HELP!!! Sick bird...don't know what is wrong

[aaajjss1]

Take away grain and give her yogurt with boiled egg yolk mashed in it , i would also add a little poly vi sol with no iron and colloidal silver to it. Try that for a day, maybe it will help, also keep her a bit warmer than normal. I have had sick chickens that this helped. I also spend more time with them talking to them so they don't get too lonely.

 

[Demosthine]

I had a hen with a similar reaction about a month ago and ultimately lost her. I was unable to find anything wrong, but it seemed the most like a poisonous bite or sting, quite possibly from a scorpion. I highly doubt you have that issue there, but there are plenty of other poisonous creatures in your neck of the woods.

I would start some baby Benadryl. Like mentioned, make sure she is warm and comfortable. Mine would not eat or drink at all, so I was using a syringe to hand-feed her. Electrolytes are a good start, but a better option would be to head to your local feed store and get some GroGel. It's specifically formulated to help the chicks survive after shipping and is superior for sick birds who won't eat right. It was very inexpensive and will last a long time. It comes as a powder and you mix it with some water. It will fluff up and be a green color, so a small amount of the powder goes a long way.

 

[DraigAthar]

Well, that sort of lethargy is never a good thing, it's true. I don't have an answer on the electrolyte water for the other birds. I imagine it wouldn't hurt them, but if they are eating properly I can't imagine they need it, either. But I am not a vet so don't take anything I say as gospel!

Does her abdomen feel hot or swollen? I know you said she doesn't feel egg-bound, but could she have broken one inside and have peritonitis? It's hard to say, so many things can go wrong and without more symptoms to go on it's hard to know how to proceed. No coughing or wheezing? Any breathing difficulty?

 

[dblea202]

Well, that sort of lethargy is never a good thing, it's true. I don't have an answer on the electrolyte water for the other birds. I imagine it wouldn't hurt them, but if they are eating properly I can't imagine they need it, either. But I am not a vet so don't take anything I say as gospel!

Does her abdomen feel hot or swollen? I know you said she doesn't feel egg-bound, but could she have broken one inside and have peritonitis? It's hard to say, so many things can go wrong and without more symptoms to go on it's hard to know how to proceed. No coughing or wheezing? Any breathing difficulty?

whenever she tries to cluck or anything it doesn't sound like it usually does it almost sounds like she is a little congested

 

[dblea202]

just picked her up and held her she does seem to be weezing a liitle and sneezing

 

[DraigAthar]

whenever she tries to cluck or anything it doesn't sound like it usually does it almost sounds like she is a little congested

Respiratory diseases could be a possible problem then, too. Definitely keep her isolated from the rest of the flock, and watch the others for any symptoms. Does she gurgle when she breathes? Have you looked down her throat? Can you listen closely to her, like put her head next to your ear to see if she makes any weird breathing noises? Does she have any discharge from her nares? Watery eyes? Does the skin around her face look swollen or puffy at all?

 

[dblea202]

Respiratory diseases could be a possible problem then, too. Definitely keep her isolated from the rest of the flock, and watch the others for any symptoms. Does she gurgle when she breathes? Have you looked down her throat? Can you listen closely to her, like put her head next to your ear to see if she makes any weird breathing noises? Does she have any discharge from her nares? Watery eyes? Does the skin around her face look swollen or puffy at all?

should i give other chickens electrolyte/probiotic water to be safe???she did have someclear stuff come out of her nose when we went to put olive oiil on vent because we thought it was egg bound...i don't hear any weird breathing noises just the occasional weezing her eyes look okay and there is no swollen or puffiness on her face

 

[dblea202]

AFter holding her i went to put her down and her crop feels squishy...my fiances mom had felt it before and said it was fine but i just felt it and it is definitely squishy!!

 

[DraigAthar]

If she has a respiratory disease, chances are good that the other chickens have already been exposed to it, too. Giving them electrolyte/probiotic water probably can't hurt, but it's not exactly a treatment for infections. It's just something you use if a bird is dehydrated or malnourished. Trying to treat a respiratory disease without knowing the causative organism is tough. If it's viral, antibiotics won't help. If it's bacterial, antibiotics might help but different ones work on different organisms. And if you use them improperly, you create antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. But chickens are definitely prone to respiratory problems. You might want to start reading about some of the more common ones like MG, ILT, Coryza, etc. There's a LOT of info available on this forum about respiratory diseases of chickens.

 

[DraigAthar]

AFter holding her i went to put her down and her crop feels squishy...my fiances mom had felt it before and said it was fine but i just felt it and it is definitely squishy!!

Then you might also want to read about sour crop. Chickens can develop sour crop as a secondary infection to other problems.