HEN SEEMS SICK...AM I DOING THE RIGHT THING???

[Chickaroo!]

My red sex link hen seems lethargic. I don't know how old she is because I got her as an adult but I've had her since Oct. '07. She seemed lethargic earlier this morning and she laid a soft shelled egg. I thought that she'd be fine after that, but she still seems to have no intrest in free ranging or eating/drinking. I felt her crop and it does bulge some so she must have eaten something during the day.

I feed her layer pellets, crushed oyster shell, crushed granite all fee choice all the time. Today I gave her a little bit of left over mashed potato. I just brought her in the house to seperate her and put her in a dog carrier with some water, pellets and scrambled egg w/1 teaspoon of olive oil. She is in our bathroom with the lights off so it's dark.

Is this the right thing to do for her or should I do something else?

 

[Harley's girl]

Sounds good to me. Do you have vitamins for her water? I put a tiny bit of salt and sugar in my chicks water. Maybe you could give that a try?

 

[Chickaroo!]

Oh, I forgot to mention that I put Avia Charge in the water today.

 

[Chickaroo!]

Please someone else try to help!!

Last night Lovebug seemed a little better and was eating some pellets while in the carrier so I put her back out in the coop. This morning when I let all the chickens out, none of them seemed interested in coming out! She especially didn't. That was at 6am.

It's now 7:20am and I just went to check on her. She was just laying down on the roost and she seems lethargic (sleepy) and it looks to me as if she's shivering or something!!!

I just brought her back in the house and put her back in the dog carrier. She's in our bathroom with the light off and the door shut. What could be wrong with her? This is my FAVORITE chicken and I'm so worried about her

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Start by not feeding anymore potatoes!

Keep her warm. The vitamins in the water are good and so are her pellets. Olive oil and scrambled egg are good too.

Was she this way before you fed the potatoes? If not or if she could have gotten into something free ranging I would try a molasses flush.

Molasses Flush for chicken that has been poisened.-From Miss Prissy

Molasses flush is 1 pint molasses per 5 gallons water given over a period of 8 hours withhold all other food or water.
The break down is -
(1 PINT = 2 CUPS)
2 cups to 5 gallons water
1 cup to 2.5 gallons of water
1/2 cup to 1.25 gallons of water
1/4 cup to 2 quarts water
4 tablespoons to 1 quart water
The molasses acts as a laxative by pulling water into the intestines and flushing it out.
I would mix it by the quart.

Good Luck!

 

[Chickaroo!]

No, she was not acting like herself before I gave her the potatos and before I let her out to free range. Even when she did go out, she stayed right next to the coop or layed under my truck.

She's still laying down in the carrier, facing the back and she's breathing with her mouth open. I don't think it's becasue she's hot. I'm soooo sad now

 

[Chickaroo!]

She just pooed an almost all white poo. She's standing but keeps closing her eyes. She's still panting. I tried to get her to drink some water but she won't. I dribbled a little on her beak and she didn't even fight me. I think she's very weak.

 

[Chickaroo!]

She's drooling a bit and laying somewhat on her left side. I don't think she's gonna make it. I'm going to go hold her so she doesn't die alone.

 

[arlee453]

Oh, I'm sorry she is not improving...sounds like you are doing all you can to make her as comfortable as possible...HUGS

 

[dlhunicorn]

Put electrolytes in her waterer and keep dribbling along her beak!!!!
Birds that are very ill will often stop eating and drinking. Dehydration will kill them quicker than the original ailment! It is imperative that you keep her hydrated! Some conditions/illness cause crop stasis> that mean the crop stops moving things through so even though they eat and drink it does them little good. Is her crop emptying?

You say that all your birds are now acting listless...> what is the weather like there? Is it very warm? (If you see them panting constantly then put electrolytes in their waterer too .... btw>how often do you change the waterer and clean it out?)

Do you have a pond or a water source that has perhaps become stagnant?
Do you have a compost heap they scratch around in? >>>Both of these can be a source for pathogens and botulism.
When was the last time you wormed your birds (and with what?