Hen is sick and won't eat!!!

[OzarkChooks]

I have a 20 week old hen (pullet?) And she is not doing well. For the past 5 days she has been very lethargic. Sleeping standing up, feathers puffed up, tail down. No mites, no lice, no breathing problems, crop feels normal and she is pooping (a bit runny). She is isolated from the other chickens. We took her to the vet at they put her on antibiotics. She has been on corid for the past 4 days. I have seen her drink water but for the life of me I can't get her to eat anything. Is there any trick to getting food in her? I really don't want to lose her and I am getting worried.

 

[PoultryCQ]

I have a 20 week old hen (pullet?) And she is not doing well. For the past 5 days she has been very lethargic. Sleeping standing up, feathers puffed up, tail down. No mites, no lice, no breathing problems, crop feels normal and she is pooping (a bit runny). She is isolated from the other chickens. We took her to the vet at they put her on antibiotics. She has been on corid for the past 4 days. I have seen her drink water but for the life of me I can't get her to eat anything. Is there any trick to getting food in her? I really don't want to lose her and I am getting worried.

Antibiotics dont work great with corid. When using corid, dont use antibiotics. Try eggs.

 

[OzarkChooks]

Antibiotics dont work great with corid. When using corid, dont use antibiotics. Try eggs.

Oh thank you for telling me! I wonder why the vet didn't know that. I did try eggs, she ate it for the first day but won't eat anything now. Maybe I'll try runny yolk.

 

[Buffy Brahma Mama]

Oh thank you for telling me! I wonder why the vet didn't know that. I did try eggs, she ate it for the first day but won't eat anything now. Maybe I'll try runny yolk.

Did they check for parasites and confirm, or did you see them in the feces?

What antibiotic did they use?

If you can get a hold of some plain yogurt and applesauce try that. Tap on a flat dish and then use a popsicle stick or similar to drizzle some like a worm so she sees it moving. Watermelon is also good.

If you can have the vet order (or if you can find it without prescription) some Emer aid omnivore intensive care, get that asap.

Give it to her the same way as above, drizzling it like a worm in front of her once mixed with warm water.

If she stops drinking she will need subq fluids to keep her going. The vet can give these on the wing or top part of the leg.

Put electrolyte vitamin mix for chickens in her water. You may also need to add some sugar water to the mix if she doesn't eat.

Feel her crop each night and day and keep us posted!

 

[OzarkChooks]

Did they check for parasites and confirm, or did you see them in the feces?

What antibiotic did they use?

If you can get a hold of some plain yogurt and applesauce try that. Tap on a flat dish and then use a popsicle stick or similar to drizzle some like a worm so she sees it moving. Watermelon is also good.

If you can have the vet order (or if you can find it without prescription) some Emer aid omnivore intensive care, get that asap.

Give it to her the same way as above, drizzling it like a worm in front of her once mixed with warm water.

If she stops drinking she will need subq fluids to keep her going. The vet can give these on the wing or top part of the leg.

Put electrolyte vitamin mix for chickens in her water. You may also need to add some sugar water to the mix if she doesn't eat.

Feel her crop each night and day and keep us posted!

We actually have not seen any parasites in the poop and the vet ran a fecal that came back negative. We started corid because our neighbor recommended it. He has a farm and we figured we would try it. Today is her last day of corid though. We treated the whole flock since they free range.

I have some electrolyte mixes for our younger chicks, I'll give that to her today.

She has been on metronidazole since Wednesday. The vet said it couldn't hurt. But now I don't know if I should stop the corid or wait to continue antibiotics since they don't work together.

I managed to get her to eat two bites of very watery bread. Not the healthiest I know. I will try yogurt and applesauce.

What's strange is none of the other chickens are exhibiting any symptoms.

I have a newborn baby so I havent been able to check on her yet this morning. I'll check her crop when I do. Thank you for all the helpful information!

 

[Buffy Brahma Mama]

We actually have not seen any parasites in the poop and the vet ran a fecal that came back negative. We started corid because our neighbor recommended it. He has a farm and we figured we would try it. Today is her last day of corid though. We treated the whole flock since they free range.

I have some electrolyte mixes for our younger chicks, I'll give that to her today.

She has been on metronidazole since Wednesday. The vet said it couldn't hurt. But now I don't know if I should stop the corid or wait to continue antibiotics since they don't work together.

I managed to get her to eat two bites of very watery bread. Not the healthiest I know. I will try yogurt and applesauce.

What's strange is none of the other chickens are exhibiting any symptoms.

I have a newborn baby so I havent been able to check on her yet this morning. I'll check her crop when I do. Thank you for all the helpful information!

I think stopping the corid won't hurt, as there is no real indication to keep using it at this time : )

I think that antibiotic is often used as a coccidiostat. You can ask the vet about SMZ TMP.

Emeraid Omnivore IC works great in emergencies and they should be be able to get some for you if you can't find it online : )

 

[OzarkChooks]

Thank you!
I'll take them off corid. This is my first flock and it's all new to me. I couldn't find any emeraid online that didn't require a prescription. I'll see if our vet can get it. I had never heard of it, looks really good.

 

[Buffy Brahma Mama]

I checked the place I order it and it is currently out of stock. The vet should be able to get it from multiple sources though : )

 

[OzarkChooks]

Update:
I have been syringe feeding her egg yolk as she won't willingly eat anything. Today she tried to peck at strawberry pieces but she would fall asleep before her beak touched the fruit. I noticed there is goo coming out of her right ear. What does that mean???? Could she be injured and not sick?

 

[OzarkChooks]

Also when she is asleep she is making a chirping sound