Needing all suggestions feeding my 8+ yr old Araucana hen

[Pauladore]

I have a Araucana at least 8+ yrs old. Super sweet and good with the kids. She has been with my grandkids their whole lives. She was in coop with a 4 yr old and a 13 yr old lemon orpington. I introduced 6- 5 month old lemon orpingtons to the coop about 3 weeks ago. I started noticing Jessie my Araucana, did not have food in her crop at night. Now she is blind in 1 eye. I observed her high stepping her walk a little over a week ago. So I put her and Marie my 13 yr old in a small kennel under heat lamp to see if maybe the youngins were not letting her get to the food. Marie ate but not Jessie. 4 days later she started coming down fast. I could just barely get a little water with electrolytes down her with a syringe. I thought she’d lived out her life and was dying. She would not move at all could not hold her head up. I only knew she was still breathing because her heart still beating. Every now and then she would do this 360 thing with her neck and flap real hard. I figured maybe a seizure? Well about the 3rd day of this I figured ok she is fighting to hang on. I held her all night waiting for her to take her last breathe which did not come. So I decided to fight with her. I called around for a feeding tube which no one would sell me. I used a catheter and got some antibiotics and parrot formula and added vitamins and started tube feeding her. I have done this before, with an injured hen so I knew how. So now after maybe 5 tube feedings, she is trying to pick herself up on her back legs, about 10 seconds, but cannot pick her head and neck up. She flaps her way out of the small bed I have her in. Its that she has lost so much tissue and she is almost all bones. I know this may take a little time for recovery, but any ideas that would be good for a formula for tube feeding to build her body mast up? I am currently using exact parrot handfeeding formula. And no she is no longer laying.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I have a Araucana at least 8+ yrs old. Super sweet and good with the kids. She has been with my grandkids their whole lives. She was in coop with a 4 yr old and a 13 yr old lemon orpington. I introduced 6- 5 month old lemon orpingtons to the coop about 3 weeks ago. I started noticing Jessie my Araucana, did not have food in her crop at night. Now she is blind in 1 eye. I observed her high stepping her walk a little over a week ago. So I put her and Marie my 13 yr old in a small kennel under heat lamp to see if maybe the youngins were not letting her get to the food. Marie ate but not Jessie. 4 days later she started coming down fast. I could just barely get a little water with electrolytes down her with a syringe. I thought she’d lived out her life and was dying. She would not move at all could not hold her head up. I only knew she was still breathing because her heart still beating. Every now and then she would do this 360 thing with her neck and flap real hard. I figured maybe a seizure? Well about the 3rd day of this I figured ok she is fighting to hang on. I held her all night waiting for her to take her last breathe which did not come. So I decided to fight with her. I called around for a feeding tube which no one would sell me. I used a catheter and got some antibiotics and parrot formula and added vitamins and started tube feeding her. I have done this before, with an injured hen so I knew how. So now after maybe 5 tube feedings, she is trying to pick herself up on her back legs, about 10 seconds, but cannot pick her head and neck up. She flaps her way out of the small bed I have her in. Its that she has lost so much tissue and she is almost all bones. I know this may take a little time for recovery, but any ideas that would be good for a formula for tube feeding to build her body mast up? I am currently using exact parrot handfeeding formula. And no she is no longer laying.View attachment 2355692View attachment 2355692View attachment 2355699

I believe she's at the end of her life line, & is preparing to pass on. A chicken preparing to die will usually not eat.

 

[RainbowHen]

I have always tube fed blended chick starter. Works great for me. Wishing you the best

 

[Pauladore]

I believe she's at the end of her life line, & is preparing to pass on. A chicken preparing to die will usually not eat.

Do you happen to know ho ling this process can last? Its so heartbreaken to watch her like this.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Do you happen to know ho ling this process can last? Its so heartbreaken to watch her like this.

No, not personally.
All I can suggest is to make her as comfortable as possible?

 

[RainbowHen]

@Eggcessive

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your hen Jessie. Most of my hens are 7and 8, and this year I have lost my last 2 nine year olds, and 2 of my 8 year olds. Is the last picture of her standing before she was sick? It sounds like she is failing, and we usually do not know what is wrong exactly until an autopsy can be done after death. I would give her a vitamin supplement and feed her as you have, sometimes offering some treats of scrambled egg, tuna, or canned cat food if you have those. As long as your tube feeding mix is complete, that is fine. Some grind chicken feed, and add as much water to make it go through a feeding tube. Check her crop in early morning to make sure that it is emptying overnight.

Some of her symptoms sound neurological, perhaps like Mareks disease. Vitamin E 400 IU daily can be helpful with neurological problems. Hopefully, the new additions to the flock have not brought something in that may have harmed her. I would try to make her comfortable as you have, but if she seems to be suffering, I would consider putting her down.

 

[Pauladore]

Sorry about your hen Jessie. Most of my hens are 7and 8, and this year I have lost my last 2 nine year olds, and 2 of my 8 year olds. Is the last picture of her standing before she was sick? It sounds like she is failing, and we usually do not know what is wrong exactly until an autopsy can be done after death. I would give her a vitamin supplement and feed her as you have, sometimes offering some treats of scrambled egg, tuna, or canned cat food if you have those. As long as your tube feeding mix is complete, that is fine. Some grind chicken feed, and add as much water to make it go through a feeding tube. Check her crop in early morning to make sure that it is emptying overnight.

Some of her symptoms sound neurological, perhaps like Mareks disease. Vitamin E 400 IU daily can be helpful with neurological problems. Hopefully, the new additions to the flock have not brought something in that may have harmed her. I would try to make her comfortable as you have, but if she seems to be suffering, I would consider putting her down.

Thank you for responding, Jessie is still with me. Some days she improves some days like we are not. I am giving her the exact parrot baby formula with vitamin e and selimum and B-12 with poultry booster. Antibiotic from the vet and I add a little yogurt. She wants to stand but for only seconds but she cannot pick head up to walk. While sitting she can hold her neck but its wobbly. One thing I am noticing is with every breathe she takes she extends her neck but does not open her beak. So Don't know if Gape-worm or shes trying to process food in crop. I did get some Harrisons juvenile parrot formula and tried her with that one and its like she was having seizures with her neck all night. I have not given to her after that. I went back to the exact formula. It has not happened since. She sleeps on me so I monitor her through the night. The only thing I see is this neck stretching she does as she breathes. I have searched on line and can’t find anything to just neck stretching.