I have a very sick hen. I slowly dragged myself out to the coop this morning because I knew she would be gone, and wanted to take care of her before the kids got up.
Well, to my amazement, she's still alive.
WHAT DO I DO NOW?
She's over 3 years old and we have noticed she's been quiet for a few days, but still eating and drinking and going out with the rest. Then yesterday she stayed huddled alone and laying down. Her breathing was labored and she acted like she needed to lay an egg. However, she kept expelling what looks like egg yolk and her bumm was messy. We let her be because it was so warm out and we didnt' want to stress her. Finally in the afternoon we did a warm soak. She's getting a bit weak, so she pretty much sat in it without fighting. She even drank the water while she was in it. I cleand her bumm and we dried her with a towel and let her roam in fresh grass alone. She dried quickly and looked better, but didn't really feel any better. She mostly lays down... sometimes on her side. For the most part, her tail is up and you can see her vent protrude (like an outie belly button), and pulse as she breathes. While she was in the bath, I feld her lower abdomen and didn't find anything hard.
Also, no signs of any soft shell, or broken shell.
We put her in her own crate last night with water, and last I checked on her, her breathing was very labored with mouth open and tongue out. I tried to prepare both my girls for the inevitable, and after some crying they understood.
Now, you can imagine my shock to go out and find her still laying upright and looking at me! Her eyes look more alert than last night, and her breathing is a little less labored. I'm sure the cooling down last night helped, but I really didn't expect to find her alive.
So, after a long story... WHAT DO I DO NOW?
She is fighting, so I sure don't want to give up yet. She definitely acts like a chicken that wants to live.
I'm now wondering if she has worms.
I'm going to run to TSC later this morning and pick up wormer. Meanwhile I'll offer her some yogurt/oatmeal mix. This has always been their favorite treat. I really thought it was internal laying, or a soft shell broken inside, but there are absolutely no signs of shell. But, I noticed one other hen has a bit of poo down her bumm, but the rest are fine. I really wonder if it's worms. For some reason, the wild birds have found thier way in the run and are in there constantly. Never had this issue til now, so I'm thinking maybe they passed something.
I will try another warm soak later when it warms up more.
Has anyone had experience with worm in hens? Does this sound like it?
(Sorry, didn't mean to make this so long...)
Well, to my amazement, she's still alive.
WHAT DO I DO NOW?
She's over 3 years old and we have noticed she's been quiet for a few days, but still eating and drinking and going out with the rest. Then yesterday she stayed huddled alone and laying down. Her breathing was labored and she acted like she needed to lay an egg. However, she kept expelling what looks like egg yolk and her bumm was messy. We let her be because it was so warm out and we didnt' want to stress her. Finally in the afternoon we did a warm soak. She's getting a bit weak, so she pretty much sat in it without fighting. She even drank the water while she was in it. I cleand her bumm and we dried her with a towel and let her roam in fresh grass alone. She dried quickly and looked better, but didn't really feel any better. She mostly lays down... sometimes on her side. For the most part, her tail is up and you can see her vent protrude (like an outie belly button), and pulse as she breathes. While she was in the bath, I feld her lower abdomen and didn't find anything hard.
Also, no signs of any soft shell, or broken shell.
We put her in her own crate last night with water, and last I checked on her, her breathing was very labored with mouth open and tongue out. I tried to prepare both my girls for the inevitable, and after some crying they understood.
Now, you can imagine my shock to go out and find her still laying upright and looking at me! Her eyes look more alert than last night, and her breathing is a little less labored. I'm sure the cooling down last night helped, but I really didn't expect to find her alive.
So, after a long story... WHAT DO I DO NOW?
She is fighting, so I sure don't want to give up yet. She definitely acts like a chicken that wants to live.
I'm now wondering if she has worms.
I'm going to run to TSC later this morning and pick up wormer. Meanwhile I'll offer her some yogurt/oatmeal mix. This has always been their favorite treat. I really thought it was internal laying, or a soft shell broken inside, but there are absolutely no signs of shell. But, I noticed one other hen has a bit of poo down her bumm, but the rest are fine. I really wonder if it's worms. For some reason, the wild birds have found thier way in the run and are in there constantly. Never had this issue til now, so I'm thinking maybe they passed something.
I will try another warm soak later when it warms up more.
Has anyone had experience with worm in hens? Does this sound like it?
(Sorry, didn't mean to make this so long...)
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