Hen wont eat or drink..

[Harriskate22]

What is in the bowl she is eating from?

Some poultry kibble stuff I got from rural king, they claimed it was good. It was high in protein and crude fat.. I thought at least it might help some. I also have crumble for her. She has a hard time eating.. see kinda how she holds her head sideways. She can't eat out of a feeder.. so I had to cut something so that she can kinda eat. I give her worms, and crickets also. She really doesn't have much strength.. she will eat only a few pieces then zone out as to say.. I was cleaning her cage, and putting some bedding in. Had to give her her antibiotics also. She wont drink much unless you move it in front of her, then she will show interest. She ate a few bites of an egg this morning.. she won't touch her feed so I had to find something she might like.. so far, she has liked it more than her original feed. Also, been pushing vitamins and such..

I've never had a chicken sick before, so this is all new to me. Idk what really to do.. besides try antibiotics, vitamins and such. I'm desperate to keep her alive if I can.. but, if she doesn't improve soon I'll put her down.. but I want to give her a chance. She is improving through.... small steps..

 

[cheekychick3]

Hi so sorry, your girl, is ill. I too was thinking what food was in her bowl.
Have you tried her with some soft food. 2 of my girls fell ill, months ago, like
you i wracked my brain, of course i came on here, reading everything. Although 2
of them was ill, one of them, was similiar to yours. She was really ill, eyes closed she would lift her head, and drop it back down. First of all i brought them inside with separate
dog crates. Then gave Nutri - drench drops, every few hours. Done them a little warm mash, in which they did eat a little. But then i read on here, someone stated a scrambled egg. With a Tablespoon of fresh liver., chopped. I put it through blender. They loved it.
Fair enough they did not eat it all, but it was something. Then a few hrs later i gave them
some plain yogurt, with fresh chopped up parsley. Again they ate some of that as well.
Our Lil, started perking up but Tootsie was real bad. Even though she had eaten, she
was like yours, could not hold her head up, plus her eyes were closed, and puffy. Really
thought she was going to die, I was lucky our vet saw her next day. She gave them both
antibiotic jabs, she then asked, if they had been vaccinated. Our Lil, had been, but we
bought Tootsie, about a week later. With 3 sisters, i had them at a good price. They all
looked healthy. Plus her sisters was fine, and my other girls. They were all POL so not
old. The vet believed it was them who brought in a virus. Within a few days Lil was back
to normal. But it took over 2 weeks of day + night nursing her. Vet, put it down to
respiratory problem, she was not a Avian vet, so she was not sure. Tootsie was like yours, really began to think there was no hope. This may sound crazy, lol but no Vicks
vapour rub. I got cotton swabs and dabbed some on their nostrils, and a bit on their crop. Done this every few hrs, Lil got better so fast. As for Tootsie kept feeding her
egg with raw liver every other day, also yogurt with parsley.She still could not open her
eyes, i use to bathe with saline. Bought eye ointment, applied every few hours, day/night. Also gave her Poultry vitamins in water, and now and then, Nutidrench.
About the 11th day, one eye opened, then the other. Her eyes although open, she
could not focus where the food dish was bless. So i use to wrap her in towel, have
her on my lap, got a red pen, and started banging the dish. Use to use that trick years
ago with our chicks. lol She twigged on and there was no stopping her. She got stronger and stronger. Also had her 3 sisters vaccinated too. Truth is i really believe
it was the egg and liver, yougurt + parsley that helped no end. And the Vick trick defo
helped. I only dabbed a little but it helped to open her airways up. I should imagine
Eucalyptus oil would act the same. Sorry i have written so much, just wanted to explain. I noticed you have said, if she does not improve soon.You will put her down.
I felt exactly the same, with my Tootsie. However when i saw yours she reminded me,
so much of what our Tootsie was like. And yes, it was hardest 2 weeks of nursing, but
us Chicken Mamas will try our hardest of hoping they will pull through. I learn"t about
the egg + liver on here. Sent hubby out next morning for liver lol and tried it. As for
the Vick trick, we always had chickens growing up, and my Dad use to treat them, with
it. Of course this is your choice, but i wanted to let you know. Because i truly believe,
what i learn"t on here defo helped save my girls. Where would we all be without BYC.
Let us know, how she gets on.

