Please help sick chicken!

[mountainlover]

One of my hens was laying around this morning. She has poopy feathers around her rump. We have tried yogurt before when a hen is acting funny so we tried that. Didn't help but she did eat it on her own. Then we tried a warm soak for 20 minutes, and set her in a box in the dark. She basically tucked her head into her feathers and slept for several hours but she was standing while doing this. Then we took her back outside, and she had watery poo. We threw some scratch on the ground and she ate all of it, but after a while she was laying down while eating it! She drinks too, so she's eating and drinking. But she just wants to lay. Not stand. She gets yo every now and then and pecks or gets a drink but then she just sags back down. What should I do?? No other chicken are sick. They are all 3 years old. Never been sick or exposed to anything.

 

[mountainlover]

I have more info to add and it's sad. This poor chickie baby is skeletal! She barely weighs anything and her bones are sticking out! But she is eating! How could this happen? I don't know what to do. We pick them up and out them in their roost every night, and no one noticed anything wrong with her, but she sure didn't lose all this weight in one day! She is just wasting away! I am feeling so bad for her, I don't know what to do for her.

 

[mandarin1]

Have you treated them for worms? I know animals that have a lot of worms will lose weight even though they eat non-stop. Here is another thread you may want to check out... https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/924393/chicken-losing-weight. I would also compare her droppings to the pictures on this site... mhttp://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=17568.0, it might give you a better clue as to what is going on. I hope this helps and she starts to feel better!!

 

[mountainlover]

Thank you for the reply! I was beginning to think no one was going to. I don't know if she has worms but none of the other chickens are sick at all. She is the only one. She is so sick she can't even stand on the roost, she falls off. I kept her inside all night and she is still alive. Her poo is like totally water with just a little yellow poo in it. She still eats! I do not feel an egg anywhere. She is nothing but bones.

 

[mandarin1]

I would definitely separate her from the flock, When I have an injured or sick bird I use a large wire dog crate that has a plastic floor removable for cleaning and you can add pine shavings for more comfort and if she's up to it maybe let her free range a bit, if your other birds aren't where she will be. If this is something contagious you don't want your other birds getting it. It may not be worms if she's the only one sick, but if she's that ill I would maybe treat her for worms anyway and maybe even the whole flock, it can't hurt to worm them anyway just to be safe, that way you can rule that out and then I would keep giving her some scratch grains and anything else that is has a higher fat content to try and get some weight put back on her, if she'll eat it. If she quits eating all together you can tube feed, I've never done this, but I know there is lots of info on it. I would continue with the yogurt since it has probiotics and is good for digestion and gut health. Is there any way that you can get a picture of her poo? Does it look close to any of the pictures on the website I provided? Also, since protein can up your energy you could maybe up her protein content as well (chick starter has higher protein, boiled eggs, etc). I would also give her electrolytes and vitamins in her water supply. I personally use Merrick's Blue Ribbon poultry electrolytes, because it has not only the electrolytes but it also has live microorganisms and vitamins in it. Also is she drinking excessive amounts of water? If so I would look into clostridium perfringens, It causes weight loss, diarrhea that consists of a lot of watery clear or white fluid, with small amounts of undigested seeds, greens etc. and excessive thirst so she'll be drinking more. Treatment for this is 10 days of amoxiciilian. If that doesn't fit her try this site... http://www.darwinvets.com/poultry/common-chicken-problems-diseases and see if you can find something that more closely resembles what she has going on and start treatment, if it doesn't work then I would go to the next most likely culprit and treat for that and hopefully get her taken care of. There is a couple other members on here who I've gotten great advice from, maybe you can message them and see what they have to say, QueenMisha and Eggcessive have been great helps for me. Good luck, I hope she gets better!

 

[mountainlover]

Thank you so much. Do you have any recommendations for where to get the de-wormer? We do not have a lot of options here, and big R only had some that goes in the feed and is $25. Is that the price I should be paying? I am going to try to call another farm and ranch store and see what they have. After looking in to worm symptoms, I do feel that is worth treating for. One of my chickens has a sort of pale comb and sometimes I get an egg with a fairly thin shell.

My sick chicken has very watery poo, it's almost all water. With just a little yellow mixed in. She is still eating and drinking but just laying here in the ground and asleep most of the time. She doesn't get up to eat or drink. She does it laying there.

 

[mandarin1]

Well I'm not really sure what you have as far as feed stores or coop's, but I buy supplies from Rural King and then we have a local Coop elevator and a feed miIl that I use. As far as pricing I think that depends largely on where you're located in the country. I have used the kind of wormer you put in the feed and I've had no problems with it.

I found this website as well, maybe do some reading here too.. https://poultrykeeper.com/digestive-system-problems/diarrhoea-backyard-chickens/ and also there's another forum in here, so maybe check it out too, it has pics of yellow watery stool so maybe compare and see how they treated their birds... https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...n-with-very-watery-yellow-diarrhea-pics-added

 

[mountainlover]

Thank you once more. I got the de-wormer and am giving it to her. Today she is standing, which she wasn't doing yesterday or this morning. She is sort of hiding in my bushes and just standing in once place. She is still drinking and eating a little. I am giving her scratch since she is all bones. Her poo doesn't look like that pic in the link. It looks like nothing but water, which a little yellow splash in the middle or something. But mostly just water.

 

[mandarin1]

No problem at all, I just hate for anything like this to happen and I know if I was having trouble, which I have in the past, it's nice to have someone to get information and help you through it. I guess the next question since it is mostly clear is how long has she been sick for or when did you first notice symptoms and has she been laying eggs still or has she stopped laying? I also found this site that may be helpful, http://www.justanswer.com/bird-vet/7rsvm-chicken-watery-poo-no-solids-visible-clear-color.html This could be any number of things, it's just trying to eliminate possibilities one by one. Also if she isn't laying eggs, I would look at http://luckyhensrescuenorthwest.weebly.com/egg-bound-henegg-peritonitis-help-sheet.html and http://simplelifeainteasy.blogspot.com/2012/03/egg-yolk-peritonitis-diagnosing-sick.html In the meantime I would definitely continue with the wormer and hopefully this does the trick and it's not any of the other possibilities. Another place that has great information is "the chicken chick". Her website has information on everything! I'll be crossing my fingers for your hen

, hang in there!

 

[mountainlover]

Thank you again for all the help. My chicken died this morning. she was looking better too. She walked around my patio and even hopped up on my brick wall, and then she just suddenly made a sqwaaak sound and keeled over dead. I still have no idea what was wrong with her. My other chickens are still all fine and laying eggs. I feel awful that I wasn't able to help her. She spent her last nights in a nice warm bin in my house with a warm blanket, and he last days surrounded by all of us hanging out on the patio.