Hen not eating, running out of ideas

[chocluver]

Hi all
I noticed a hen ( Ameraucana) wasn't interested in food..she runs to the feed with the others, then pecks at it but doesn't eat.

Inspecting her, she's too thin. I had wormed the flock recently but on mass so I wormed her direct. No worms in her poop..in fact she doesn't really poop there is nothing there so she hasn't eaten properly for days at least.

3 days on, she will eat meal worms but nothing else. No egg, cheese, ham. Not even cat food which is my last resort.

I gave her an antibiotic dose, plus she's had buttermilk. Her poop is just yellow thick liquid. She is perky, resists when we inspect her, no mites, eyes, inside the mouth and vent look normal. Abdomen normal, not red, not inflamed. I don't think impacted crop because it hasn't turned sour, nothing coming out of her when I massage it.

I think she laid her first egg a week ago. She is 8 months. I am running out of ideas!

 

[Perris]

If all she will eat at the moment is mealworms, then give her as many mealworms as she wants. See this paper by a zoo vet in similar circumstances, where all that really matters is that she gets some food inside her.
"High fat/low moisture content insect larvae may, however, be appropriate as part of a mixed diet or as the main component of a diet for an unhealthy animal where the primary nutritional goal is to increase energy intake." https://www.researchgate.net/public...zA3NzE4Ng==&el=1_x_2&_esc=publicationCoverPdf

 

[chocluver]

Thanks for this. Yes I agree I have to get as much as possible inside her or she has no chance. I mashed a bird fat ball this morning, pecked and scratched it, didn't eat it.

 

[LaFleche]

Try scrambled eggs with some fine oatmeal and millet.

Did you inspect the inside of her mouth and her throat? Can you see if all looks well or is something stuck or are there some whitish-yellowish lesions?
How does she smell when you take a whiff near her face/beak?

 

[chocluver]

Mouth and throat look normal, no smell at all. And she's very clean round her mouth and face, not greasy looking. Also not gulping water like they do if a crop issue. Tail feathees bit ruffled but not down.

I tried scrambled egg but not with oatmeal, will try. She's very keen, runs to me when I go with food then doesn't eat it. She's stopped eating meal worms now, picks them up then spits them out. It's an odd one.

Syringing her buttermilk and fish oil so I know she's had something (I know how to do it safely)

 

[LaFleche]

Strange.

Maybe check her ears too as sometimes an ear infection can make it hard to swallow.

How does her abdomen look and feel? Any possibility she is having a hard time to pass the next egg?

 

[chocluver]

Never checked ears!
Part of me was thinking it's like she wants to eat but can't.
And I was suspicious that she laid one egg then stopped. But her abdomen feels fine. The skin is normal colour, no redness and I can't feel anything hard or unusual in her tummy. She's walking and running fine, no waddling

 

[LaFleche]

Check the inside of her mouth again, especially the roof and her tongue.
Sometimes something gets stuck to the roof of their mouth or a hair or thread gets twisted around the tongue impeding the swallowing movement.