Looking after sick chicken for family

[Tookie]

Firstly, thank you both very much for all the help that you have provided so far. I really appreciate it. This community is so giving and knowledgeable.

We have been syringing a milk/flour mix into her beak, on the right hand side as described, probably gave her around 20cc total today. We tried with the chicken feed after soaking and mashing, but we couldn't get it into the syringe. Hoping that there's enough water and food in there to keep her stable. Let me know if this is the wrong thing to be doing. Will try adding some egg tomorrow also otherwise.

The crop feels totally empty. My wife has some experience with crops, and she says that it is empty. I worry that maybe she hasn't been eating for quite a long time, she is feeling very frail.

She opens her left eye when we are feeding her and I have seen her also open her right today when she was feeling a bit uncomfortable with the handling etc. Haven't seen any pus/debris in either. Will rinse her right with saline tomorrow. She definitely prefers to keep them closed, and has some trouble standing sometimes. I'd be keeping my eyes closed too, if I were her.

We will also try getting her to drink/eat a bit on her own tomorrow. She has shown little interest so far, but will sometimes have a little sip if her beak is dipped.

The head movement has probably lessened. I will check her ears more closely tomorrow, but I haven't seen anything obvious so far.

Have continued to use coconut oil on her legs, their condition seems to be improving. My wife also spotted a small amount of mites in/around her feathers also, but not bad at all. Will dust her later on, depending on how her condition goes.

OK, will try to get a stool sample tomorrow also, she will probably drop at least something tomorrow after that milk and flour.

I am in Western Australia, actually. A little town called Albany.

Your doing well on taking care of her.
If you have any energy drink give her some, it will help.
You just need to add more water to the feed to get it more watery. You can syringe raw egg into her.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

We have been syringing a milk/flour mix into her beak, on the right hand side as described, probably gave her around 20cc total today.

My wife also spotted a small amount of mites in/around her feathers also, but not bad at all. Will dust her later on, depending on how her condition goes.

The mites on the body need to go. I'd dust her and get rid of them, if it's mites and not lice, they will suck the life out of her.

In the crop feeding article I linked previously, it gives a guideline of amounts of fluid/feed that needs to be syringed/tubed daily. (3ml per 100grams weight) https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/crop-feeding.75454/

If you are unable to make a thin enough slurry from feed, then you should be able to find Baby Bird Formula that can be tubed. Likely in a pet shop. Here in the US Kaytee Exact is what most folks use, I'm not familiar enough what you have available to you but your shop keeper should be able to point you in the right direction.

 

[norn93]

Her condition has deteriorated. She has trouble standing by herself now, very wobbly. I've been syringe feeding her a sports drink (she is ~1.2kg so I've been feeding her around 40 cc per day) but it's getting harder and harder to get her to take it. I'm going to go to the shops now and buy some baby bird formula, and try to get some into her. Her legs seem relatively fine, but I'm finding it hard to tell. She has been losing weight, so I'm worried I'm not giving her enough. I had been giving her a water/egg mix, but also didn't see much of a change and was worried about dehydration.

 

[Tookie]

Her condition has deteriorated. She has trouble standing by herself now, very wobbly. I've been syringe feeding her a sports drink (she is ~1.2kg so I've been feeding her around 40 cc per day) but it's getting harder and harder to get her to take it. I'm going to go to the shops now and buy some baby bird formula, and try to get some into her. Her legs seem relatively fine, but I'm finding it hard to tell. She has been losing weight, so I'm worried I'm not giving her enough. I had been giving her a water/egg mix, but also didn't see much of a change and was worried about dehydration.

Sorry to hear.
Keep giving her the sports drink and the egg.
Do you have any greek yogurt?

 

[norn93]

I'll keep up with the sports drink and the egg. Also adding in some meat meal, some chick feed, and some wellness and vitality tonic from an Australian company called Anitone. Fingers and toes all crossed.

 

[Tookie]

I'll keep up with the sports drink and the egg. Also adding in some meat meal, some chick feed, and some wellness and vitality tonic from an Australian company called Anitone. Fingers and toes all crossed.

Yes, do give her all that, hopefully it will help!

 

[norn93]

Unfortunately, she passed away sometime last night. According to the net, Isa Browns only usually live for 2-3 years, and I do wish I had known that going into this: I might have understood that I was running a chicken hospice rather that a chicken hospital.

Thanks everyone for all their help, I'm confident that with your advice I was able to deliver the best possible care to this chicken, and give her a comfortable death. Still not sure exactly why she died, but I'm not very interested in an autopsy.

She has been buried under a nectarine tree, and I hope that the tree can continue to bear fruit just as she did.

Thanks again, I believe I'm a better chicken owner for having read your posts on this forum.

 

[Tookie]

Unfortunately, she passed away sometime last night. According to the net, Isa Browns only usually live for 2-3 years, and I do wish I had known that going into this: I might have understood that I was running a chicken hospice rather that a chicken hospital.

Thanks everyone for all their help, I'm confident that with your advice I was able to deliver the best possible care to this chicken, and give her a comfortable death. Still not sure exactly why she died, but I'm not very interested in an autopsy.

She has been buried under a nectarine tree, and I hope that the tree can continue to bear fruit just as she did.

Thanks again, I believe I'm a better chicken owner for having read your posts on this forum.

I'm so sorry she passed.
Production breeds like her are more prone to getting sick, especially with a reproduction issue. That's most likely what she had.
I used to have three Isa Browns, they all got sick and died.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry.