Panting Lethargic Sick Hen - Need Help!

[kathyinmo]

Yearofthe rooster .... I am no help here, I have no idea what a vet trip would cost. I just want to say, you are doing a great job! I know it is a big job force feeding, cleaning the coop, and adding all the new bedding, and dusting. You must be exhausted. GREAT job, and wonderful of you putting forth all that effort for your flock!

 

[yearoftherooster]

Yearofthe rooster .... I am no help here, I have no idea what a vet trip would cost. I just want to say, you are doing a great job! I know it is a big job force feeding, cleaning the coop, and adding all the new bedding, and dusting. You must be exhausted. GREAT job, and wonderful of you putting forth all that effort for your flock! thumbsup

kathyinmo - thanks for the support!

I got up this morning and fed her again and just sat with her in my lap. she fell asleep pretty quickly. Like with a sick child I wish I had all day to sit around and hold her but, life and family obligations call!

She's walking around more and has ventured out of the run. Her diarrhea is now runny white. She won't eat the mash, but seems is pecking at grass. Are chickens like dogs, in that they like to eat grass when they are sick?

We'll keep our fingers crossed that she slowly recovers. Thanks everyone for all the advice and support.​

 

[Eggs4Sale]

I'd keep the forced feedings up for a while. She'll probably let you know when she doesn't need them any more. If you offer her your egg yogurt mash and she seems uninterested, then force it. A few hours later, offer it again. If she seems uninterested, force it. Keep this going every few hours. Hopefully she'll develop an appetite soon enough and you won't have to force it.

This reminds me of when I'm sick, REALLY sick, like stomach flu. After not eating for so long, it becomes hard to eat. There is no interest. If somebody didn't make soup and bring it to me and tell me to drink some, I'd starve all day. And my illness would last twice as long. It's this way for anyone, especially those that live alone. At this point, your hen is like someone living alone, and she can't care for herself, so you need to force the nourishment in her. Just like when YOU are sick, and your body needs small amounts of nourishment all through the day to regain some energy... Soon enough, hopefully, she'll be in your cupboards rooting around for crackers, or asking for a Happy Meal.

Small amounts, many times a day.

Increase the amounts as she gets more willing to eat.

Is she still outside?
I don't know why but this whole time I assumed you had her in your house in a cage or box.
If she isn't, you might consider it to make feedings easier. But that's up to you.

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
Something inbetween all day and once a day.; A few times. The rule for feeding formula is usually 10% of the body's weight so at her state it's unlikely that you'll be overfeeding her just yet. Hopefully she'll gain strength and then decide to eat on her own.

Vet costs depend on thevet. If you take her to an avian vet, you'll pay more for a specialist but you'll get more likely correct help. If you take her to a dog and cat vet, it'll cost less but you'll likely get help from someone who doesn't know a thing about birds and their special bodies. But you always have a choice of cost - ask the intial feel, add on $25 if they giv eyou antibiotics, $70 is the lab cost if you get a culture done if there's even anything to culture. So it really depends on what your vet CAN do if anything.

For now I'd definitely do the feedings a few times a day, at least three if not more. The parrot formula should help especially because it has the living bacteria in it so that you don't have to mess with the yogurt. But of course as soon as she can start eating dampened (at least) mashes of her food, the egg, the yogurt (or some parrot formula instead of yogurt) the better.

I have to agree with Eggs4Sale. It does get hard to eat after you get weak - you may be hungry but you 'just can't do it' and sometimes literally can't do it because of weakness, which is what the force feedings hopefully will fix - it's gentle food, given often, with lots of extra nutrition in less volume.

Kind of like Ensure for chickens.

So... what kind of toy would a chicken ask for in a happy meal, anyway?

 

[yearoftherooster]

hello all!

I wanted to let everyone who has provided such fabulous advice that it looks like my girl has turned the corner!!!

I did forced feedings of the parrot formula all weekend thinking I might need to do this for quite a few days. But this morning I brought out some watermelon for the rest of the girls and guess who devoured it!!!! My sick girl!!! She kept eating after everyone else had walked away to go free range!

She also had just a little of her mash (yogurt, egg yolk, layer). At lunch I tried again, she had a little but not much, but after work I was able to "spoon feed" her and she ate the whole bowl of mash!!!! She is definitely on the mend and is trying to run from me. She even tried to get up on her perch, though she is still too weak to quite make it (her favorite perch is about 3 feet up).

I plan to continue hand feeding her until I see she is able to compete with the rest of the flock for food.

I still don't know what her initial sickness was and she is far from being healthy again, but she is definitely on the upward slope.

Thanks all for the encouragement and advice!!!

 

[threehorses]

This is great news! Sometimes we might never know what they were fighting. The best thing to do is just note it (either literally in a journal, or mentally) and if anything at all similar comes up again then remember how to work on it supportively, and then see if any other symptoms happen.

Sometimes that's all we can do.

I'm so glad to hear she's feeling peppy.

 

[yearoftherooster]

She got better and was able to get back on her roost, eating normal, etc. No more flaking skin, feathers growing back...but she's sick again. She is still eating (spends a lot of time eating and drinking) but sits most of the time now and can't get on her roost anymore. I have started hand feeding her the yogurt/egg/layer mash again and am giving her the polyvisol. None of the other chickens ever got sick.

I'm wondering if my aracauna needs antibiotics of some nature and if so, what kind.


can anyone help?

Basics:
1. Aracauna hen - 18 weeks old (not laying yet)
2. eating layer pellet - free range grass/bugs, etc
3. has diarrhea again, sometimes white sometimes green depending on what she ate
4. lethargic - can run from me, but sits most of the time. she even sits while eating and drinking out of the feeders

any help is appreciated!