My chicken is sick.

[DB1974]

Hi I was reading through some of the other posts and couldn't quite work out the problem with my chook. I think she is dieing, she is about 3 or 4 years old. She started molting maybe a few weeks ago. Just the last couple of days she seemed quite still, so i took her aside and have been feeding her up on yoghurt, cat food, oats and seeds. Some times she shows interest today she hasn't eaten at all. Her poos are normally, just a lot more liquid. She seems to have lost some weight. Hasn't layed in a while since the molt started. I had to separate her from the group yesterday as the lowest chook decided to take her on and she had barely the energy to stand up. She was our head chook and our oldest and we are very worried. I haven't wormed her, though all the others are in good form. Its very ho here today, she is drinking water. I will go and offer her some scrambled eggs now. Any ideas anyone? Could she be getting too old for the molt I feel bad like there should of been something i should be doing.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

With losing weight and some diarrhea you can either worm her or - some vets will do a fecal float for worms/cocci for a small fee (just bring a sample- false negatives are possible).

Also check for mites/lice.

 

[DB1974]

She does have mites and lot of them. I treated her today and cannot find one live one anywhere. She has had some worming treatment. It is really hot here and she has barely eaten or drunken all day. I just got her interested in some goats milk. I started to call her and she was shaking her head when i called her, like discomfort or something in her ears. Could the mites have gone in her ears. Do chicken get a disease that damages thier hearing. She hasn;t barely walked around all day and I'm so worried. Any one heard of this before. Please.......

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Mites can kill chickens. They suck the blood out and they die of anemia and weakness. Also the constant itching drives them nuts.

Yes they can go in the ears. But when my chickens get mites, they shake their heads as if to get the mites off their necks. When I dust them the shaking stops. I am sorry - I don't know about ear mites but you can search google or byc for that if no one answers.

Make sure you toss the bedding and spray the coop. Redust the chickens and toss the bedding, spray the coop again every 7 days until bugs dead, to kill the hatching eggs.

If you don't retreat they will come back like you didn't even treat them. Mites can cause feather loss, as does molting of course. High protein diet is good.

 

[DB1974]

Thank you so much for replying. She is just the same today, the only thing she is interested in is goats milk but won't eat unless i put it right in her face. I can't find one mite on her now and she only shakes her head when I speak to her or make a noise. Its strange its like sound is bothering her. I have to keep her away from the other chickens now as she is getting attacked, so she is just standing on the laundry floor not really moving, just pooing occasionally. Poor Ziggy. I really appreciate your help though. I might try her on some more scrambled eggs. Have a nice night/day. Its afternoon here.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Thank you so much for replying. She is just the same today, the only thing she is interested in is goats milk but won't eat unless i put it right in her face. I can't find one mite on her now and she only shakes her head when I speak to her or make a noise. Its strange its like sound is bothering her. I have to keep her away from the other chickens now as she is getting attacked, so she is just standing on the laundry floor not really moving, just pooing occasionally. Poor Ziggy. I really appreciate your help though. I might try her on some more scrambled eggs. Have a nice night/day. Its afternoon here.

Chickens will do that if inside a shed or enclosure and you talk to them- they will shake their heads when you talk. I believe it is normal since I have seen it over and over again with flocks that were too new to have mites (young ones).

But that is not to say that you don't have an ear mite problem- I wouldn't know.

I hope it all works out and good day to you too!

 

[chickschool]

Poor baby. I feel so badly for you and her and I wish I had some words of wisdom.

I really hope she recovers. Please keep us posted.

 

[DB1974]

Well a few days have passed. We were very worried. Ziggy seemed so disoriented. She took the goats milk for two days. My partner and I were discussing putting her down. I went down to the laundry, very upset. Showed her the food and she started eating!!!!!!! I couldn't believe it! It was weird though when she went for the food she missed by about an inch each time but pecked quite hard. I rang my friend the vet, no ideas maybe brain damage. I went down to our local vet and she said that if her ear drums were damaged by mites that it could possibly take a week or so for them to start to heal. I was recommended to keep her in a quiet place for a week. Any way she has gradually been getting better. She didn't walk for a few days but took more and more of a liking to food. Her aim is gradually getting better. Now i have her in her own little run, to protect her from the other chookies. She still isn't quite herself, her hearing is sensitive still but only shakes her head if the sound is loud. She does this thing when she sits still where her head starts to slowly move back and then she adjusts it forward then it slowly moves back its weird, like if she wasn't careful her head would fall back and off her neck! She is sleeping in the laundry at night and last night she had her head all curled up behind her and was barely bothered at all by me and my daughter passing in and out to the studio. I think she will probably be okay, I'd say she will eventually have a cop a bit of her own medicine when i put her back in with the other chooks, there is only 3, and she was the head chook. I think the silkies should leave her alone, though they will probably be relieved that she isn't trying to make out with them anymore. Thankyou for your concern. I'll let you know how she goes and when she gets put back in with the others.

That is weird about the chickens in sheds shaking their heads. My chooks have always lived in our back yard. I wonder if the acoustics of the sheds affect them!

Take care and enjoy your day/night!!!!

 

[chickschool]

I'm am so glad to hear she's on the mend. It can be scary when you just don't know what they may or may not need. You're a good mama.