Hen not eating, no color, can't stand, won't open eyes, and has a bad odor

[jacqmerrell]

PLEASE HELP! My 5 year old Brahma has been slowly in decline for the past two weeks but yesterday has taken a very bad turn.

• She's no longer eating or drinking,
• will only occasionally open her eyes
• she cannot stand
• and has a bad odor.

 

[Judy]

I'm sorry. We just put one down in similar condition. Some on here might try tube feeding and antibiotics, and / or a vet.

 

[cafarmgirl]

There may not be a whole lot you can do. Chickens hide their illness extremely well, so by the time they are showing such visible signs they are very, very ill. There are a lot of things this could be and at her age she could have some serious stuff going on. You could try an avian vet if you have access to one though the cost to attempt to diagnose her will likely be high and in her condition I'm not sure you have time nor does she have the strenght to handle it. Sorry to sound discouraging but it doesn't look good for her.

 

[jacqmerrell]

Thank you for the replies.

I reached out to a local (Maryland) vet who informed me by law they have to preform an exam ($55) before they can euthanize ($45) and suggested I might try the Humane Society. I also reached out to them and was told they are not bound by the same laws and would euthanize for $5.00.

That all ended up being unnecessary as my sick hen passed on her own. I was very sad and also relieved. She was a good sweet girl.