Hen passed blood clot & weird egg membrane

[Tailwise]

We're a week on, and Pluisje is coming out of broodiness (I took her eggs away, but the implant should also be doing something). Slowly, one day at a time. She still clucks and sometimes wants to sit on her nest, but she also regularly comes over to me for snuggles (fun) or to bully and peck me for being in 'her' spot (less fun).

However, her appetite has kind of vanished. She does walk around and peck at things sometimes, even titters if it's something she likes, but she's no longer scarfing down food and her crop remains pretty empty. I can get her to eat some blueberries, corn and sunflower seeds, but that's about it. (Though I did get her to respond with some enthusiasm to a handful of grass and some rice, but she's still not eating 'make a noticable dent in the crop' amounts of it) She was already pretty skinny, so I'm worried.

I know lack of appetite can be an early side-effect of the implant that usually kicks in after 5-7 days, so I'm hoping it's that (she was doing fine until Friday night), but I've also had too many experiences with chickens who go downhill about food to be kidding myself.

We'll see if I have to move her vet visit up to Monday, I guess. She's still pooping about 2 - 3 if relatively small perfect turds a day, plus a bunch of smaller poops/cecals, all normal-looking beyond the size, so I know her digestive system is probably working.

Finally, I found another picture I'd taken of the second soft egg. I sent this one to the vet because it's the most 'complete' one. It really does look like she, uh, egged out something big.

 

[Sondraa]

Not eating is a worry but..as you say the implant can have that effect. Pardon my ignorance but can you give her something for energy to sustain her since she is on the slight side anyway? Honey water or something? Such a worry.

 

[Tailwise]

I picked up applesauce, baby food and a syringe just in case. Currently just trying to make sure she has her favorite treats available.

EDIT: ... well, the walnut was a hit.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I picked up applesauce, baby food and a syringe just in case. Currently just trying to make sure she has her favorite treats available.

EDIT: ... well, the walnut was a hit.

Try offering wet feed, bits of egg or sardines. Tomato or watermelon are often enticing.

Hopefully this is just a side effect of the implant and her appetite will return. If you end up having to tube or syringe feed her, Kaytee Exact baby bird formula can be used.

 

[Tailwise]

She's unfortunately always been very picky, but the inside of a tomato still seems to get her going. Also tried frying instead of scrambling an egg today and she ate a sizable chunk of the yolk.

 

[Sondraa]

How do you know when to syringe feed? Is it by weight or when they refuse everything? Or more than a few days eating to little? What is the general guide for someone who doesn't have experience?

 

[Tailwise]

I only do it if they refuse everything. It's dangerous - you could accidentally shoot some food into the chicken's lungs - so I prefer not to. I don't really know how to tube feed (and the idea of doing so to chickens as small as mine scare me).

Honestly it's probably best left up to the vet. For now she's still walking around and at least trying to eat things. Just not enough.

 

[Sondraa]

I only do it if they refuse everything. It's dangerous - you could accidentally shoot some food into the chicken's lungs - so I prefer not to. I don't really know how to tube feed (and the idea of doing so to chickens as small as mine scare me).

Honestly it's probably best left up to the vet. For now she's still walking around and at least trying to eat things. Just not enough.

Oh ok.

 

[Tailwise]

This continues to be a rollercoaster. Next vet visit is tomorrow.

Pluisje started showing more interest in snacks yesterday, roaming around to pick at things and eat little nibbles of stuff like cooked steak, egg, fresh corn and tomato. I put out a little old baby chick feed for her and it actually got attacked with some enthusiasm, but I wasn't sure how much of it she ate and how much of she kicked away - and it turned out the feed had gotten infested with little bugs. Blegh. Either way, it wasn't enough to noticably add anything to her crop - it was still pretty flat.

Still, I decided to go out on a limb and drove to the store today to pick up some baby chick crumble and a healthy treat mix (composed of fine broken corn, peeled oats, sorghum, seeds, sunflower seeds, peas and dried shrimp). She went wild over it - at least three minutes of focused pecking, which I haven't seen from her since Friday. After that she ate two handfuls of fresh corn. This is the first time since Friday I haven't had to go looking for her crop when I touch her.

It's still not super-full, but she's never been a big eater and I'll take a marble-sized crop over a flat one.

Her poop has also looked healthier all day - it started getting a bit of a green sheen to it yesterday, but now it looks like a miniature version of her regular poops.

 

[LaFleche]

She will need granite grit free choice to be able to digest this "feast".