Help! Something is wrong with one of my chickens!

[kart_chicks]

Ok will do. I checked for mites( kinda hard when they won't stay still) but really didn't see anything. I shall continue to find out what is wrong. Boy am I getting wiped out.

 

[mistylady]

Make sure your DE is food grade and not garden stuff!

From another post I made a few months ago: I found a place that I have ordered some other things from and had great service and they have DE! http://www.internet-grocer.net/diatome.htm I was thrilled to find food grade!
They are a good place to buy from if you can;t find DE locally.

Good luck!

 

[kart_chicks]

Okay, WHAT IS DE!?!?!?!

 

[mothergoose1963]

DE is Diatamacious Earth. It is a ground up fossil that kills insects but is harmless to humans, birds or anything with an internal skeleton. Sprinkle some in the chickens nests, bedding, and on the chicken, too. Dont get it in your eyes and dont inhale it either.

I hope that helps you out some. I am not an expert--at all, but use DE in my coops, in my chicken's food (for internal parasites)and on the birds and I have never had a problem. Knock on wood! I hope that helps you out some!

 

[kart_chicks]

Thanks. Any idea where I can get some relatively cheap?

 

[mothergoose1963]

I ordered mine through the garden center--but it was food grade. Earl May is who got it for me.

 

[wasatusay]

Not knowing anything about your chickens. Here are a couple of thoughts from me.
Did you take her off the nest to give her corn? I know when some of my girls are broody I can take them off the nest to check for eggs and clean nest they will not stand when you put them down and they fluff up with head pulled in to chest (as if sitting) Some raise cane and do their little chicken growl/whine to let me know they are not pleased. Chickens also stop laying when broody and when day light hours get shorter. Also cold snaps in the first year of laying can make them stop laying for a day sometimes longer.
Do they get enough calcium in their diet, as mentioned before she may get egg bound. Usually you will see the vent have a slight extended or swollen look and the chicken may be contracting the vent over and over if she is having a hard time. Have you noticed any soft shell eggs or odd shelled eggs prior to this?
Hope it is nothing serious!

 

[mypicklebird]

Nothing you describe seems healthy- skinny, quiet, can't/won't stand or hold head up normally, ruffled ect. A skinny chicken has been sick for weeks, not days.

You need to do reading and research on the animals you own before you get them! Lice are just about the most common problem for the back yard birds.

Go to the nearest big bookstore or Amazon ect on line and get yourself some basic chicken books.

Questions for you- how old are they (and the sick one), where did they come from, how long have you had them, what do you feed them, are they vaccinated for Marek's (do you know what Marek's is), how much do you feed them, what is their coop like, pick her up and examine her all over- crop size, check the vent area (look through the feathers) for small BUGS (lice), look in her mouth, examine her eyes and nostrils for crusts and debris, feel her abdomen (compare to other birds), is she laying right now, has she ever laid, what do her feces look like, will she eat food besides the corn treat?

If you find lots of lice- and your bird is sick from them- I wouldn't use DE, it may help with control- but if your bird is dying from anemia- use something that will kill the lice fast like sevin powder (carbaryl)- from your feed store or garden supply.

Check the sticky at the top of the posts on what info to put in the initial post/question, the more info you give us, the more info we can give you back.

Broody hens are fluffed up, imagine a bird trying to keep a bunch of eggs warm- they will sit in their nest box for weeks, only getting up for a quick bite to eat and poop. A key thing that most broodies do is they get MAD when you try to get them off the nest- they growl and make insulted sounds. If you move them out/off- they will usually walk around fluffed up- making annoyed sounds- then RUN back to their box. A sick hen will also be fluffed- but they don't growl and give you attitude when you mess with them like a broody does. Many broodies will even peck you when you try to move them.


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[mtnhomechick]

Sounds like she is Broody to me.

 

[BlueMoon]

Put a golf ball or egg next to her.

If she rolls it under her and gets very protective of it, you've probably got a broody girl.

If she doesn't, she's probably sick.

Is she standing or sitting?

If it was my bird, I'd think she was sick from your earlier descriptions. But let's hope she's broody.