How to treat.....

[Wil781]

Do your best to keep her hydrated. Since you did have a vet visit, but had no stool sample for her at the time, do you think they would take one now?

They don't actually see chickens, he just has his own chickens and gave me some wormer the same one he uses on his chickens but he never saw her or me just left it at front desk and staff told me they don't do fecal floats on chickens, which I really don't understand because they do one on my dogs every time I take them for the yearly checkups, chicken vs dog fecal float I see no difference. I could have taken them the poop it's not like they had to collect it. Anyway this is so frustrating Ellie Mae is drinking on her own she is eating a little she went out and laid in the dirt like she was going to dust bathe but she just kinda hanging to herself. So if Corid or wormer doesn't fix her I guess there is nothing else to do.

 

[Wil781]

What is a good antibiotic to keep on hand and do you have to have prescription for one?

 

[townchicks]

I feed them Purinia Grower fermented and dry

Why is she still on grower food? Does she have oyster shell available? If she's not getting enough calcium, it could be that she had a soft shell egg break inside her.

 

[micstrachan]

So sorry about Ellie Mae.A liver issue is the first thing that comes to my mind. I have heard milk thistle is good for liver support. If you are going to try antibiotics anyway, I wonder if it would be worth trying milk thistle at the same time. I have no idea about dosing or if there would be contraindications. What do you think of this @Hen Pen Jem?

 

[Wil781]

Getting testing is always a good idea.
If that's not possible and you think that she may have E Coli or Salmonella get some Baytril and treat her.

Yellow urates can be from a number of things from infection to reproductive disorders to cancer.

If she were your girl what would be your next step? I fed her some scratch only because she has lost a lot of weight and she ate pretty good.

 

[Wil781]

I would be hard to know what next step I would take. I would give her a few more days to see if there is any improvement. IF I thought she had infection, I might try antibiotics to see if those would help, but each situation is different.

Has she laid any eggs since this began?

No eggs since first of last week

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

Another good product with Milk Thistle is "Lily of the Desert - Aloe Vera 80 detox". It will help any intestinal issues, as well as support the liver. This product has other herbs too, that are safe for poultry. It's easy to use, just add a tablespoon to one gallon of water. Again, you will have to call around to health food stores to see if they carry it. It is a good product for birds and people too!

If you can only find a capsule Milk Thistle supplement, then, you can mix something up yourself.

If she has lost weight, you should also be providing good supportive care:

• Offer cooked whole grains (brown rice, wheat berries, oat groats, barley, corn), one tablespoon of cooked diced meat, fresh greens, a bit of fruit (diced apple, black grape, berries, melon), and her regular feed (dry and/or wet).
• A dose of poultry vitamins, orally, once a day for three days.
• Electrolyte in the water for three days.
• Keep her vent clean, fill an irrigation bottle with warm soapy water and one with just water, flush the vent with soapy water, rinse with water, pat dry. This is important in order to prevent vent gleet, or worse fly strike, flies are every where in the world. Chickens with loose stools or diarrhea are ripe for this!

 

[Wil781]

M

Depending on the amount of milligrams in the capsule of Milk Thistle, that you buy, the hen will only need 15-20 mg.

So, if you purchase a 140 mg. capsule, the chicken will only need a fraction, of a capsule. Remember, people supplements are in amounts large enough for an avarage adult. However, Milk Thistle is a very safe herbal supplement, so if you can find a 140 mg. capsule, give the chicken 1/4 of the capsule contents. That will supply 35 mg., which you can administer once a day, till the Liquid Hepato arrives.

And yes, a chicken can urinate. It is not normal for them, and only happens when the body is trying to rid itself of toxins. Normally, a healthy chicken poops crystalized, white colored urates that top the feces.

According an article written by Dr. Rob Marshall, avian vet, on bird droppings, birds including chickens, can and do form urine (the clear watery part). Sometimes the urine and the crystalized urate will mix, and form a sticky type substance. I have a hen with tumors, she lets out urine mixed with crystalized urates every other day or so. The urates are usually white, but, can be yellow. When that happens, I administer some Liquid Hepato, or put the Lily of the Desert, in her water. She will never fully recover. But, she is happy, eats and is now pooping normally, most of the time. She follows the flock and enjoys foraging.

I think it's good to have your hen with the flock, as long as she is happy there. And it's good that her poop is has form/bulk. Her droppings were loose in one of the photos. She may be on the mend.



