Possibly anemic hen due to mites ADVICE NEEDED ASAP

[agold23]

I seriously can’t thank you enough for all the help you’ve been giving me I’ve felt so lost and defeated dealing with her. I fed her a bit more egg yolk and she also tried picking at the feed in her cage. Money isn’t necessarily an issue when it comes to supplies but vets (especially exotic vets) can be quite costly here. I don’t know how much we’ll have to put in order to heal her because once you start with these things it kind of never ends. I have a job at a dog kennel but I just haven’t been paid yet so theoretically I could pay for everything if needed. My parents know I love my birds and they really do feel for them. Tomorrow (saturday) my mom and I are going to do a deep clean and figure out the best way to treat this whole situation.

I will monitor her closely and watch for poops but I assume they’ll be small and mostly watery urate just because she’s barely eating. Crop has been empty aswell because she’s not getting anything. She’s not really a clean hen in general but her backside looks normal. Thank you once again

 

[agold23]

Update: Bb (that’s her name) started feed eating on her own and she ate a lot but her crop still feels empty. I decided to let her out of the kennel in the basement because it’s way colder in there than it is outside and if she’s anemic then she’s cold to begin with and it doesn’t help I have her in the basement. When she got outside she was walking and around drank some water then followed her chick to the edge of the forest. I gave her another covering of DE and about 10 mins later I saw her preening herself around her neck/breast area. She then crouched down again but she was also talking to her chick. I can tell she’s much more alert compared to 2 days ago. We got some pyrethin spray from the feed store but the owner actually suggested we treat with DE first. I think it’d be best if we used the spray for the birds and coop and then once it dries we cover them with some DE. Fingers crossed Bb is starting her uphill battle back to normalcy, and this possible anemia situation gets all sorted out! I will continue to feed her all the healing foods like eggs and apple sauce.

This whole time I’ve been texting with my cousin who works at a vet clinic and she’s been talking to the vets asking for advice (although it feels like a game of broken telephone Lol)

 

[agold23]

Update 2: I’m noticing a pattern where she’s really weak in the morning and by the afternoon after being fed every hour she’s gained some of her energy back. When my mom walked into the coop this morning she thought she was dead because she was laying on her side with her eyes closed, unmoving. We’ve been feeding her egg yolks and apple sauce but she’s been more reluctant to eat than she was yesterday morning. I don’t know what to do I haven’t even mentioned bringing her to a vet to see if it is actually anemia and if we can get real meds to treat her but I don’t really want to open that can of worms. I also noticed watery poops from another of my hens as well as huge splats of poop under the roost with water rings around them. I don’t know what could cause that other than maybe they’ve got worms? We’ve got pyrethrin spray from the feed store now to treat the coop and the birds.

 

[Buffy Brahma Mama]

Update 2: I’m noticing a pattern where she’s really weak in the morning and by the afternoon after being fed every hour she’s gained some of her energy back. When my mom walked into the coop this morning she thought she was dead because she was laying on her side with her eyes closed, unmoving. We’ve been feeding her egg yolks and apple sauce but she’s been more reluctant to eat than she was yesterday morning. I don’t know what to do I haven’t even mentioned bringing her to a vet to see if it is actually anemia and if we can get real meds to treat her but I don’t really want to open that can of worms. I also noticed watery poops from another of my hens as well as huge splats of poop under the roost with water rings around them. I don’t know what could cause that other than maybe they’ve got worms? We’ve got pyrethrin spray from the feed store now to treat the coop and the birds.

She could have worms as well. Though I do recommend bringing her in if she isn't improving, you can always collect a sample of her poop and bring it to a vet for analysis. Call them first to make sure they can run it for you without bringing her in. It will be cheaper that way and then they can let you know what they find, and how to treat it.
Is she still eating her normal feed as well? You can add water to that to make a paste for her and add some yogurt to it. Keep us posted! Hope she can recover for you and sending best wishes!