 

[Peppercorngal]

I don't know if it really matters what you give her to eat. She is very sick and I'm surprised that she tries to eat at all. My Harvey was sick with ???. He didn't eat for more than 10 days. I thought he was a gone-er. But husband found some antibiotics from a dog we had and I started to give them those. He perked up on the 6th day of antibiotic treatment and is now back to his old self. Be sure to give her the full dose of the antibiotic and lets pray it does the trick.

 

[Harriskate22]

Hi so sorry, your girl, is ill. I too was thinking what food was in her bowl.
Have you tried her with some soft food. 2 of my girls fell ill, months ago, like
you i wracked my brain, of course i came on here, reading everything. Although 2
of them was ill, one of them, was similiar to yours. She was really ill, eyes closed she would lift her head, and drop it back down. First of all i brought them inside with separate
dog crates. Then gave Nutri - drench drops, every few hours. Done them a little warm mash, in which they did eat a little. But then i read on here, someone stated a scrambled egg. With a Tablespoon of fresh liver., chopped. I put it through blender. They loved it.
Fair enough they did not eat it all, but it was something. Then a few hrs later i gave them
some plain yogurt, with fresh chopped up parsley. Again they ate some of that as well.
Our Lil, started perking up but Tootsie was real bad. Even though she had eaten, she
was like yours, could not hold her head up, plus her eyes were closed, and puffy. Really
thought she was going to die, I was lucky our vet saw her next day. She gave them both
antibiotic jabs, she then asked, if they had been vaccinated. Our Lil, had been, but we
bought Tootsie, about a week later. With 3 sisters, i had them at a good price. They all
looked healthy. Plus her sisters was fine, and my other girls. They were all POL so not
old. The vet believed it was them who brought in a virus. Within a few days Lil was back
to normal. But it took over 2 weeks of day + night nursing her. Vet, put it down to
respiratory problem, she was not a Avian vet, so she was not sure. Tootsie was like yours, really began to think there was no hope. This may sound crazy, lol but no Vicks
vapour rub. I got cotton swabs and dabbed some on their nostrils, and a bit on their crop. Done this every few hrs, Lil got better so fast. As for Tootsie kept feeding her
egg with raw liver every other day, also yogurt with parsley.She still could not open her
eyes, i use to bathe with saline. Bought eye ointment, applied every few hours, day/night. Also gave her Poultry vitamins in water, and now and then, Nutidrench.
About the 11th day, one eye opened, then the other. Her eyes although open, she
could not focus where the food dish was bless. So i use to wrap her in towel, have
her on my lap, got a red pen, and started banging the dish. Use to use that trick years
ago with our chicks. lol She twigged on and there was no stopping her. She got stronger and stronger. Also had her 3 sisters vaccinated too. Truth is i really believe
it was the egg and liver, yougurt + parsley that helped no end. And the Vick trick defo
helped. I only dabbed a little but it helped to open her airways up. I should imagine
Eucalyptus oil would act the same. Sorry i have written so much, just wanted to explain. I noticed you have said, if she does not improve soon.You will put her down.
I felt exactly the same, with my Tootsie. However when i saw yours she reminded me,
so much of what our Tootsie was like. And yes, it was hardest 2 weeks of nursing, but
us Chicken Mamas will try our hardest of hoping they will pull through. I learn"t about
the egg + liver on here. Sent hubby out next morning for liver lol and tried it. As for
the Vick trick, we always had chickens growing up, and my Dad use to treat them, with
it. Of course this is your choice, but i wanted to let you know. Because i truly believe,
what i learn"t on here defo helped save my girls. Where would we all be without BYC.
Let us know, how she gets on.

I appreciate your post so much!

I don't know if it really matters what you give her to eat. She is very sick and I'm surprised that she tries to eat at all. My Harvey was sick with ???. He didn't eat for more than 10 days. I thought he was a gone-er. But husband found some antibiotics from a dog we had and I started to give them those. He perked up on the 6th day of antibiotic treatment and is now back to his old self. Be sure to give her the full dose of the antibiotic and lets pray it does the trick.