God Bless [/QUOTE

Thank you for your reply, below I'm adding pictures of Ellie Mae. She has been eating very little, the Liquid Hepato is due here today at anytime so as soon as it gets here I will give her a dose .3ml. So today she will at least get one dose. I have ordered the Lily of the Valley and it should be here tomorrow. She is still up walking around but today her tail is down and she is weak, if another hen runs up and bumps her she stumbles. Her poop is turning bright green, urates are still yellow, I hope she can recover.

She is loving the Nutri Drench water, hope it perks her up.

She is having white clover sprouts and scratch

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

Weight loss and weakness, can be the result of inadequate food intake, the body using excess calories to fight infection, diarrhea, a heavy parasite load (internal or external), or can even be a metabolic disorder.

Your hen is very weak, which accounts for the slow walking and stumbling. She may be anemic from fighting infection, and most likely has at the very least, loose stools.

You need to increase her caloric intake by manually feeding her, if she is not eating substantial amounts of food. Sprouts and vitamin water will not increase her strength. Not even the Liquid Hepato will help, if she is lacking nourishment. The Lily of the Valley should not be used if she is weak. As, it has dandelion root in it, and will cause her to make urine. If she doesn't drink enough water she'll dehydrate. Just use the Liquid Hepato, till she is stronger.

If she were mine, I would start feeding her manually with a syringe. Or, if you know how to tube feed that would be good too. She needs a bird replacement powdered meal. Personally, I use Hemp Protein Powder for critically ill birds. The powder should be mixed with warm water to form a pancake batter consistency. You can also add Manuka Honey, coconut oil for extra fat, etc. You can make your own by pulverizing some of her feed with water in a blender. It must be smooth enough to pass through the hole in a syringe. Feed her at least 40 ml, per day. I feed 8-10 ml, four to five times a day.

From what you describe, it sounds as though the hen is in critical condition. She can go downhill suddenly and death can follow very quickly if you don't start to treat her more aggressively.

• Once a hen is stumbling, they should be isolated, so they expend as little energy as possible. They cannot compete for food, or deal with the harshness of the environment when they're in a weakened state.

• Bright green poop and yellow urates, she has an infection. Without a good antibiotic, she will not survive the week. She should also be on a broad spectrum antibiotic: Enrofloxacin or Doxycycline.

So, these are revised thoughts on your hen's issue. I hope I have been helpful.

God Bless and good health to your hen.

 

[Wil781]

Weight loss and weakness, can be the result of inadequate food intake, the body using excess calories to fight infection, diarrhea, a heavy parasite load (internal or external), or can even be a metabolic disorder.

Your hen is very weak, which accounts for the slow walking and stumbling. She may be anemic from fighting infection, and most likely has at the very least, loose stools.

You need to increase her caloric intake by manually feeding her, if she is not eating substantial amounts of food. Sprouts and vitamin water will not increase her strength. Not even the Liquid Hepato will help, if she is lacking nourishment. The Lily of the Valley should not be used if she is weak. As, it has dandelion root in it, and will cause her to make urine. If she doesn't drink enough water she'll dehydrate. Just use the Liquid Hepato, till she is stronger.

If she were mine, I would start feeding her manually with a syringe. Or, if you know how to tube feed that would be good too. She needs a bird replacement powdered meal. Personally, I use Hemp Protein Powder for critically ill birds. The powder should be mixed with warm water to form a pancake batter consistency. You can also add Manuka Honey, coconut oil for extra fat, etc. You can make your own by pulverizing some of her feed with water in a blender. It must be smooth enough to pass through the hole in a syringe. Feed her at least 40 ml, per day. I feed 8-10 ml, four to five times a day.

From what you describe, it sounds as though the hen is in critical condition. She can go downhill suddenly and death can follow very quickly if you don't start to treat her more aggressively.

• Once a hen is stumbling, they should be isolated, so they expend as little energy as possible. They cannot compete for food, or deal with the harshness of the environment when they're in a weakened state.

• Bright green poop and yellow urates, she has an infection. Without a good antibiotic, she will not survive the week. She should also be on a broad spectrum antibiotic: Enrofloxacin or Doxycycline.

So, these are revised thoughts on your hen's issue. I hope I have been helpful.

God Bless and good health to your hen.

Where can I get the antibiotic? Also when feeding her by dropper do I just drop it in her mouth to the right side? She is eating or she is pretending to just not enough she has lost so much weight.