Possible causes of thin hen?

[Debbie292d]

I put her in a pen by herself today. She gave her all the tuna she wanted. Her poop was a little green and liquid-y. I examined all of it and didn't see any worms.

She behaves normally but my gosh when I pick her up she's so horribly light, it seems like she weighs almost nothing now. I'm getting more and more worried.

She is still molting and still has a few pox lesions, so that means I should not treat her with Safeguard and instead use Valbazen, correct? That seems to require a prescription at places like Amazon and Tractor Supply. Where can I get it on short notice, without a prescription?

I did not check but everyone says Twin City Poultry is fast except me lol. I’d think they’d all ship the same or next day though.

If you can get to a pet store, I use Kaytee Baby Parrot food Plus Fat for any in trouble. I mix that with a raw egg yoke, water and crumbles if they can eat. Otherwise, less water and make balls to put in their beaks.

Where to get drugs for poultry:
Jedds https://jedds.com/collections/poultry
Twin City Poultry https://www.twincitypoultrysupplies.com/

https://thecanaryfinchstore.com

Fish Mox: https://hardypaw.com/products/fix-mox-amoxicillin-capsules-fish-antibiotics?variant=44787640008865

 

[EmmaDonovan]

I did not check but everyone says Twin City Poultry is fast except me lol. I’d think they’d all ship the same or next day though.

If you can get to a pet store, I use Kaytee Baby Parrot food Plus Fat for any in trouble. I mix that with a raw egg yoke, water and crumbles if they can eat. Otherwise, less water and make balls to put in their beaks.

Where to get drugs for poultry:
Jedds https://jedds.com/collections/poultry
Twin City Poultry https://www.twincitypoultrysupplies.com/

https://thecanaryfinchstore.com

Fish Mox: https://hardypaw.com/products/fix-mox-amoxicillin-capsules-fish-antibiotics?variant=44787640008865

Thank you! I'm going to get the baby parrot food today.

I must be stupid but I couldn't find Albendazole at any of those sites?

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Petsmart cashier: "What kind of parrot do you have?"

Me: "This is for an underweight chicken."

Cashier: "Oh! That's... interesting."



I mixed the baby parrot food in with some tuna and she ate it all up. This is what her poop looks like, firm (I smooshed it all out so I could check for worms) and still greenish. Neither me nor my roommate could see any worms in it.

Second problem: I don't know if this is related but our other black Australorp (who is her hatch mate as far as I know although she is considerably larger) is suddenly dropping feathers. She lives in a different pen with two white leghorns, so I know the black feathers are hers. The leghorns are not losing feathers.

I raked that pen clean and half an hour later she had dropped another two dozen feathers. Most are small, fluffy/downy feathers but she's dropping regular feathers, too. I checked all around her vent and didn't see anything unusual. She isn't preening or grooming excessively but she is starting to look scruffy.

The only other thing I've noticed is that the flock doesn't seem to be dust bathing as frequently. I don't know if that has to do with anything, I figured it's because it's cooler and they're generally more comfortable now, but it's the only other thing that came to mind.

I do not know what is going on with these two. Any ideas?

 

[FunnyBunny89]

Petsmart cashier: "What kind of parrot do you have?"

Me: "This is for an underweight chicken."

Cashier: "Oh! That's... interesting."



I mixed the baby parrot food in with some tuna and she ate it all up. This is what her poop looks like, firm (I smooshed it all out so I could check for worms) and still greenish. Neither me nor my roommate could see any worms in it.

View attachment 4259604

Second problem: I don't know if this is related but our other black Australorp (who is her hatch mate as far as I know although she is considerably larger) is suddenly dropping feathers. She lives in a different pen with two leghorns, so I know the black feathers are hers. The leghorns are not losing feathers.

I raked that pen clean and half an hour later she had dropped another two dozen feathers. They're almost all the small, fluffy/downy ones. I checked all around her vent and didn't see anything unusual. She isn't preening or grooming excessively but she is starting to look scruffy.

The only other thing I've noticed is that the flock doesn't seem to be dust bathing as frequently. I don't know if that has to do with anything, I figured it's because it's cooler and they're generally more comfortable now, but it's the only other thing that came to mind.

I do not know what is going on with these two. Any ideas?

Sounds like the Australorp is molting, which is normal. Just give her protein treats while she's going through it. Some are quick, some are slow. I've had hens molt for up to 3 months, but most of them take about a couple weeks to a month.

Idk what else you can do to assess the skinny hen. Maybe she doesn't eat as much as the others because they chase her? Maybe she doesn't forage as well as the others?

The only worms you typically can see are tapeworms or roundworms when they come out with the poop, but usually you won't see evidence. Worms are tough to diagnose.

I would just keep on keepin' on and make sure the skinny hen is getting daily food. You can always check her crop at roosting time to see if she was able to fill up before bed. If it's empty, or really small, there's a good chance the others peck at her when it's eating time.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

They just came through a molt, although I guess she could just be starting hers. I can't remember now if she was dropping feathers earlier or not.

I'll keep putting the skinny hen in a pen by herself for while every day with plenty of food with extra protein to make sure she's eating her fill.

 

[FunnyBunny89]

They just came through a molt, although I guess she could just be starting hers. I can't remember now if she was dropping feathers earlier or not.

I'll keep putting the skinny hen in a pen by herself for while every day with plenty of food with extra protein to make sure she's eating her fill.

Molts can stop and start again as well, just so you know

 

[Debbie292d]

Thank you! I'm going to get the baby parrot food today.

I must be stupid but I couldn't find Albendazole at any of those sites?

You're not stupid. Drug names are difficult to understand.

I found it at TSC though, so check your local one? Ours says it's out of stock and can't be shipped. Hopefully yours has it. It's not noting a prescription needed but thought it was unless they only show that if it was in stock.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/valbazn-cattle-dewormer-liquid-810

That's cute about the cashier.

Glad she ate it all! She'll start putting weight back on in no time now! I had rescued a blind 4-mo. silkie pullet that was skinnie and she fattened right up in two weeks!