Hen acting strange

[Cassandra Lana]

this winter took a tool on my red sex link lilac. She was thin with thin feathers and was lethargic and slow. I made her a nice jacket and she went back to normal. She popped a button off her jacket and then it warmed up so I didn’t fix it and put it on .now it is warmer (average 50F) and she has started acting simmilar again except now her comb is pale and droopy. I can’t put wait on her or make her eat (she won’t even take worms ) . I found her outside of the coop tonight and had to put her on the roost. Please help! I want her too get better . Should I make a thinner spring jacket? I can’t make her eat (cause chickens) so not edible would be great

 

[chicknmania]

this winter took a tool on my red sex link lilac. She was thin with thin feathers and was lethargic and slow. I made her a nice jacket and she went back to normal. She popped a button off her jacket and then it warmed up so I didn’t fix it and put it on .now it is warmer (average 50F) and she has started acting simmilar again except now her comb is pale and droopy. I can’t put wait on her or make her eat (she won’t even take worms ) . I found her outside of the coop tonight and had to put her on the roost. Please help! I want her too get better . Should I make a thinner spring jacket? I can’t make her eat (cause chickens) so not edible would be great

Have you ever dewormed her? Do have pictures? When you say thin feathers, how bad is this? Maybe she was just molting? She should never need a jacket. If you can, take a fecal sample to your vet and ask them to do a fecal float for you. If that's not an option, it will not hurt her to deworm her anyway. It is important that you do this quickly. You will, however, need a dewormer that's treats all worms, like Safeguard. WE use Safeguard suspension that we get from the vet, for a standard size hen like yours, it would be one CC per day for five days. You can put it in a dropper and have someone help you, hold her in your lap, pin her wings or wrap in a towel. Gently pry her beak open and dribble the dewormer a little at a time in the side of her beak until she swallows. Or, if you can, get her to eat it in something like applesauce or small bread crumbs soaked in buttermilk. Hurry, please, if you want her to live, because from what you describe she is very sick. She should improve with the dewormer in the first few days, but go the full five days. You will not necessarily SEE worms...capillary worms are not visible except under a microscope. If she does improve, you will need to deworm her again ten days later just to be safe. If you can't get the Safeguard suspension, you can use Safeguard goat dewormer that you get from the feed store. I've never used the goat dewormer but I believe the dosage is less: 1/2 CC. Maybe somebody else can verify this. Valbazen is an excellent dewormer also, as is Levasol, but Safeguard is usually easy to get locally; the others are usually available to order on line and if i were you, I would not want to wait.

She should also be in a hospital pen or crate where she's away from the flock but can still hear and see them, but will have some privacy and feel safe. She needs it to be warm, so a heater panel would be good, or maybe a heat light if you can make sure it is safe.

It is best to get a fecal float done because then you will know for sure what you're dealing with. Coccidiosis can cause the same symptoms, but usually not in older birds. If it IS coccidiosis though, you can treat that with Corid, also available in feed stores.

Use some imagination to get her to eat. They love chopped grapes, applesauce, bread soaked in buttermilk, yogurt, scrambled eggs.

Depending on the environment, some flocks need to be dewormed regularly; every six months. Worms can and will kill the bird, and they sometimes develop infection after severe worm infestations, which can also kill them. That's why it's important to treat worm infestations quickly, and stay on top of it. If you find your bird has worms, treat the whole flock...not just her, whether they show symptoms, or not.

Also check her for external parasites, that might be a reason for the feather issue. Does she have access to a dust bath?

A picture would be helpful. Neither Coccidiosis or worms will cause feather loss, but that MIGHT be because she's just been battling parasites for a while and is a little run down. Birds sometimes molt or lose feathers for other conditions too that are not always treatable, but start with the simple stuff first. Her back and forth pattern of getting better, then worse again, probably means that she's fighting some condition that, when she has a little extra help from you, she can overcome for a while.

 

[Cassandra Lana]

By thin feathers I mean she just is not puffy like a wyandotte or Orpington, There is no feather loss .Deworming is a great idea and I will try it ! It would explain why she is so much skinnier than the other birds if she is the only one with a worm. Should I deworm the entire flock or just her?

 

[Cassandra Lana]

Oh and how much goat dewormer should I give her per dose if we can’t find chicken dewormer?

 

[Quaicken108]

By thin feathers I mean she just is not puffy like a wyandotte or Orpington, There is no feather loss .Deworming is a great idea and I will try it ! It would explain why she is so much skinnier than the other birds if she is the only one with a worm. Should I deworm the entire flock or just her?

With worming, always do the entire flock because they can catch it from other flockmates, through poo, etc.

 

[Cassandra Lana]

I let the birds out and sadly lilac has passed away in her sleep. She was a good bird and we will have her autopsied and baried . Thank you for the advice

 

[Quaicken108]

I let the birds out and sadly lilac has passed away in her sleep. She was a good bird and we will have her autopsied and baried . Thank you for the advice

I’m so sorry! She must’ve meant a great deal to you. Hopefully it doesn’t effect the rest of your flock.

 

[chicknmania]

I am so sorry for your loss. We learn from our mistakes, and even after having had poultry for 15 years, I still occasionally kick myself for making a mistake. And there's been a few times when I've just been totally mystified and don't know what to do. I'm sure everybody on here can say the same.

Obviously you love your birds so here's a couple of suggestions:

1) Do get a necropsy (animal autopsy) done if you can. It will provide a lot of information for you. If you would share the results that's a good learning opportunity for everyone on here.
2) Deworm your entire flock even if they appear healthy, or at least, take a fresh fecal sample to your vet for analysis. If your other birds appear healthy, you will have time to order a broad spectrum dewormer on line if you want to. If the vet tells you they don't do chickens, tell them there's no difference in the poop of a chicken than any other animal, and you just want to see what parasites there are. There's Levasol, Valbazen, and Safeguard: all good broad spectrum dewormers. All can be found at various sites, and you can still ask your vet for some Safeguard suspension. I prefer Levasol because you can just put it in the drinking water, but you do have to rotate dewormers every year or so to prevent resistance. I get ours at www.firststatevetsupply.com but there are other places you can get it. As far as how much goat dewormer to give, I have read that it should be 1/2 CC for a standard size bird, but I don't know for sure as I've never done the goat dewormer. Somebody on here should know, though.
3) Invest in some poultry vitamins for your remaining birds to give them a little boost for a few days til you figure out what's going on. There are several kinds, basically you can pick and choose, lots are available at feed stores.

Best of luck to you! Please keep us posted if you get a necropsy done.

 

[Cassandra Lana]

Thanks guys ! The flock is not very affected cause she was the bottom bird. She has been set to get a autopsy and within 48-72 hours they will tell us if it was worms and if so they will give us dewormer within 2 weeks the will tell us if it was a genetic thing. We have put a lot of apple cider vinegar in the water and moved the coop so they have fresh ground.