My Polish is dying

[waibel zoo]

I have a 4 month old WHB polish, Blackberry, that is dying. She has not started laying yet. Poop is normal. No longer eating or drinking I am syringing her water. She is weak and can not stand. She can barely hold her head up. She is eating finisher chick feed, table scraps and scratch. About 3 days ago she was not leaving the coop in the moring. Just hanging out in there, and then she started sleeping in the nest boxes. SO I brought her in thinking maybe she is eggbound. She got several warm soaks and some KY around her vent. I do not feel any masses. There are no injuies on her. She has not been out of the coop. No birds have been introduced. Noone else is feeling bad.


What can I do now? What is wrong?

 

[froggie71]

Any sign of mites?

 

[waibel zoo]

No mites, no pests of any kind. She is very clean, I have been preening and petting her. No other chickens are acting ill. I have a chicken tractor, so the coop moves daily over fresh grass.

 

[waibel zoo]

Alos the grass has not been fertilized. I really adore her.

 

[froggie71]

I wish I had an answer. Have you tried giving her sugar water or honey for a quick pick me up? Maybe she needs vitamins? Hopefully someone else can help you. Good luck.

 

[froggie71]

Update on your Polish?

 

[waibel zoo]

Well, she is stillalive. I have been syringing her sugar water and yogurt for the past two days. She seems a little stonger today. I think I will go get some baby food to give her as well. A meat and a veggie like sweet potatoes. I still have no clue what is wrong. Noone else is sick.

 

[ChooksChick]

Your best bet to shoot some nutrients into her is to get baby parrot food (Exact is a good brand) and feed her as much as she'll eat. It's high in protein and has vitamins, minerals, electrolytes and probiotics in it.

It's a huge help when something makes them not want to eat, and I saved my Polish with it when she was little.

I'm so sorry- this would make me very sad!

Best of luck!

ETA- you can also mix it to be fairly watery if she'll allow, and that gets plenty of moisture into her, too! Dehydration is you worst enemy, but she needs to eat, too.

 

[froggie71]

waibel zoo, I'm glad to hear she is doing a bit better.

Chookschick thanks for adding about the baby parrot food. I'm still pretty new at chickens and it sounds like something I should get to keep on hand.

 

[purpletree23]

Could you clarify the feed. Is it chick feed or finisher? I'm pretty sure that at 4 months she needs a grower feed. If I'm wrong someone please correct me.

I would give her Poly Vi Sol vitamins (walmart) without iron. One drop in the morning and one at night. You need to get her to eat. Try anything. When sick my girls love scrambled egg. Give her Pedialite to keep her hydrated. Use a dropper and drop the liquid on the top/side of her beak so the liquid slowly rolls into her beak so she can swallow it and won't get it into her lungs. Mix the Pedialite with some chicken food and see if she will eat that. Grate up a tiny bit of apple and mix that with the pellets. No skin on the apple.

Are you sure no mites or lice? Use a flashlight and look at the base of the feathers. Keep her indoors with you so she can rest and get well. Make sure she has water and food at all times.

Very important to get fluids in her.