Pale, lethargic chicken

[Eggcessive]

I am so glad to hear that she is improving. I had had several chickens go from the brink of death to recovering, just by making an effort to get food and water in them. Hopefully her recovery will continue.

 

[KatsGotChicks]

I thought she was doing better! I guess it was all the stuff I was feeding her w/ a syringe. I stopped since she seemed like she was eating on her own. It looks like all she did was eat mealworms and ignore the water and feed I put in with her. Today she is limp and listless and only interested in sleeping. She won’t even eat more mealworms. Damn. It’s looking like whatever is wrong inside her isn’t healing, and I’m thinking it might be kinder to put her down. I have no idea how long it would take for her to recover, and she might just keep slowly declining even if I keep force feeding her. She never did get strong enough to stand up. I don’t want her to continue to suffer, and living in a cardboard box and being force fed isn’t any kind of quality of life. Anyone have any advice, or words of encouragement?

 

[Morrigan]

You've clearly done the best you could for her. If she hasn't improved despite all the care and attention you've given her over the last week, I think the chances of her recovering are slim. I guess it's possible she could have some type of internal parasite or infection that could be treated successfully, but that may be a bit of a long shot, and would involve medications and possibly a vet. If she were my hen, I think I would put her down at this point. It is always a very hard decision.

 

[Eggcessive]

Have you tried a chicken sling to get her upright, and in front of food and water? Google chicken slings for pictures. I’m sorry that she is going downhill again. You have been treating her pretty long now. Do you think she might perk up and eat if she was with another chicken?

You could check into tube feeding her a couple of times a day, which would only take about 5 minutes. KayTee bird feed given through a feeding tube is good. @casportpony has a thread about it called “go team tube feeding,” and there are videos that you can watch on how to insert a tube.

You can the one to decide if she is just suffering or not. If she is, then I would put her down. If you want to try another day or two to see if she improves, it might help.

 

[micstrachan]

Sorry about your girl. I will be rooting for her! You have been given good advice. We’ll be here for you no matter what you decide or the outcome.