Hen barely eating for over a week. Drinking tons of water. Puffed and sleepy.

[JD7764]

I’m having trouble posting a video/pic but will work on adding them after.

Background:

I have a mixed flock. Currently have 3 pullets I got as chicks in May. Over the summer I noticed blood in two of their stools. Treated everyone with Corid for a week and it cleared up. I personally feel like those two took longer to mature. Just got my first egg from one of them at 27 weeks. I had one of my original 4 pullets taken by something on Halloween. But the the three I have left look perfectly healthy, laying, eating, bright red combs. No issues.

I have another 4 hens that will be 2 in March. They are all in various stages of their first ever molt. None of them are laying. They’ve all gone through various stages of looking sad but I didn’t notice any true major behavior issues until my two barred rocks started their molt, maybe two weeks ago, they are the last of the four to start their molt. They all have paler combs.

The two barred rocks have been very sleepy. They do have moments of getting around and foraging and seeming normal but they also spend at least half of the time sleeping standing up. The first barred rock, Aria, was originally so sleepy. Drinking tons of water and diarrhea. I was mostly worried about her and the other seemed fine at first. She seems to have improved and seems to be eating normal again. She still seems sleepy but her diarrhea has cleared up mostly.

It’s my other barred rock, Jimmy, that I’m concerned about. She has barely eaten in over a week. Started originally with just drinking tons of water and barely eating. Excessive diarrhea day and night. She wakes up first thing and doesn’t eat at all. Just stands and chugs water for 5-10 mins and then goes and sleeps in a corner for a while. A couple days I did notice some head twitching but I haven’t seen that for days. The next day I noticed some weird neck convulsions which someone said were coughs. But I haven’t seen those again either. If I bring out scrambled eggs she will perk right up and eat those. Sometimes she will walk around seemingly normal and forage a bit but she is definitely barely eating. Her eyes look clear. I don’t see any discharge from her nose or anywhere else. I don’t see any mites or lice. It’s not sour crop, it feels empty in the morning.

They are fed an organic layer feed from Kalmbach. I have been bringing out the layer pellets mashed with warm water and scrambled eggs or sardines morning and night to entice her to eat and also add protein for the chickens who are molting right now. I give some scratch and people food on occasion but have stopped once they started to seem off. Even so only Whole Foods and small portions. Right now they have access to regular water, water with oregano oil, and another water with electrolytes and a vitamin mineral supplement added. They’ve also had a pumpkin out there at all times to peck at since Halloween.

We had several nights below freezing around when they first took a turn but the temps are very mild right now, 50-60’s.

Their coop floor is sand and I scoop it every day. They have plenty of run space and no one is picking on Jimmy, if anything she is bossy with food and treats.

They have had some extra stressors. One of my pullets was taken and eaten by something on Halloween. I have kids and they hate the leaf blower. Hawks are hovering lately with the leaf drop.

I’m wondering do I worm and see if that’s it? What wormer do I use during molting? Do I separate? How long can she go barely eating? I have no idea what I’m doing. Help!

 

[Chickeeaholic]

I had this happen to me. The issue was infection of the reproductive system. I gave 1200 calcium and d3 tablets once a day for 5 days and tylan.

I’m not telling you to do that for sure but that was the same issue for me. It started with the food. They were eating the Kalmbach henhouse reserve so only eating what they like. It gave them a nutritional imbalance I think. I had to go to a pellet with no treats. Free choice oyster shell. Mine did recover.

Has she been laying eggs? Is the diarrhea white?

I hope someone else here can give you a more knowledgeable answer but that is what worked for me.

 

[JD7764]

I had this happen to me. The issue was infection of the reproductive system. I gave 1200 calcium and d3 tablets once a day for 5 days and tylan.

I’m not telling you to do that for sure but that was the same issue for me. It started with the food. They were eating the Kalmbach henhouse reserve so only eating what they like. It gave them a nutritional imbalance I think. I had to go to a pellet with no treats. Free choice oyster shell. Mine did recover.

Has she been laying eggs? Is the diarrhea white?

I hope someone else here can give you a more knowledgeable answer but that is what worked for me.

