My Maggie is sick :(

[Ch1ckenl1ps]

Hello My name is Reece and I am new here. Can someone please help?? I have read threads but I am unsure how to diagnose my hens problem.

The other day I let our hen out for a run around the yard..... 3 days later she is foaming from the mouth. She isn't eating her food or drinking.

These things have happened this week.

1= She pigged out on a kingfish frame that was laying in the backyard.... She is more cat than my cat on loves fresh fish.

2= She got into a over grown garden that had Rhubarb, pumpkin, Tomato's and raspberries in it. Deadly Nightshade?? I don't know. I don't know how to medicate for any of these poisons.

3= Also I wanted to give her some company so I tried introducing a caged hen into her enclosure a few weeks ago but she tried killing it. Now I know where the Peeking order comes from and the other hen was removed.

What can I do?

I can't bring myself to put her out of her misery as she is whanau (family)

Yours sincerly

Unhappy dad

 

[chooks4life]

Hello My name is Reece and I am new here. Can someone please help?? I have read threads but I am unsure how to diagnose my hens problem.

The other day I let our hen out for a run around the yard..... 3 days later she is foaming from the mouth. She isn't eating her food or drinking.

These things have happened this week.

1= She pigged out on a kingfish frame that was laying in the backyard.... She is more cat than my cat on loves fresh fish.

Possibly she got a bone stuck in her throat or crop? Chickens love meat, but large fish isn't really something natural for them to eat and they'd need generational exposure to develop instincts about how to safely eat bony fish. You could gently feel her crop to see if it's blocked or has an object in it. I'd be as gentle as possible in case handling it pushed it to pierce into flesh. If you have to, cutting her crop open isn't the worst thing, they can survive that just fine (if you observe proper disinfecting practices) and can even live without crops.

2= She got into a over grown garden that had Rhubarb, pumpkin, Tomato's and raspberries in it. Deadly Nightshade?? I don't know. I don't know how to medicate for any of these poisons.

Rhubarb is quite dangerous to some animals if they eat too much. I've heard of one cow who would eat only one leaf once a week or so. Deadly Nightshade here isn't really deadly, and birds eat the berries without problems, and they can eat many things we can't, but you may have legitimate Deadly Nightshade there. I don't know, where are you located? If in Europe, you may have the real deal and that could be poisonous to her.

Generally speaking, a massive overdose of vitamin C will treat many poisons, activated carbon/charcoal will too, and there's a few things you could try besides those but they're a great and very comprehensive start. You should always have them in your medicine cabinet/first aid box.

3= Also I wanted to give her some company so I tried introducing a caged hen into her enclosure a few weeks ago but she tried killing it. Now I know where the Peeking order comes from and the other hen was removed.

That hen could have brought in disease, but it's more likely her foaming from the mouth is from something she ate, I'd think. Pecking order in normal, socially healthy poultry doesn't involve killing or even harming one another. Bullying, cannibalism, featherpecking etc are all negative social traits we bred into them, not actually natural to the species.

What can I do?

I would check her crop and abdomen to see if they're blocked or contain any hard, solid objects (check gently as her skeleton and internal organs can feel like blockages in themselves if you're very heavy handed)...

I would give her an overdose of vitamin C (i.e. several thousand milligrams dissolved in water) and about an hour or so after that, activated carbon powder mixed into a liquid in water. I'd force feed both, not give her an option. The sooner you give them detoxifiers when they're poisoned, the better.

Best wishes with her.

 

[Ch1ckenl1ps]

She hasn't got any better. 5 days on and she is starving. She has yellow seppish stuff from her rear end.... Any idea????

Anyone please

 

[Nambroth]

I'm so sorry about your hen. Can you describe her symptoms in as much detail as you can? Please listen to her breathing... does it sound raspy, gurgly, like clicking? Does she have any discharge or bubbling from her eyes, mouth, or nostrils?

Please feel her crop... Here is a photo in case you are not familiar with the crop:

Diagram of crop location
Where the crop is located (warning, plucked chicken)

Does it feel full? Hard? Squishy? Empty (flat)?

Is she drinking at all? How old is she, and has she ever laid eggs?