need some direction for a sick chicken

[azygous]

Yes, tube some food into her. When I have a very sick, weak chicken, no matter what I believe is the issue, I first treat the weakness as that could kill before an illness would.

Mix one raw egg with one teaspoon sugar, a bit of Nutri-drench, some protein soy powder if you have it, or a little uncooked cereal and warm water, about a fourth of a cup in all. Sometimes this can bring a chicken back from the brink.

 

[awagnon]

I will do that for her first feeding tomorrow after she's had her first salt flush for the day. Don't have any soy protein powder but I have egg white protein powder is that OK or will the raw egg suffice?? I also have some quick oats, but I read that oats are not good for them. Is that true??

 

[azygous]

I would feed her tonight. If she's starving, she might not last until morning. You should consider it an emergency feeding.

I feed my chickens oats all the time. I can't imagine they'd be bad for chickens as they are high in protein and vitamins. I wouldn't feed oats in place of commercial feed, but my chickens enjoy them as a treat. I'd rather they had oats than scratch grains which are lower in nutrition.

You need to limit the foods to mostly liquid, what can squeeze through a tube. The cereal I use for tube feeding is usually cream of wheat or rice as it's finely ground.

Feed your patient now. It could save her life.

 

[awagnon]

I would feed her tonight. If she's starving, she might not last until morning. You should consider it an emergency feeding.

I feed my chickens oats all the time. I can't imagine they'd be bad for chickens as they are high in protein and vitamins. I wouldn't feed oats in place of commercial feed, but my chickens enjoy them as a treat. I'd rather they had oats than scratch grains which are lower in nutrition.

You need to limit the foods to mostly liquid, what can squeeze through a tube. The cereal I use for tube feeding is usually cream of wheat or rice as it's finely ground.

Feed your patient now. It could save her life.

Ok. I gave her 1/4 cup of plain cream of wheat, egg, nutri-drench, and tsp of sugar mixture. I made the cream of wheat per pkg directions & mixed with the other ingredients. She was not happy, but I got it all in. Felt like a lot of the salt flush liquid was already moving out of her crop as it was not as big as it was right after I did that earlier. I was afraid I would overfill her crop tonite w 3/4 cup of liquid and food altogether, but thanks for letting me know I should not wait.

 

[awagnon]

well, miraculously she made it through the night. No real improvement however. I have given her her flush and her feeding this morning.

Sorry for all the poo pics but I know it can give us clues as to what's going on sometimes. First one is after 1 salt flush approx 3 hours later. Second one is first thing this morning. She had 2 salt flush tubings and 1 tube feeding. No more green at all. Things are def moving through, but it is really watery. Don't know if that's just from the salt flushes or not though.

Her comb is pale and she's just lying in the crate with her eyes closed, and her head is out in front of her and kind of lowered, but not on the crate floor.

It may be time to make the hard decision. I just don't know how much time I should give her to start bouncing back if she even will.

 

[azygous]

I would give her until tomorrow evening, although she should be showing signs of improvement by now.

Watery stools are expected with this flush.

 

[awagnon]

I would give her until tomorrow evening, although she should be showing signs of improvement by now.

Watery stools are expected with this flush.

Ok. I will give her more feedings between the flushes to try to get her energy up.

 

[azygous]

Actually, I would recommend just one more tube feeding before bedtime, and then watch and see if she starts eating on her own. One or two tube feedings should be all that are necessary to stimulate her to eat. Too much tube feeding removes the natural appetite, working at cross purposes.

 

[awagnon]

I had already given her another 1/4 c of the food mixture right after my last post. Her crop seemed to empty. I just gave her another salt flush and now she's not even holding her wings up on her body and her head is all the way down with her eyes closed. I think she's dying. I hope I can find out why she was sick and what killed her.

 

[Eggcessive]

@azygous, should she stop the Epsom salts now since her crop is empty, her droppings are pure fluid, and she is so weak? Do you have any NutriDrench or electrolytes? If not, can you feed some sugar water, 1 tsp per cup?