Lifeless chicken

[Ruby Mia]

I just got 3 x battery hens yesturday and they all seemed fine. But this later on today i noticed one of them seemed very down, wasn't moving, falling asleep standing up, not eating or drinking, seemed lifeless. just before she started acting like this she had just been pounced on and pecked by three other birds. She had been in the nesting box that day, but hadnt laid an egg, Also tonight when she was in the coop her tail feathers were down unlike the other battery hens feathers that were up. Is this just because she isn't used to being outside, or because she couldn't lay an egg that day, or is it some kind of illness?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Battery hens usually get a battery of antibiotics so she may be susceptible to a pathogen at your place that she wasn't exposed to on the egg farm.
I would definitely separate her till she improves or goes downhill and requires culling.
Did you quarantine the birds or just put them with your flock?

 

[Ruby Mia]

no didn't quarantine them, just put them in the coop.

 

[Ruby Mia]

opened the coop this morning and she was lying like a dead chicken and had been pecked and injured in the night. she hasn't stood up once today and were keeping her inside. she hasn't eaten either but drinking a little if we dip her beak in water. she has been sleeping all day aswell.we have phoned the rescue place that we got her from and she is going back tonight to try and get better their and were taking home another chicken.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

She needs to be put down.
Chickens don't appear ill unless they're on their last legs and suffering.

 

[hrhta812]

I'd get some electrolytes in her speedy quick, if I were you - unflavored pedialyte works. If you have some Nutri Drench or liquid vitamin B, give her some drops of that. She needs some aggressive intervention if she's going to make it. She needs food, too. Try getting her to eat some plain scrambled eggs, and maybe a little bit of some plain yogurt. A good warm soak in Epsom salt water would be very beneficial to clean her wounds and she'd absorb some minerals from the water. A 5-10 min. soak helps them feel better. I keep the chicken in the crate in a small room with a space heater after the soak, so she doesn't get chilled.

If I may say so, speaking as someone who has done animal rescue for over 10 years, the rescue should have instructed you not to put these new hens in with your existing flock, until 30 days passed.

The quarantine is, of course, to keep new chickens from bringing in illness, but it's also to give the new ones a chance to adapt to the new soil and various bacteria, etc. in the new environment. Even healthy chickens have their own particular "blend" of bacteria so to speak, and suddenly being exposed to a different blend can make them sick.

In the interest of the hens the rescue is trying to help, it sounds like they need to do a better job preparing the nice folks who are willing to care for the birds. I apologize if I sound too harsh or if I'm unaware of other facts that would explain the circumstances.

 

[casportpony]

She needs to be put down.
Chickens don't appear ill unless they're on their last legs and suffering.

She does sound very sick, probably past the point of no return, but one could try to give her emergency, supportive care.
http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/avmed/cam/07_emergency_and_critical_care.pdf

 

[ChickenCanoe]

..

The quarantine is, of course, to keep new chickens from bringing in illness, but it's also to give the new ones a chance to adapt to the new soil and various bacteria, etc. in the new environment. Even healthy chickens have their own particular "blend" of bacteria so to speak, and suddenly being exposed to a different blend can make them sick.

In the interest of the hens the rescue is trying to help, it sounds like they need to do a better job preparing the nice folks who are willing to care for the birds. I apologize if I sound too harsh or if I'm unaware of other facts that would explain the circumstances.

X2

 

[casportpony]

I'd get some electrolytes in her speedy quick, if I were you - unflavored pedialyte works. If you have some Nutri Drench or liquid vitamin B, give her some drops of that. She needs some aggressive intervention if she's going to make it. She needs food, too. Try getting her to eat some plain scrambled eggs, and maybe a little bit of some plain yogurt. A good warm soak in Epsom salt water would be very beneficial to clean her wounds and she'd absorb some minerals from the water. A 5-10 min. soak helps them feel better. I keep the chicken in the crate in a small room with a space heater after the soak, so she doesn't get chilled.

If she is very sick, the stress of getting her wet will probably kill her. She needs to be in a warm place and once she's warm enough, one could try giving warmed fluids with a tube, but only if she can still sit or stand. She should not have food until her hydration is corrected.

If I may say so, speaking as someone who has done animal rescue for over 10 years, the rescue should have instructed you not to put these new hens in with your existing flock, until 30 days passed.

The quarantine is, of course, to keep new chickens from bringing in illness, but it's also to give the new ones a chance to adapt to the new soil and various bacteria, etc. in the new environment. Even healthy chickens have their own particular "blend" of bacteria so to speak, and suddenly being exposed to a different blend can make them sick.

In the interest of the hens the rescue is trying to help, it sounds like they need to do a better job preparing the nice folks who are willing to care for the birds. I apologize if I sound too harsh or if I'm unaware of other facts that would explain the circumstances.

I agree.

 

[casportpony]

From:http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/avmed/cam/07_emergency_and_critical_care.pdf

Supportive Care
SICK-BIRD ENCLOSURES
Sick birds are often hypothermic and should be placed
in heated (brooder-type) enclosures


b (Fig 7.7) in a quiet
environment (see Chapter 1, Clinical Practice). A temperature
of 85° F (29° C) with 70% humidity is desirable
for most sick birds. If brooders are not equipped with a
humidity source, placing a small dish of water in the
enclosure will often supply adequate humidity. A moist
towel that is heated and placed on the bottom of a cage
or incubator rapidly humidifies the environment, as indicated​

by the fogging of the acrylic cage front.

FLUID THERAPY
Oral Administration
Oral administration is the ideal method of giving fluids.
This method is more commonly used in mildly dehydrated
birds or in conjunction with subcutaneous (SC)
or intravenous (IV) therapy. Oral rehydration (30 ml/kg
PO q 6-8 h) also may be used in larger birds (eg, waterfowl)
that are difficult to restrain for parenteral fluid​

therapy.

ORAL NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS
Below are listed some of the oral nutritional supplements
that can be gavage-fed to debilitated birds. Various
hand-feeding formulas are on the market and, as a
whole, are far superior to the homemade formulas used
decades ago that contained monkey biscuits, peanut butter
and ground seeds. Commercially available hand-feeding
formulas for baby birds are often utilized in the treatment
of sick and debilitated adult birds. The quantity
that can be fed at one time to a sick bird is greatly
reduced from that of baby birds. On the average, a baby
parrot can accommodate 10% of its body weight per
feeding due to the elasticity of the crop and its rapid
emptying. Adult birds have a greatly decreased crop
capacity, averaging 3% of their body weight. Additionally,
sick birds are less tolerant of food in the crop and care
must be taken to avoid regurgitation and/or aspiration.
A sick or debilitated bird should always have its
hydration corrected prior to attempting to initiate​

oral gavage-feeding.