I don't know if it really matters what you give her to eat. She is very sick and I'm surprised that she tries to eat at all. My Harvey was sick with ???. He didn't eat for more than 10 days. I thought he was a gone-er. But husband found some antibiotics from a dog we had and I started to give them those. He perked up on the 6th day of antibiotic treatment and is now back to his old self. Be sure to give her the full dose of the antibiotic and lets pray it does the trick.

Me too! So far the antibiotics have changed somethings. She gets around, she can walk okay. She also fights you whenever you pick her up.. but I just don't know what is wrong tbh. The vet wasn't any help, a waste of money actually. Just to be told he seen poultry, I drive over an hour away to get there just to be told that he thought she had Mereks disease, and that I would have to put her down. He didn't offer to do tests, just put her down and send her body off for testing.. I felt horrible, and asked about what if it wasn't Mereks.. then he offered antibiotics to see if it changes anything. He said maybe and ear infection also. Needless to say, I had to look her over myself.

I don't know what happened, and this chicken has been in my life since a little chick. She always greeted me whenever I got home from work and such..

I may have to get her put down if she continues to no show much progress. I would absolutely hate too.. but, I hate to see animals suffer. We have many chickens and ducks in an fenced in lot together. Fresh water from creek, also a pond we clean all the time.. that we built for them..

I'm just nervous about any diseases.. we do have an wildlife problem. And, my chicks have been around buzzards for three years now.. but, this year they're so much worse. The local hospital ran them off to my area and it's horrible..

I've been trying to give her fluids, and help her eat. I've tried soft foods also, and she doesn't show any interest at all..

I'm clueless..

 

[Peppercorngal]

I appreciate your post so much!


Me too! So far the antibiotics have changed somethings. She gets around, she can walk okay. She also fights you whenever you pick her up.. but I just don't know what is wrong tbh. The vet wasn't any help, a waste of money actually. Just to be told he seen poultry, I drive over an hour away to get there just to be told that he thought she had Mereks disease, and that I would have to put her down. He didn't offer to do tests, just put her down and send her body off for testing.. I felt horrible, and asked about what if it wasn't Mereks.. then he offered antibiotics to see if it changes anything. He said maybe and ear infection also. Needless to say, I had to look her over myself.

I don't know what happened, and this chicken has been in my life since a little chick. She always greeted me whenever I got home from work and such..

I may have to get her put down if she continues to no show much progress. I would absolutely hate too.. but, I hate to see animals suffer. We have many chickens and ducks in an fenced in lot together. Fresh water from creek, also a pond we clean all the time.. that we built for them..

I'm just nervous about any diseases.. we do have an wildlife problem. And, my chicks have been around buzzards for three years now.. but, this year they're so much worse. The local hospital ran them off to my area and it's horrible..

I've been trying to give her fluids, and help her eat. I've tried soft foods also, and she doesn't show any interest at all..

I'm clueless..

I came very close to "putting Harvey out of his misery" but I wanted to give the antibiotics a try. Just hold on for 2 more weeks. Be sure she gets the antibiotics regularly and offer her fresh cold water and something to eat. Harvey drank most of the days even if he didn't eat. I'm praying for your girl, believe me! Please keep us posted on any progress that you see.

 

[Harriskate22]

