Lethargic sick chicken

[Ljpitz]

How is she acting now?

About the same. I did another vitamin/electrolyte egg yolk mash just now with her to get some water and nutrients in her...

 

[Tookie]

I'll tag the experts.
@azygous @Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive

 

[azygous]

Your hen has a reproductive crisis going on, maybe with infection so try to locate an oral antibiotic to start her on. She also needs a calcium citrate tablet immediately to expel any egg material left inside her oviduct, and it's wise to assume the shell-less eggs are hers. She may have another one in there or remains from previous ones.

Get this type calcium as it goes to work quickest, and give her one tablet whole by mouth each day until she's acting normal again.

 

[Ljpitz]

Your hen has a reproductive crisis going on, maybe with infection so try to locate an oral antibiotic to start her on. She also needs a calcium citrate tablet immediately to expel any egg material left inside her oviduct, and it's wise to assume the shell-less eggs are hers. She may have another one in there or remains from previous ones.

Get this type calcium as it goes to work quickest, and give her one tablet whole by mouth each day until she's acting normal again. View attachment 3245197

Thank you. I added a calcium tab to her food mash this afternoon. Will start antibiotics tomorrow

 

[azygous]

If she eats all the mash, fine, but she needs the full dose of calcium to do any good. The calcium is an emergency tactic, not a simple supplement. It is easy to pry open her beak and shove the whole tablet inside. I guarantee she will not choke.

 

[Ljpitz]

If she eats all the mash, fine, but she needs the full dose of calcium to do any good. The calcium is an emergency tactic, not a simple supplement. It is easy to pry open her beak and shove the whole tablet inside. I guarantee she will not choke.

Okay, yes. She ate the whole mash, which was the whole calcium pill, i smashed up the pill and mushed it together in about a 1/3 cup of yolk and nutridrench, so it wasnt much so i could make sure she ate it all. I hand fed the whole thing to her. She was very pampered. She's slightly better this morning but her posture is still about the same. Yesterday she was all hunched and puffed (uncomfortable looking). I will repeat here in a few minutes to give her a second dose. How many doses do you think she needs? Thank you so much!

 

[azygous]

One dose per day at around 630mg. until she is back to normal behavior. After that, if she lays an abnormal shell or no shell, start the calcium up again until eggs are normal. Then oyster shell on demand after the eggs are good again.

 

[Ljpitz]

One dose per day at around 630mg. until she is back to normal behavior. After that, if she lays an abnormal shell or no shell, start the calcium up again until eggs are normal. Then oyster shell on demand after the eggs are good again.

Okay thank you. My pills at 1000mg and just fed her a whole one!

 

[azygous]

Great! Chickens really are able to swallow pills that would choke a human. It's because they don't need to chew as we do.

 

[Ljpitz]

Great! Chickens really are able to swallow pills that would choke a human. It's because they don't need to chew as we do.

Shes doing immensely better (24 hrs after first calcium and antibiotic dose). Thank you for your help! Hopefully she remains on the upswing! No egg yet today (none from any of my ladies today? But it's been super rainy and cloudy and they're old bitties...) so well see what tomorrow holds.