Help! Sluggish and Unresponsive Chicken!!

AZchickens17

Chirping
Mar 12, 2017
239
51
71
In the SUPER hot state of AZ
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Hello everyone, my Red Sex link, Rose is very sluggish and did not come out of the coop today. When i pick her up, she is very limp, and seems to have lost some weight. She does not do anything, she just lays down and stares at the floor. I have attached pictures of her poop, which is mostly urates, and very stinky. She falls asleep while standing and hasn’t eaten much, besides a few bites of fermented food yesterday. I have no idea what is wrong with her, or what she may possibly have. I appreciate any help or information.

Thank you!!
 
First, always check the crop of any chicken acting sick. That's the easiest to diagnose and fix. If the crop is normal, meaning it's not full of hard lumps or squishy liquid and still full in the morning while still roosting, it may be a bacterial infection.

Do you have any antibiotics on hand? It can be people medicine. But first, check your hen's crop.
 
An empty crop during the day means the chicken is not eating. An infection may be present making her feel too sick to eat. This is a problem because the longer she goes without eating, the weaker she becomes.

I suggest you start her on a broad spectrum antibiotic like amoxycillin. You can get it here. https://www.kvsupply.com/item/fish-mox-250mg-60ct/P03702/ or ask a vet to sell you some. I use one 250 mg tablet once a day for ten days, and it has always done the trick.

You might be able to find injectable penicillin at a feed store in the horse or cattle section but stores no longer sell the pill form in the US.

If you have any people antibiotics you can start her on immediately it could save her life.
 
How old is she? Has she been laying eggs recently? I would give her water with electrolytes and vitamins for a few days. Offer some chopped egg, and mix in a tsp of plain yogurt with the egg or some wet feed. I am not a big fan of fermented feed after trying it for about 7 months one year. Several people have posted about chickens dying from eating fermented feed, and after my chickens got it all over the place, mold could definitely be a problem. Also, it can go bad.
Hopefully, it is not that since you are not seeing other chickens sick. Coccidiosis could be a possible problem with the poor appetite and diarrhea. There is no always blood present in cocci. Corid (amprollium) from a feed store is good to treat that. If at all possible, I would call some local vets to see if you could bring in a few fresh droppings for testing--a fecal float and a gram stain for enteritis. That is treated with antibiotics and sometimes combined with Corid. It can be difficult to narrow down the problem in chickens. Reproductive disorders can be very common. Liquids are most important for her now, especially if it is still hot there.
 
1st, I ask how old is Rose?
Red Sex links,... not going to lay much past a 2nd year molt and it will be all down hill for her after a 2nd year molt.
TSC is open NOW. Tylan 50 liquid in her water, Tylan 100 powder (used for bees and chickens) 1/2 teaspoon per gallon or 1/2 teaspoon of Oxytetracycline in powder form in a gallon of water. Also VetRX might help.
Please keep us posted how Rose is doing.
 
Rose is 30 weeks old and has been laying ever since she around 23ish weeks. Her crop was full, so I emptied it, but it was really odd looking and watery, not sticky like it sometimes is.

I don’t have any vets near me open today, but she has plenty of water and food available. I don’t think she is very hungry because she did not want to eat anything yesterday. I have her a little bite of yogurt yesterday, as well as VetRX, and she has an oregano supplement in her water. Is it possible that she is egg bound? I have not gotten an egg from her since yesterday, which is when she got sick.
 
Take a glove, and insert a finger 1-2 inches inside her vent to feel for a stuck egg. If it feels just soft like tissue, she probably is not egg bound. Will she eat some soft scrambled egg? Most chickens will try some even when sick.
 
Rose is 30 weeks old and has been laying ever since she around 23ish weeks. Her crop was full, so I emptied it, but it was really odd looking and watery, not sticky like it sometimes is.

I don’t have any vets near me open today, but she has plenty of water and food available. I don’t think she is very hungry because she did not want to eat anything yesterday. I have her a little bite of yogurt yesterday, as well as VetRX, and she has an oregano supplement in her water. Is it possible that she is egg bound? I have not gotten an egg from her since yesterday, which is when she got sick.
Please put her little fanny in a pail or bowl of warm water Or a heating pad. Something warm and relaxing. Sounds like your doing all you can.
 

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