My 11 month old hen has been very sick off and on and I could really use some help.

[DeLorean00]

It's not your fault. When I got my chickens I was feeding them only scratch, and then I opened the other bag that I got and it was layer feed.

I am just happy that I have something to that I can do that I know will help. They both will benefit from a better diet.

Also now thinking about it this makes a lot of sense. I bought WAY too much starter scratch back when I got my girls so they ate starter scratch until they were about 6 months old. It was after I changed over she got sick the first time.

 

[andreanar]

You should only be giving treats as 10% of their diet. 90% of the time, they should be eating their feed. I throw out like 2 handfuls of scratch a day for my 10 chickens. I give them eggs, veggies, fruits, mealworms, and meat, sometimes chicken .
I never give bread.

 

[azygous]

I second the advice on not feeding bread. Even though chickens love the stuff, it sets them up for sour and impacted crop.

That's another thing you need to check. Make sure your chickens have full, firm crops at night and empty crops in the morning. If a crop is still full after 12 hours, I suspect impacted or sour crop, sometimes it can be both.

Also, please put both chickens through a course of Amprolium (Corid). Wait a few days until your sick hen is back on her feet, though. Cocci treatment requires the blocking of certain vitamins to kill the parasites. Resume vitamins in a week after the Corid is done. You will need to repeat the Corid again in another week after the week off, suspending vitamins again.

I wouldn't recommend this but there's a real chance both hens have a good infestation from malnutrition.

 

[abraga]

I concur with everyone...your hen has malnutrician. I would get her eating good and on some vitamins and take a poo sample to the vet to check for cocci/parasites before putting her on corid. Corid blocks vitamin k and you should not give vitamins while treating for cocci as they nullify the treatment. So...corid works by blocking magnesium to " starve" ths cocci. So..i would have a fecal done 1st.

 

[azygous]

That's a good suggestion - get a fecal float test done first to see if cocci parasites are present before stopping the vitamins which are critical for recovery from malnutrition. Any vet should be able to do it for you.

Just to clarify, though, it's B vitamins that are being blocked by Corid.

 

[aart]

starter scratch

What is 'starter scratch'?
Can you take pics of the feed bags and tags sewn into bottom of bags?

 

[DeLorean00]

What is 'starter scratch'?
Can you take pics of the feed bags and tags sewn into bottom of bags?

I am not at the bags right now. But it is the Purina Start and Grow medicated. My feed store called it starter scratch.

As for the bread, I was worried about their crops so I only feed it to them in small amounts here and there. I monitor their crops too to see if they feel swollen or different. I guess I got lucky that my girls survived as well as they have they both seem perfectly healthy but clearly that is not the case with Big Red. Another thing I forgot to bring up is that they do like to run to the cat food bowls and go to town. I try not to have food with chicken in it, but is it bad for them to eat wet cat food? I don't encourage it but they are sneaky, I will turn my back and I will hear them jack hammering away at any dried wet food left on the side of the bowls or running off with the food that is there.

Finally, my hens are just beginning to molt as well. I believe this on top of the poor diet probably were the main factors in Big Red getting sick this time. I am going to follow the advice here. You all have really helped me. I overlooked something that could have cost me my pet and I am very lucky to have had this forum to help. So thank you everyone!

 

[azygous]

Purina Start and Grow is not the same thing as we were all thinking it was.
This is what Purina has on the label:
Purina Start & Grow Medicated is formulated with optimum nutrition for raising laying chicks from hatch to laying age (18-20 weeks). This complete feed with 18% - protein and quality nutrients is perfect for a strong start and early hen development. Formulated with prebiotics, probiotics and yeast to support optimum digestive health and immune function.

• Prebiotics, Probiotics and Yeast: Supports immune and digestive health
• Complete and Balanced: Wholesome, complete nutrition, no supplements necessary; all required nutrients are present
• Essential Amino Acids: Excellent muscle and skeletal development
• Enhanced with lysine and methionine to give birds the healthy nutrients they need for healthy growth
• Exclusive Level of Marigold Extract: For brightly-colored beaks, shanks and overall appearance, with a high level of xanthophyll, derived from marigolds, to ensure bright coloring for a beautiful flock
• Key Level of Vitamin A: Strong Vitamin A fortification helps birds grow into healthy adult birds
• Medicated: Treated with Amprolium, a coccidiastat
• Optimized level of Vitamin E: A strong level of Vitamin E helps maintain a robust immune system
• Superior Nutrition: Consistent, superior nutrition for fast starts, optimal growth and great-looking birds

Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein (min.) 18%
Crude Fat (min.) 3%
Crude Fiber (max.) 5%
Lysine (min.) 0.88%
Calcium (Ca) (min.) 0.75%
Calcium (Ca) (max.) 1.25%
Phosphorus (P) (min.) 0.55%
Salt (NaCl) (min.) 0.35%
Salt (NaCl) (max.) 0.85
Vitamin A (min.) 5000 IU/lb.
Vitamin E (min.) 14IU/lb.
Methionine (min.) 0.32
Phytase (A. Oryzae) (min.) 227 FYT/lb.

Feeding Instructions:
Feed Purina Start & Grow continuously as the sole ration from hatch until laying age (18-20 weeks). Or for a flock of various types of poultry, feed Purina Flock Raiser free-choice until laying age. Then feed Purina Layena free-choice.

That it's called "scratch" is misleading. We all thought you were talking about scratch grain which is mostly ground corn and some bird seed thrown in.

 

[aart]

but is it bad for them to eat wet cat food?

Long term it's not good....a bit for boost once in while is not terrible.
Sounds like you need to confine your birds with a good chicken ration and lots of clean plain water and nothing else for a few weeks, see if that improves things.
I would go with Purina Flock Raiser for the extra protein to help them thru the molt.

 

[azygous]

So, you haven't been starving them of nutrition as we all first thought.
(Insert the sound of screeching brakes.)

Let's begin again.

We are dealing with a chronically sick hen. A upgrade in diet is a good start. Feeding a higher protein feed can't hurt. Also Poultry Nutri-drench will main-line some important nutrients into this hen's system.

Get that fecal float test done on samples from both hens ASAP. Have the lab look for all parasites, not just cocci. You may be dealing with other worms.

You haven't been hurting your hens with a bad diet. This hen may have a chronic infection. Let's rule out parasites first and go from there.