I am so entirely confused. Mites, underweight, diarrhea, maybe?

[Eggcessive]

I would stop all foods other than chicken feed. Then put some out in a pan with water added to make it runny. Once they finish it, make another batch, but wash out the pan each day so it doesn’t mold. Once they start eating that, you may doctor it up with a dollop of plain probiotic yogurt, or some chopped egg if you wish. Feed is balanced with the proper nutrients, and it should be 90% of what they eat.

 

[Matilda in Dallas]

So much good information! I will try to answer all the questions:

She isn't in quarantine, we just don't have the coop built yet. The problem has been that my boyfriend travels for work and hasn't been able to devote any time to it. He did the basic structure two weeks ago and we are hoping to have it finished this weekend. The bathroom thing is driving me insane and is of course not good for Matilda.

We are getting 3 more chickens. 2 Rhode Island whatevers and a.... Anacauna? Is that right? Obviously, just waiting for the coop to be finished.

I have no idea why they wanted to treat for worms. It makes no sense!

The thing about the food: All she has had for most of the time we've had her is chicken food. I added the other stuff because her breast bone is so incredibly pronounced and it scared me. She likes the pellets better than the scratch, it seems. I am thrilled to hear about the worms. Those are for our bearded dragons and I was concerned about the cost!

I didn't know about the grit. I am also SUPER glad I finally made an account and asked these questions!

 

[Kathy Golla]

Are you letting her out of the bathroom? As eggsighted says, maybe if she gets some exercise and enrichment it will stimulate her appetite.
She needs a good place to take dust baths, a comfortable place to roost and a good place to peck and scratch.
Getting that coop finished and some friends seems like it would be a move in the right direction for her.

 

[hillbilly91]

Hey y'all. So, we rescued our girl a month or two ago. She is being kept in our bathroom until we are able to finish her coop. (long story on that one) I took her to a friend who runs a bird rehab to have her dewormed and my friend said she was massively underweight. She was eating Purina something or other. It was almost like crumbs. Anyway, she would peck it out of her feeder and strew it all over the bathroom floor. I thought that's just what chickens did and that she was still eating it. Nope. So, we got her some Layena pellets, which she ate at first and is now not eating it. She loves superworms, so I give her those daily. I have given her broccoli, cabbage (no go), lettuce, peaches, blueberries, etc. She likes most things at first, then refuses them. So, to the issues:

She has had a lot of diarrhea. I had her de-wormed, but nothing changed. That's when I started feeding her broccoli, which pretty much takes care of the diarrhea. I think that is sorted, but I took her to the vet today anyway. I googled chicken vets in town and this one came up. I made the appointment online only to get there and find out they don't treat chickens. They agreed to see her anyway and tested her poop for parasites. They said none were detected but she does have mites. Their recommendation was to get poultry dirt, put it in a bag, put her in the bag with her head sticking out and gently shake the dirt all over her. They also said to put her on Wazine 17 for 3 weeks and not to eat her eggs. She lays them pretty regularly.

My question: Does any of that sound correct? I mean, the vet advice. Also, how would you get weight on an extremely picky eater? I read in another thread to try cottage cheese. I will, but I guarantee you, she will eat it for awhile and then stop. My friend with the bird rehab recommended Science Diet cat food soaked in water. She eats that, but not a huge amount. Anyway, I need so much help here. Thank you for reading this overly-long post.

Adams flea and tick spray for dogs. Spray under wings on the rump and over the whole bird minus the head. Cheap but very effective

 

[hillbilly91]

Also sh e needs sun. Chickens need to be able to scratch and forage, even if it's a small cage for a short time a few times a day until your finished with the coop

 

[townchicks]

Everybody is giving you good advice, so I won't need to add to that. I just want to clear up the poultry dirt thing. I'm sure the vet probably said poultry DUST, as in mite powder. A common way to treat small pet birds, ( at least years ago when I worked at a pet store) was to pour the mite powder into a bag and put the bird in the bag, and shake gently to coat the bird. Obviously, this is not the way most of us treat our chickens for mites, but if this vet is old school, and used to treating small pet birds, it's not quite as crazy as it sounded. Just FYI.

 

[Justso]

I'm bothered by the diarrhea. Is it any particular color? if it were me, a lethargic chicken with diarrhea, I would treat with Corid for possible coccidiosis. I know it seems like a lot of meds, but if you're going to have more chickens you'll need this stuff anyway.

 

[Melky]

So, question: She is stupidly picky. She will eat her food for a day at most, then stop eating it. I don't know what to do about that. I have tried making a bit of a slurry and she eats it, sometimes. It's just so odd.

Consistency is key here and hold the treats because it is not providing her nutrition. Once she is used to the routine of her feeding amount per day and knows that is all she will get, she should improve. The only treat that maybe helpful is dried mealworms because they are a good source of protein but they need to be rationed. She should be consuming about 1/4 lb. feed per bird per day. She should have poultry grit and oyster shell available.

 

[Melky]

Hey y'all. So, we rescued our girl a month or two ago. She is being kept in our bathroom until we are able to finish her coop. (long story on that one) I took her to a friend who runs a bird rehab to have her dewormed and my friend said she was massively underweight. She was eating Purina something or other. It was almost like crumbs. Anyway, she would peck it out of her feeder and strew it all over the bathroom floor. I thought that's just what chickens did and that she was still eating it. Nope. So, we got her some Layena pellets, which she ate at first and is now not eating it. She loves superworms, so I give her those daily. I have given her broccoli, cabbage (no go), lettuce, peaches, blueberries, etc. She likes most things at first, then refuses them. So, to the issues:

She has had a lot of diarrhea. I had her de-wormed, but nothing changed. That's when I started feeding her broccoli, which pretty much takes care of the diarrhea. I think that is sorted, but I took her to the vet today anyway. I googled chicken vets in town and this one came up. I made the appointment online only to get there and find out they don't treat chickens. They agreed to see her anyway and tested her poop for parasites. They said none were detected but she does have mites. Their recommendation was to get poultry dirt, put it in a bag, put her in the bag with her head sticking out and gently shake the dirt all over her. They also said to put her on Wazine 17 for 3 weeks and not to eat her eggs. She lays them pretty regularly.

My question: Does any of that sound correct? I mean, the vet advice. Also, how would you get weight on an extremely picky eater? I read in another thread to try cottage cheese. I will, but I guarantee you, she will eat it for awhile and then stop. My friend with the bird rehab recommended Science Diet cat food soaked in water. She eats that, but not a huge amount. Anyway, I need so much help here. Thank you for reading this overly-long post.

Yes except it is dust for mites. Follow the vets directions. Keep her isolated from any other birds for 30 days till healthy and free of mites. Keep environment super clean.

 

[Matilda in Dallas]

I'm bothered by the diarrhea. Is it any particular color? if it were me, a lethargic chicken with diarrhea, I would treat with Corid for possible coccidiosis. I know it seems like a lot of meds, but if you're going to have more chickens you'll need this stuff anyway.

See, that was my concern. I know it's common, so I figured taking her to the vet to check for that was a good idea. I think we will just go ahead and treat her for it.