Hen with diarrhea

[Lalachickens]

I think you can only keep trying what you have been doing, and hope that works or helps her.

A few years ago I lost a hen about 4yo. She was #2 (a RIR x barnevelder). She became less interested in eating, but the concern was her not hanging out with the others as she normally did. The avian vet found a large mass in her abdomen, and said it was likely to be cancer. She was not in good health as it had been going on for about a month, and there was a chance she would not survive the operation anyway, so I had her put down. A sad loss, she was always sitting on my lap when I was out there with them.

What I am suggesting, if the diet changes don't work or work significantly, she may have something more serious going on with her. For mine, it was more the behaviour change, and lack of droppings in the last few days (I gave her warm baths with epsom salts and massage, but did not improve it, that is when I found the avian vet).

Thank you for the response, @Wot The Flock , and I am so sorry to hear about the sad loss of one of your favs (it's always a fav).

I have suspected something along these lines for a bit - we have just noticed that she isn't as active as she used to be. We just had to deworm (just did second dose on Monday), again, and I have found that some vitamin water, spinach, and shrimp tails (chopped up) seem to perk her up as an afternoon delight, and get her appetite going again. So, I am going to do that for the next week, and we have decided that if she isn't back to normal by spring, it may be her time. We are fine having a non-laying pet chicken or two, but if she is suffering, that is the last thing we want.

 

[New2theFlock]

Hi all, thank you for the recommendations. The bad news is she hates the yogurt but I am still trying to get her to eat bits. She really spends most of her days standing in one spot, eyes closed, hunched, usually head tucked behind her wing. I think I am going to try bringing her inside and giving her some safeguard, food mixed with yogurt, and electrolytes.

I did get her eating more fibre (alfalfa, spinach), which helped her poops firm up a bit, but now I’m just not convinced she is eating or drinking much. And during treat time, she kind of falls asleep, which is very concerning.

Everyone else in the flock is doing totally fine…

Hi @Lalachickens . I'm in the same boat. Pecky, my sick hen, sounds just like yours. She hated the yogurt too until I made a mix of dry oatmeal, bee pollen, and Greek yogurt. I mixed it up and spread it out on a paper plates and put it in the coolest place in my fridge to harden for several hours. Then I spread it out on a paper plate so that it was like a thin smear: I had to use a fork. Then I sprinkled a little bit of their scratch/ sunflower seed snack mix around the edge and on top. I pulled Pecky aside in the garage and put the plate in the floor. She loved it!
Hope this helps!

 

[catballou]

Thank you for the response, @Wot The Flock , and I am so sorry to hear about the sad loss of one of your favs (it's always a fav).

I have suspected something along these lines for a bit - we have just noticed that she isn't as active as she used to be. We just had to deworm (just did second dose on Monday), again, and I have found that some vitamin water, spinach, and shrimp tails (chopped up) seem to perk her up as an afternoon delight, and get her appetite going again. So, I am going to do that for the next week, and we have decided that if she isn't back to normal by spring, it may be her time. We are fine having a non-laying pet chicken or two, but if she is suffering, that is the last thing we want.

Did notice any improvement yet? I have a hen who just left me a pile of mushy poop under the roosting bar. I'm not sure which one it is, but it was a big pile for one night.

 

[Lalachickens]

Did notice any improvement yet? I have a hen who just left me a pile of mushy poop under the roosting bar. I'm not sure which one it is, but it was a big pile for one night.

Some? I have spent a lot of time thinking about how to help her. She is definitely eating more - we keep the feeder inside the coop during the winter, and one day, I put a tray of food outside in the run (where she spends most of her day), and she went to TOWN eating (even though she could have just gone into the coop to eat). So, every morning, when I throw the rest of the flock some sunflower seeds, I put her tray out, with about 3 cups of food, and she just picks away at that on her own.

She has definitely perked up, but still gets runny poos. We just bathed her this morning because of a messy backside, and she does have feathers all the way to the edge of her vent, so I am not sure it's possible to have her butt stay clean? We have trimmed them a bit, but we know we are just going to have to keep bathing her for the time being.

 

[catballou]

Some? I have spent a lot of time thinking about how to help her. She is definitely eating more - we keep the feeder inside the coop during the winter, and one day, I put a tray of food outside in the run (where she spends most of her day), and she went to TOWN eating (even though she could have just gone into the coop to eat). So, every morning, when I throw the rest of the flock some sunflower seeds, I put her tray out, with about 3 cups of food, and she just picks away at that on her own.

She has definitely perked up, but still gets runny poos. We just bathed her this morning because of a messy backside, and she does have feathers all the way to the edge of her vent, so I am not sure it's possible to have her butt stay clean? We have trimmed them a bit, but we know we are just going to have to keep bathing her for the time being.

Thank you for the response. I hope she completly recovers.

 

[Wot The Flock]

So, I am going to do that for the next week, and we have decided that if she isn't back to normal by spring, it may be her time. We are fine having a non-laying pet chicken or two, but if she is suffering, that is the last thing we want.

Seems to be a good train of thought. Really, just going by whether she is still enjoying life (and the special attention), or if she is miserable.

Always hard to say goodbye to any of the beloved pets, when the time comes.