Hi so sorry, your girl, is ill. I too was thinking what food was in her bowl.
Have you tried her with some soft food. 2 of my girls fell ill, months ago, like
you i wracked my brain, of course i came on here, reading everything. Although 2
of them was ill, one of them, was similiar to yours. She was really ill, eyes closed she would lift her head, and drop it back down. First of all i brought them inside with separate
dog crates. Then gave Nutri - drench drops, every few hours. Done them a little warm mash, in which they did eat a little. But then i read on here, someone stated a scrambled egg. With a Tablespoon of fresh liver., chopped. I put it through blender. They loved it.
Fair enough they did not eat it all, but it was something. Then a few hrs later i gave them
some plain yogurt, with fresh chopped up parsley. Again they ate some of that as well.
Our Lil, started perking up but Tootsie was real bad. Even though she had eaten, she
was like yours, could not hold her head up, plus her eyes were closed, and puffy. Really
thought she was going to die, I was lucky our vet saw her next day. She gave them both
antibiotic jabs, she then asked, if they had been vaccinated. Our Lil, had been, but we
bought Tootsie, about a week later. With 3 sisters, i had them at a good price. They all
looked healthy. Plus her sisters was fine, and my other girls. They were all POL so not
old. The vet believed it was them who brought in a virus. Within a few days Lil was back
to normal. But it took over 2 weeks of day + night nursing her. Vet, put it down to
respiratory problem, she was not a Avian vet, so she was not sure. Tootsie was like yours, really began to think there was no hope. This may sound crazy, lol but no Vicks
vapour rub. I got cotton swabs and dabbed some on their nostrils, and a bit on their crop. Done this every few hrs, Lil got better so fast. As for Tootsie kept feeding her
egg with raw liver every other day, also yogurt with parsley.She still could not open her
eyes, i use to bathe with saline. Bought eye ointment, applied every few hours, day/night. Also gave her Poultry vitamins in water, and now and then, Nutidrench.
About the 11th day, one eye opened, then the other. Her eyes although open, she
could not focus where the food dish was bless. So i use to wrap her in towel, have
her on my lap, got a red pen, and started banging the dish. Use to use that trick years
ago with our chicks. lol She twigged on and there was no stopping her. She got stronger and stronger. Also had her 3 sisters vaccinated too. Truth is i really believe
it was the egg and liver, yougurt + parsley that helped no end. And the Vick trick defo
helped. I only dabbed a little but it helped to open her airways up. I should imagine
Eucalyptus oil would act the same. Sorry i have written so much, just wanted to explain. I noticed you have said, if she does not improve soon.You will put her down.
I felt exactly the same, with my Tootsie. However when i saw yours she reminded me,
so much of what our Tootsie was like. And yes, it was hardest 2 weeks of nursing, but
us Chicken Mamas will try our hardest of hoping they will pull through. I learn"t about
the egg + liver on here. Sent hubby out next morning for liver lol and tried it. As for
the Vick trick, we always had chickens growing up, and my Dad use to treat them, with
it. Of course this is your choice, but i wanted to let you know. Because i truly believe,
what i learn"t on here defo helped save my girls. Where would we all be without BYC.
Let us know, how she gets on.

I appreciate your post so much.

I'm honestly loosing sleep over her. I am extremely attached to her, even if she is just a chicken. She is always there to greet me whenever I get home from work.. I work in healthcare, and have a rather stressful job. Long hours.. She would be there with my dogs.. seriously. But, she would peck me and chase me lmao she wasn't as affectionate tho..Haha.

She rolled in dirt also, all the time. I swear I thought she was gonna dig to China lmao. She dug deep holes all the time and just rolled in them..

There was none like her. So whenever I feed now, it's kinda like ehhhh.. I was so used to her being at the gate, ready to attack me for food.. ha

She is unforgettable.

We have various breeds of ducks and chickens together in a fenced in lot. There's a creek that runs through it, so we built a pond/mini falls thing..so that the ducks would have fresh water to swim in.. we gave them vitamins also.

We never really had any problems. I had a Fox get a few of our chickens.. and odd enough, found the entire back of one of my missing hens in my neighbors basement on a stack of old plates. Yeah.. it was unusual. So I had security cams put up, they record all the time and I usually watch while I'm at work or late evenings for anything out of the ordinary. So whenever she was sick, I reviewed the recordings and she was walking normal and went and sat down. I didn't see anything wrong...

We have a new rooster also, who aggressively breeds our hens whenever he can sneak past our older roosters. He's fairly young..

But, I don't believe he would of made her like this. Her poop is horrid, and her head is tilted, she has an poor appetite.. kinda lethargic. Walks in circles.. obviously, something neurological happening. No wounds, no peck Mark's.

I got off early whenever I found her. And I'm glad I did because she would probably gotten killed by my other hens or freaking buzzards.

I might try that.. I am willing to try anything tbh. Because, no one really knows what is happening. I'm just hoping I can help her.

The flock wouldn't be the same..

 

[Harriskate22]

I came very close to "putting Harvey out of his misery" but I wanted to give the antibiotics a try. Just hold on for 2 more weeks. Be sure she gets the antibiotics regularly and offer her fresh cold water and something to eat. Harvey drank most of the days even if he didn't eat. I'm praying for your girl, believe me! Please keep us posted on any progress that you see.

I will! I was googling things and seen this website so I was interested in maybe getting some more help from someone who has experienced these things.

