I really need some advice

[Eggcessive]

Some hens will sit in the nest box to get peace and quiet if they are sick. Does she come out? The other chicken might be fearful of you handling the sick one. I usually let my hens do what they feel like, go outside when they want, etc.

 

[unbaked pegga]

Some hens will sit in the nest box to get peace and quiet if they are sick. Does she come out? The other chicken might be fearful of you handling the sick one. I usually let my hens do what they feel like, go outside when they want, etc.

Thank you for responding to me. She does not come out of the nest box unless I go in and get her which I do every day and I just sit her on the ground and she usually goes under the porch. The other hen is very attached to her, and she will not come out of the coop unless I get the other one out. and she won’t eat unless the other one eats, it is very upsetting. I don’t think the sick one is eating so the other hen won’t eat either except for a little bit. And the healthy hen khad a voracious appetite before that Yesterday I put water in front of her and and she only drank a couple of sips and the same with food. She got mad when I picked her up just a few minutes ago and held her for in my hand and gently cupped my hand over that swollen place where I would think her stomach would be. That area is soft and it feels like it has fluid in it. And there’s a certain place that I touch that she tries to jerk away from me so it must be there is one sore place. And it does feel like there’s water in there could be she has ascites? If she does, and I gave her antibiotics will that help?? Do you think I am torturing her by picking her up etc? She gets in the nest box because she cannot jump up on the roost. She has tried. She can’t even jump up on the cinder block I have in the yard. So I am not doing her any good am I? It is so against my nature to hurt anything and especially an innocent animal. So if I put her down, I am killing her. And if she is suffering, and I don’t do anything about it I am hurting her. So that is such a dilemma in my mind. So, if you would, write me back as soon as you can. It would ease my mind, because I don’t know enough to do the right thing and except for my two daughters I don’t have anyone to talk to about it. And they won’t talk to me about it because I’m so obsessive and talk about it all the time. So that’s where I am.

 

[saysfaa]

I understand the not many people to talk to about things. And wearing those few out on the topics most important to me.

I wish I could fix your hen. Or even just the dilemma. Since I can't, please know I do hear you.

I don't know much about these kinds of health issues with hens. I've been through a quite a few with other species; it is really hard. Do you want an opinion from me on what to do, even with not knowing much about chickens' heath?

 

[Eggcessive]

I tend to leave my hens alone if they are feeling poorly, and don’t handle them much. Most don’t like being handled. I let them do what they want, and sleep where they like. When they are not eating much, I notice they will usually eat moistened chicken feed and especially scrambled egg. If one is dying or sickly, they can have a whole scrambled egg if they want it. It is hard to put one down, so if you cannot find someone to do it for you, I would try to make her as confortable as possible. If she has ascites or water belly, it eventually will kill them. Draining can help remove some of the fluid to help ease the pressure or make breathing more easy, but it eventually comes back. It is hard to know how long she will last once she has ascites.

 

[unbaked pegga]

With her posture sitting upright with her tail down, that is common to see in pictures of hens with serious reporductive problems. You could insert a clean finger into her vent to feel for a stuck egg. I would guess that her insides or oviduct were injured which caused her to stop laying. Did she molt right after the attack? My hen who was injured by a dog, molted right away. She had laid every day prior, but didn’t lay for 4 months. Then when she resumed laying, she laid only shell-less or thin shelled eggs. She died by the age of 3 of egg yolk peritonitis and had water belly.

I would try some antibiotics such as amoxicillin to try and extend her life. But if she is not eating or drinking later, or suffering, I would put her down. I don’t think she will get better, but I’m not a vet. I recently lost the last of my original flock. She lived a year by herself after a daytime bobcat attack killed 3, and did okay without the other chickens. She was a bit of a loner anyway. I tried to visit the coop more often to make sure that she had some company.

I was a nurse for 51 years. Was never squeamish about any procedure any injections nothing like that. But I sat and watched my little chicken and there was no question whether or not she felt bad you could tell she did so I read online about draining that ascites from her belly so I went up to tractor supply and got a 60 cc syringe and a 15 gauge needle and came home and girded my loins and grabbed her and my hands were shaking so bad I didn’t think I was going to be able to hold her, but I got 80 cc off of her abdomen, and I didn’t want to take any more than that because I was afraid she would go into shock. She still has fluid there but I thought I could wait to three days in and pull some more off and she’s dripping from where I stuck her. An online vet said that they would drain for two or three days. I’m just concerned about her getting an infection because she won’t let me catch her now to put her somewhere private I guess I’ll just have to trust God to take care of her because I’ve done everything I know to do