Lethargic hen with appetite loss

MadameZiggster

In the Brooder
Jun 22, 2024
5
20
34
After going out to my coop to check on my birds today I noticed my Rhode Island Red cross Orange wasn’t moving around much or showing any interest in the feed. I’ve brought her inside at this point and administered an epsom salt bath just in case she was egg bound, and currently trying to get her to eat some scrambled eggs and oatmeal. However to no avail, as all she’s been doing is closing her eyes and not moving in the dog crate we’ve set her up in, and I fear that she may be too far gone. Please help if it isn’t too late already.
 

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Is it hot there? Could she be dehydrated, or could the others have kept her from food or water? I would offer some water with sugar 1 tsp per cup, or electrolytes up to her beak, and get her drinking. Has she laid eggs recently? Give her a human calcium tablet with vitamin D or Tums into her beak, since you think she might be egg bound. Can she stand or walk? What do her droppings look like? Is her crop empty or full, mushy or firm? Watery chicken feed would be better to offer than oats, and egg is fine. I would do any more baths since she is so weak. Keep her in the shade in a cool spot away from the others.
 
Is it hot there? Could she be dehydrated, or could the others have kept her from food or water? I would offer some water with sugar 1 tsp per cup, or electrolytes up to her beak, and get her drinking. Has she laid eggs recently? Give her a human calcium tablet with vitamin D or Tums into her beak, since you think she might be egg bound. Can she stand or walk? What do her droppings look like? Is her crop empty or full, mushy or firm? Watery chicken feed would be better to offer than oats, and egg is fine. I would do any more baths since she is so weak. Keep her in the shade in a cool spot away from the others.
It’s been in the low 80s this afternoon so she may have gotten a little hot, but due to the heat of the summer I’ve added multiple cooling options for my birds. So I would like to believe I can rule that out, and I do my best to separately feed any birds that get chased away from the main feeders. In terms of mobility she can stand and walk but she won't unless she'll only be moving for a short period of time. She does have watery stool and a fairly squishy crop. Though I can try switching her to the watery feed and give her sugar water.
 
After going out to my coop to check on my birds today I noticed my Rhode Island Red cross Orange wasn’t moving around much or showing any interest in the feed. I’ve brought her inside at this point and administered an epsom salt bath just in case she was egg bound, and currently trying to get her to eat some scrambled eggs and oatmeal. However to no avail, as all she’s been doing is closing her eyes and not moving in the dog crate we’ve set her up in, and I fear that she may be too far gone. Please help if it isn’t too late already.
Orange passed about 20 minutes ago, but now I'll have to check the rest of my flock to avoid the possibility of any of them having contracted the same illness from her. I suspect she might've had sour crop or a respiratory issue due to how raspy her lungs and breathing sounded, but regards I'll have to closely monitor the rest of my flock incase I have any other potentially sickly birds.
 

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