 

[agold23]

She is still eating her normal feed as well as we’ve started syringe feeding her a smoothie of chicken thighs, Pedialyte multivitamin, molasses and a pinch of garlic with water and she seems to like that. If she has worms would that mean the rest of the flock does too? I will talk and see if bringing her in is the right decision for her in the next few days. The watery poop from the rest of the birds is probably due to the electrolytes which I’ve stopped giving them. Thank you for all your help!

 

[Buffy Brahma Mama]

She is still eating her normal feed as well as we’ve started syringe feeding her a smoothie of chicken thighs, Pedialyte multivitamin, molasses and a pinch of garlic with water and she seems to like that. If she has worms would that mean the rest of the flock does too? I will talk and see if bringing her in is the right decision for her in the next few days. The watery poop from the rest of the birds is probably due to the electrolytes which I’ve stopped giving them. Thank you for all your help!

If one has worms, it's likely that the rest of the flock does as well.

Watery poop can be normal at times, especially if there is a lot of protein in the diet on certain days. But if the poop is watery all the time, then it can alert you to a problem.

Best wishes!

 

[agold23]

Update 3:

She’s no better. We brought her and chick in the kennel in the basement as it’s going to reach 40°C with the humidex today which probably won’t be good for her to be out in. She’s started stumbling around when she walks and she’s very uneasy on her feet. I haven’t seen her open her eyes much. Her crop was also full this morning. We’re bringing her to a vet hopefully tomorrow. We’ve still been syringe feeding her the smoothie every 1.5 hours or so. I don’t know what else to do.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Use poultry dust with permethrin. The mites will be dead in less than 24 hours. DE does very little to help with active mite infestation.

I'd also worm with either Ivermectin or Safeguard for goats (from TSC) to err on the side of caution. I made the mistake of putting down a girl after she was so far gone only to learn she had a mite overload. I treated the entire flock with permethrin and deep cleaned the coop, mixing permethrin in with the bedding and in the nest boxes. They were all mite-free within a day.

Holistic treatments are fine and dandy if they are working, but DE is not working for you (and it usually doesn't, sorry DE lovers.)

 

[Buffy Brahma Mama]

Update 3:

She’s no better. We brought her and chick in the kennel in the basement as it’s going to reach 40°C with the humidex today which probably won’t be good for her to be out in. She’s started stumbling around when she walks and she’s very uneasy on her feet. I haven’t seen her open her eyes much. Her crop was also full this morning. We’re bringing her to a vet hopefully tomorrow. We’ve still been syringe feeding her the smoothie every 1.5 hours or so. I don’t know what else to do.

So sorry she is not doing well. : (

If her crop is not emptying well right now, I would hold off on the syringe feeding for the moment.

Do you know if she is still pooping? It could be that there is a partial obstruction and some, but not all is getting through her system. For some reason, she may have crop stasis, which could be caused by partial obstruction, or her system may be off balance due to fungal infection etc. There are many things it could be, and it may be more than one issue.

If she is starting to stumble and keeping her eyes closed, she is likely in a state of needing medical care immediately. Those are signs of a medical emergency for her.

The first thing to do would be to get her some sub-q fluids at the vet. This will hopefully keep her going until they can do an assessment. If you can get her in today, that would be the best option.

You are taking great care of her, but there are just some things we can't see without medical intervention.

Best wishes and I hope she can recover for you.
Keep us posted!

 

[agold23]

I am using 1ml of olive oil and a crop massage to try to fix the blockage, it seems to far to be working. She is still pooping but they’re green so we know she’s not getting much nutrients. I was reassured by my parents friend who gave them to us that we are doing everything we can within our power and since silkies are considered a decorative breed they’re even more fragile than normal livestock chickens. And I quote from her “It seems that chickens favourite thing to do is just die for no apparent reason” She also said that if she was going to die she probably would have already and it can be viewed as semi reassuring that she’s still alive. Water with electrolytes is the only thing Im giving her right now. It’s so sad to see her in this state.