I've had chickens since I was a kid, and never had any type of sickness happen. So, this is all to new to me.. but better to learn about stuff and be prepared.

And it's hard to be with her all the time, I work 40+ hours a week and long days.. I've been having to run home straight from work and spend hours trying to help her to do something. Sure been something. I'll probably post a video of her in a little bit.. showing just how she is acting. All I know, is that she is very sick.. and I am trying to keep her alive all I can.

 

[Harriskate22]

Hi so sorry, your girl, is ill. I too was thinking what food was in her bowl.
Have you tried her with some soft food. 2 of my girls fell ill, months ago, like
you i wracked my brain, of course i came on here, reading everything. Although 2
of them was ill, one of them, was similiar to yours. She was really ill, eyes closed she would lift her head, and drop it back down. First of all i brought them inside with separate
dog crates. Then gave Nutri - drench drops, every few hours. Done them a little warm mash, in which they did eat a little. But then i read on here, someone stated a scrambled egg. With a Tablespoon of fresh liver., chopped. I put it through blender. They loved it.
Fair enough they did not eat it all, but it was something. Then a few hrs later i gave them
some plain yogurt, with fresh chopped up parsley. Again they ate some of that as well.
Our Lil, started perking up but Tootsie was real bad. Even though she had eaten, she
was like yours, could not hold her head up, plus her eyes were closed, and puffy. Really
thought she was going to die, I was lucky our vet saw her next day. She gave them both
antibiotic jabs, she then asked, if they had been vaccinated. Our Lil, had been, but we
bought Tootsie, about a week later. With 3 sisters, i had them at a good price. They all
looked healthy. Plus her sisters was fine, and my other girls. They were all POL so not
old. The vet believed it was them who brought in a virus. Within a few days Lil was back
to normal. But it took over 2 weeks of day + night nursing her. Vet, put it down to
respiratory problem, she was not a Avian vet, so she was not sure. Tootsie was like yours, really began to think there was no hope. This may sound crazy, lol but no Vicks
vapour rub. I got cotton swabs and dabbed some on their nostrils, and a bit on their crop. Done this every few hrs, Lil got better so fast. As for Tootsie kept feeding her
egg with raw liver every other day, also yogurt with parsley.She still could not open her
eyes, i use to bathe with saline. Bought eye ointment, applied every few hours, day/night. Also gave her Poultry vitamins in water, and now and then, Nutidrench.
About the 11th day, one eye opened, then the other. Her eyes although open, she
could not focus where the food dish was bless. So i use to wrap her in towel, have
her on my lap, got a red pen, and started banging the dish. Use to use that trick years
ago with our chicks. lol She twigged on and there was no stopping her. She got stronger and stronger. Also had her 3 sisters vaccinated too. Truth is i really believe
it was the egg and liver, yougurt + parsley that helped no end. And the Vick trick defo
helped. I only dabbed a little but it helped to open her airways up. I should imagine
Eucalyptus oil would act the same. Sorry i have written so much, just wanted to explain. I noticed you have said, if she does not improve soon.You will put her down.
I felt exactly the same, with my Tootsie. However when i saw yours she reminded me,
so much of what our Tootsie was like. And yes, it was hardest 2 weeks of nursing, but
us Chicken Mamas will try our hardest of hoping they will pull through. I learn"t about
the egg + liver on here. Sent hubby out next morning for liver lol and tried it. As for
the Vick trick, we always had chickens growing up, and my Dad use to treat them, with
it. Of course this is your choice, but i wanted to let you know. Because i truly believe,
what i learn"t on here defo helped save my girls. Where would we all be without BYC.
Let us know, how she gets on.

This was her, not even 24 hours.. before she was sick. I thought she was pretty normal.. this was her hole she dug for the day.. lol

 

[Harriskate22]

I came very close to "putting Harvey out of his misery" but I wanted to give the antibiotics a try. Just hold on for 2 more weeks. Be sure she gets the antibiotics regularly and offer her fresh cold water and something to eat. Harvey drank most of the days even if he didn't eat. I'm praying for your girl, believe me! Please keep us posted on any progress that you see.

this is her today.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Help
@casportpony @Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive

OP has another thread going as well.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/sick-hen-any-advice-on-what-to-do-urgent.1314899/