Thanks so much for the reply! How did you figure it out?? Seems like all the symptoms can basically mean all the things. But I actually had been wondering if she was even laying eggs before the molt happened. I have two barred rocks so I have trouble distinguishing which egg is hers specifically. But a couple months ago I deep cleaned their coop and was out there a lot and noticed her in the nesting box about but then there wouldn’t be an egg.

The diarrhea really ranges. I’ve seen our water, I’ve seen mostly white, I’ve seen green bits. She’s all over the place.

How did you land on that protocol and how did you administer it? Did you give it just to the one hen? Also what is Tylan?

Thanks again!

 

[Chickeeaholic]

Mine started in august before the molt. I started them on that feed thinking it would be better. Not long after two of my midnight majestic marans (3 years old) started what you are experiencing. Diarrhea with a lot of white in it. Sometimes black green small specks. One got impact crop. She laid a messed up soft egg. Most of the time no eggs. I posted on here about it and was told give her the calcium tablet with d3 once a day down her throat. Just pop the tablet in her beak. Also no treats and a good quality pellet food so they will have complete nutrition.

I started doing that. It did help them. Tylan is an antibiotic. My flock has MG. I keep it on hand. I get it from a pigeon supply online place. We don’t have vets here for chickens.

I started the tylan around the same time because the flock was going through the weather change MG flare up. It happened to heal the two hens with diarrhea and egg/ reproductive issues. They are both okay now.

 

[Chickeeaholic]

Thanks so much for the reply! How did you figure it out?? Seems like all the symptoms can basically mean all the things. But I actually had been wondering if she was even laying eggs before the molt happened. I have two barred rocks so I have trouble distinguishing which egg is hers specifically. But a couple months ago I deep cleaned their coop and was out there a lot and noticed her in the nesting box about but then there wouldn’t be an egg.

The diarrhea really ranges. I’ve seen our water, I’ve seen mostly white, I’ve seen green bits. She’s all over the place.

How did you land on that protocol and how did you administer it? Did you give it just to the one hen? Also what is Tylan?

Thanks again!

Also I wanted to add, if you have a vet, they can give you tylan. Maybe there is a better antibiotic? Tylan is what I had.

Some people on here get it from vets. I don’t have acess to that. I order mine from a pigeon supply business online. Mine is powder. 2 teaspoons in drinking water for 7 days. There are many ways to administer tylan. Some is injected.

 

[Chickeeaholic]

Sorry, also one more thing, these two hens were drinking a ton of water too.

 

[JD7764]

Sorry, also one more thing, these two hens were drinking a ton of water too.

Interesting! Thanks so much! What is MG? There was another time I switched to this feed. I was just getting some feed from a local supplier, not organic or anything and everything was fine. When I switched to the Kalmbach I thought I noticed a decline in eggs so I switched back. I didn’t know for sure. But it was organic and reasonably priced so I recently switched again. I still had one feeder with some of the old feed out there and I was noticing some of the pullets walking by the Kalmbach feed to go to the old feeder. Maybe that is my issue! I just went out and removed all the Kalmbach feed and put the old feed back in all the feeders plus made sure there was full oyster shell and grit. She just doesn’t seem interested in eating the feed at all. I’m not 100% sure if she’s eating it but I feel like I’ve seen her eating wood and like random bits of pine shavings and stuff out in the run. I can’t imagine catching her and forcing a pill down her throat

 

[Chickeeaholic]

If she doesn’t like to be handled you would have to get her at night. Wrap a towel around her, then you might get a pill down her if you had to?

If she has an infection, which might be why all of the water and diarrhea, she will need antibiotics. You might look up what alternatives people are giving here. I think oregano, garlic and other herbs in the water? It won’t work as well but still a form of antibacterial help.

I personally will not give mine that feed ever again. Mine does not do good on it. I have went through a lot of them lately and they are doing okay on nutrena.

It’s actually been a real problem for me the year. I think the feed companies are doing something different lately?

MG is Mycoplasma gallisepticum. It’s a respiratory disease they will always have. I have to treat symptoms and when the weather gets wet and cold like it is where I am, it flares up.

 

[Chickeeaholic]

I hope she heals up though! I hope it helps.