Please help!!!! Sick hen!

[chickenman98]

I have a sick Cochin hen who was born in October I think. All she wants to do is lay around, and sleep. She is so light and is very bony so I am trying to feed her a lot so she can get bigger. She hasn't even started laying eggs yet. Is that normal for a Cochin? And her poo is really bright green. I checked her crop and it wasn't hard but just in case I gave her some oil and massaged it. Someone please help!!!!
Thanks,
Ryan

Also if it takes me a minute to reply to a post, I'm sorry, I am using my iPhone because my laptop is acting weird, and it is hard to type very fast on my phone. Thanks again!

 

[scratch'n'peck]

I'm sorry to hear she is not doing well. Is she actually eating what you give her to eat? Green poop often means the chicken isn't eating or the food isn't making it through her digestive system. The other thing I would wonder about is worms, but I have not dealt with that issue with my chickens so far.

 

[chicmom]

Worming might be a good idea for her. Also, check her real good for mites or lice because they can really cause a chicken to become listless and die. I would give her some vitamins/electrolites in some drinking water with a dropper if necessary.

 

[earthmama24]

I made up a homemade drench that I force fed a couple of my chickens that were sick. You can also buy things at a feed store or TSC. I try not to rely too heavily on that though. I've seen many people suggest scrambled eggs and such but when my chickens were sick, they weren't eating so I had to use liquids that I could shove down their throat.

Any other symptoms? Congested? Nasal discharge? Blood in poop? Laying around is not normal for a chicken. The only chickens I've ever had lay around were sick chickens. Definitely isolate her from any other chickens. I usually just stick mine in a plastic bin lined with hay, if you don't have a designated coop or yard for quarantine.

Hope you figure this out quick.

 

[chickenman98]

I wormed her this morning. And I gave her probiotics too. She was in with my Japanese but I isolated her from them. How do I force feed her?
Thanks

 

[chickenman98]

Oh and I forgot to say that she eats a little bit but not a whole lot

 

[earthmama24]

I just took an eyedropper, opened her little beak (I used my fingernail to pry open the front and then my other around each side to hold it open from the back. Then I put the eyedropper in and released the liquid into her mouth, little bits at a time. Some chickens adapted quickly and would just let me do it no problem. My silkie on the other hand gave me a hard time every time.

Probiotics are a really good idea. You don't happen to have any colloidal silver or grapefruit seed extract on hand, do you?

 

[Hollywood Chickens]

Does she get grit? if her poo is green it usually means that she cannot digest her food.
So if she does get grit, than you should give her some yoghurt.
As for force feeding you can use an eyedropper for liquids or you can pry her beak open and drop little bits of food in her mouth.

 

[chickenman98]

No sorry don't have any grapefruit seed extract or anything. What can I use to help her digest her food?
Thank you guys so much!

 

[earthmama24]

The probiotics are a good start. Yogurt is going to provide probiotics as well. If she doesn't have any other symptoms and she will eat, I would just try giving her a little mashed oatmeal and see how she does with the pooping after that. You could even try giving her a small dose of vitamin C, or mix a little orange juice with the oatmeal. As a chicken owner, I would suggest getting some GSE to have on hand. It helps with viral, bacterial, fungal and parasitic issues. Pretty much covers all the bases with one thing and it is inexpensive and easy to administer.