My laying hen passed

[Greekwuzhere]

I give my laying hens laying crumble and leftover food sometimes. Such as mashed potatoes pork chops bread etc recently one of my hens stopped eating and lost weight her coop mate is fine so I started making scrambled eggs and she would eat it but was still not doing much better other then laying down. My hen was Lethargic And didn't eat much at all other then the eggs I made her and a very little crumble for about three weeks so I got some electrolyte powder and put it in her water and multi worming stuff to add in the feed. Her stools were watery and foamy and the lady at the feed store told me she probably had worms or a intestinal problem. The lady told me not to ever feed my hens eggs or meats etc even left over chicken. Is she right if so why are the other chickens fine. They love the leftover foods. I am distraught over losing my hen and assumed it must have been worms or some intestinal problem I only had used the powder one day before she passed so I'm not sure what was wrong.

 

[ChickenChaser9]

I give my laying hens laying crumble and leftover food sometimes. Such as mashed potatoes pork chops bread etc recently one of my hens stopped eating and lost weight her coop mate is fine so I started making scrambled eggs and she would eat it but was still not doing much better other then laying down. My hen was Lethargic And didn't eat much at all other then the eggs I made her and a very little crumble for about three weeks so I got some electrolyte powder and put it in her water and multi worming stuff to add in the feed. Her stools were watery and foamy and the lady at the feed store told me she probably had worms or a intestinal problem. The lady told me not to ever feed my hens eggs or meats etc even left over chicken. Is she right if so why are the other chickens fine. They love the leftover foods. I am distraught over losing my hen and assumed it must have been worms or some intestinal problem I only had used the powder one day before she passed so I'm not sure what was wrong.

The feed store knows nothing. Chickens are omnivores just like people. If she ate something rotten then just like a person the hen could get sick from that. Three weeks is a long time for her to be symptomatic. If you want to know for sure you need to take the hen to a vet and get a necropsy done on her. I assure you that that most human food s chicken safe with a few exceptions like avocado skins but you can google that info easily. It is not likely to be worms if only one chicken is ill. I am not an expert but I hope that this info helps. Best wishes.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

There's a lot to chew on here.

That's why one should never get poultry advice from feed store employees.
(my apologies to feed store employees that actually know something about chickens)
Feed store employees know where the chicken feed is stored but haven't been to vet school or maybe never even raised many chickens.
Chickens are omnivores, so eggs. meat, fish, insects, etc. are good for them.
Once the chicken, turkey, whatever is dead and cooked, it's just good animal protein which is much more complete in the array of essential amino acids than any vegetative source.
What was her logic behind never giving eggs or meat?

Being in the south, worms are a remote possibility.
It was likely some other illness.
The best course of action is to send the bird to your state poultry lab for necropsy and lab work.
Bronson Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory
Florida Department of Ag and Consumer Services
2700 N. John Young Parkway
Kissimmee, Florida 34741-1266
Phone: 321-697-1400
Anthelmintics are harsh meds and that may have been what pushed her over the edge but there is no way to know for sure.
If you choose not to have a necropsy, this may guide you but without lab results, you'll never know.
http://www.worldpoultry.net/Health/health_tool/

 

[Eggcessive]

Impacted or sour crop, or internal laying problems can be common causes of illness in chickens. Sometimes doing a necropsy on a chicken at home, you can see some problems, but a professional necropsy is best to find a cause of death. Bodies must be refrigerated when shipped for necropsy.