the epson salt treatment.

The silkie is also getting ACV in her water as well for the sour/impacted crop issue.

Glenda Heywood
to answer your questions one at a time,
(1) The lethargic hen and others need the WET MASH PROBIOTIC RECIPE with Vit E and Vit B complex and Selium tablet.
every day for two weeks.
I would pen her up in a dog carrier and only feed herthewet mash recipe twice a day
what ever she caneat in 30 minutes,
also provide water for her at all times.
(2) The silkie that had crop surgery needs the WET MASH PROBIOTIC RECIPE with vit E, Vit b comple, selenium tablet every day for two weeks.
(3) if at all possible I ieve that I would feed th whole group of hens as they all need this two week wet mash probiotic recipe.
just putthe three vitamins in the wet mash three time a week for two weeks.
So they all get better health.
(4) As for the impacted crop
It is necessary the whole group of hens have:
a feeder of grit
a feeder of oyster shell
tis at all times
They do not find rocks to eat while free ranging, and thus
the crop has nothing to grind the grass and weeds they eat.
The chickens crop needs grit to grindthe grass and weeds they eat.
While they free range.