My hen is sick, please help!

[Raccoo]

My hen, a 7 year old Ameraucana, is very ill.

Her eyes are swelled up, one more than the other. She's very weak, has lost a considerable amount of weight, and has diarrhea. She is too weak to get up on the perch, and she has been sitting on the ground. She is eating and drinking.

All of my other hens seem perfectly healthy, it's just her who is very sick. I don't know what this is, and I would greatly appreciate some help. I'm very worried for her.

Thank you,
Montana.

 

[fisherlady]

I'm not sure what her illness is, I'm not experienced enough yet to hazard a guess without more info...
a few questions that may help others to figure it out...

1) Is there any discharge from her nose or eyes?
2) Is she sneezing or coughing, does she sound congested or wheezy when you listen to her breathing?
3) Is diarrhea 'normal color' or is it dark red or black?
4) Has she been wormed anytime recently?
5) Feel her chest and abdomen, make note if you feel any hard lumps or if her crop is abnormally swollen or hard or spongey, is her breath sour?


In the meantime, can you bring her inside to keep her warm and secluded? If she has a respiratory infection you may want to seperate her from the other birds till you are sure it isn't something contageous.
Offer her water with electrolytes in it to maintain her strength and keep her hydrated

 

[chickenoverlord]

Sounds like it might be a respiratory illness. My chickens got a chest cold, and exhibited the same symptoms, plus nasal discharge. I hope she gets better. Call a ornithological vet in your area, and ask them. :-(

 

[Raccoo]

So sorry for the late reply!

I went to the feed store and they suspected 'eye worms'. I've never dealt with eye worms so I researched a lot about it.

They gave me a liquid medicine to put on the cleft in the roof of her mouth. I've treated her twice already, once per day. Her eyes seem to be open a bit more and she is more active.

 

[Suzie]

Raccoo...

That is great news ... she may also need feeding up a little... scrambled egg, yoghurt, tuna fish can help her regain some of her former weight loss...

Hope she keeps improving for you!

Suzie

 

[missnu01]

I watched a youtube of someone taking out eye worms...looked pretty gross...

 

[dawg53]

So sorry for the late reply!

I went to the feed store and they suspected 'eye worms'. I've never dealt with eye worms so I researched a lot about it.

They gave me a liquid medicine to put on the cleft in the roof of her mouth. I've treated her twice already, once per day. Her eyes seem to be open a bit more and she is more active.

Most likely you're dealing with a respiratory problem and not eyeworm. You can actually see eyeworm in the eye(s.) Birds will incessantly scratch their eye as well, causing blindness. Treatment for eyeworm is equal parts of water and valbazen, then flush the eyes with the mixture. Then give her orally undiluted 1/2cc valbazen and repeat dosing again in 10 days. You can see an eyeworm above the thumb and one in the front corner of the eye in the bottom pic. The worms are easily seen in the first pic.

 

[rbaker0345]

It sounds kind of like she is having an allergic reaction. If she were a human, I would guess she was allergic to seafood. I don't know what chickens can be allergic to. Its cold where you are, but could she have been stung? Are you bedding with straw or shavings? Have you changed something in her bedding or feed recently?