Hen is droppy, won't eat and has runny poop

[AnimalsComeFirst]

My old, blind chicken Hazel, has been acting very weird for the past 4 days. I came home one day and she was lying down, not responding to my calls. When I stood her up, her head drooped back down. Usually when I tap the food dish, she'll come running. She didn't even lift her head when I did today. She hasn't eaten or drank much. Mostly she sleeps. Mind you, she is blind and old, so sleeping is usual, but not this much! She also has white, totally liquid poop. Her eyes never open anymore, unlike before when she would open them a crack.
Is there medicine I can buy? Or home remedies?

 

[AnimalsComeFirst]

She's getting a lil' better... had some scrambled eggs, pellets and some water mixed with apple cider vinegar. Only a little bit though, not enough to convince me she's recovering.

 

[AnimalsComeFirst]

Any advice? Ideas? Please.

 

[AnimalsComeFirst]

Bumping this up.... any chicken experts 'round here?

 

[massagechick]

How Old is she? at this point I would say that it may be her time has come to go to Chicken heaven, and there may be nothing you can do if she isnt eating. If you still want to try give her chick mash and see if she just needs a bit of easier to digest food, and maybe add a teaspoon of sugar per 32 oz in her water. (we do it for our chicks when they get here from shipping)

Good Luck.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

I just read your page to try and get a sense of how old Hazel might be and it sounds like maybe you might not know either, since she was a rescue chicken. How are your others doing? Do they seem healthy? How is the weather where you are? Has it been very hot?
I thought I would post a picture of the poop chart, since that seems to be one of the issues, to see if that helps to identify a problem: http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0
Have you checked her for bugs or any external problems?
When was the last time she laid an egg? (If she's old, I guess it could have been a while)
When you pick her up, does she seem lighter than usual? Does she appear to have any injuries or masses?

 

[AnimalsComeFirst]

massagechick: We don't know how old she is.... we rescued her from a farm where she was getting picked on by other chickens... she's definetly not young. I would estimate.... 5 - 8 years old? Okay, I'll try some baby chick food. Sugar? For chickens? Maybe, but that might be my last resort. Thanks for replying!

Yaychicks: My other chickens are in good health, except for Gloria, she has a minor crop impaction. We are trying home remedies for her crop, but I can't imagine that could spread through chickens? Yes it has been in the 70's - 80s for our weather. Hazel's poop has been very small today, and is kinda going back to normal. Penny's poop have been very, very runny lately though.
We haven't actually "searched" hazel for bugs throughly. But I will tomorrow. She usually lays every 2 days, she hasn't for 4 days. When I pick her up, she is about the same weight, but she is very weak. Usually she flaps her wings when we pick her up unless we hold her just right, but she kinda goes limp when I pick her up now. No injuries, as far as I can see. No masses either.
Thanks for responding!

 

[Yay Chicks!]

I was checking to see if your weather was into the 100s like it is in some areas of the country, but sounds like heat isn't an issue... I wonder if she is just getting old. If she has been a regular layer, and then hasn't laid, I would wonder if she was egg bound. If that is the case, you would want to treat her quickly. You should be able to feel underneath her to see if there is an egg sized lump in the area between her breastbone and vent. Then again, being 5-8 years old, she would have slowed way down in her laying...

 

[AnimalsComeFirst]

*sighs* I guess she's just gettin' old. I just wanted to be sure she doesn't have a obvious desease or anything like that.
Thank you all for your time!

 

[dawg53]

When did you last worm her?