Hen will not eat

[leahmec]

Seeking some advice on how to encourage my poor hen Ophelia to eat. Two weeks ago she was attacked by a predator. After a through examination it appeared the only damage done was a couple of bleeding feathers on her head and swollen eyes. She was in shock so I kept her quiet and warm for 24 hours after which the swelling came down and she opened her eyes. I have been syringe feeding her water and a mixture of blended vegetables, water and nutradrench multiple times a day since the accident. She now seems bright and alert, I supervise her in the yard with the other hens and she seems to be interested in eating but can’t figure it out. I have tried enticing her with her favourite treats (scrambled eggs and bananas) but have had no luck getting her to eat or drink on her own. I am worried she may have suffered brain damage although she seems almost normal now. Sorry for the winded post but any advice on how I could encourage her to eat would be appreciated!

 

[Eggcessive]

You might try tube feeding for awhile to make sure that she gets nutrition. Vitamins especially B complex can help the appetite. Can you tell if she can see okay?

 

[Banana01]

Sometimes with my sick chickens, it is like the addage a watched pot doesn't boil. Your hens behavior does resemble a brain damaged hen i had recently, and who passed after a few weeks, but also had coryza which complicated it. She was a fighter to last as long as she did, but she had a couple close friends they were always together that kept her going longer.

How is her weight holding up? Is it steady or is she underweight? Are you sure it was a predator and not one of your own flock members? You may have to let her just live on her own and observe does she make it to the roost at night alone, does she leave the roost in the morning on her own. Does she eat anything, even if just very very little. Is there anything in her crop at all at night, or is it zero. You may have to step away to observe, and only feed in the morning and then observe the crop at night to determine whether she is able to continue living unassisted. Check what is her weight today, and see if she drastically loses weight over the next week. Hopefully your hen improves.