Puking chicken!!!!UPDATE: Picture of something from crop/poop??

[amity3520]

An update to an earlier post, it only had one reply and now it's getting worse.

I have a sick RIR/NHR cross, she's about 2 years old now. Her comb looks normal, color and everything, she's standing, and I've inspected her for mites or any other peculiarities, and everthing checks out. She's just standing in a corner and not eating, and when I picked her up liquid kept dripping from her mouth, for about 5 minutes until I put her down and came in here. I'm not sure if that's because she had just drinken, she was near the waterer, but I didn't see her drink and it didn't look clear, like water. She's not eating, even when I put some cracked corn in front of her, which is their favorite treat.

UPDATE: She's gotten much worse in the past two hours. Now like once a minute or so she's vomiting some sort of clear slightly viscous liquid, it looks almost like dog drool. Still not eating, still standing. We've separated her from the rest, but what should we do??? Never read anything about this or experienced this before.... not good. Edited to include that her feathers are also pretty puffed up around her neck. I did not notice any strong odor, and though I did not smell her beak directly I was holding her very close, and might have noticed had it been a truly gross odor...

Please please help!

 

[nnbreeder]

check her crop. Is it full or empty, soft or hard? The crop is located on the right side of the breast.

 

[amity3520]

To the best of my knowledge, if I was feeling the right thing, it was kind of hard two hours ago, and now it's a bit softer, and I can poke around and move the insides around a bit. (Assuming I'm touching the right thing.) I compared it with another healthy chicken, and they both felt about the same, the sick one even felt a little softer.

 

[Kittymomma]

Any chance it's worms? I've seen that in some of the foster kittens I care for when they've had a particulary heavy worm load. Sorry, I don't have enough chicken experiance yet to say for sure what you're dealing with. Hope it works out.

 

[jsnscott]

Hello, My Roo a few days ago was doing about the same thing
(would not eat, vomiting up a clear smelly liquid, he would just stand in his cage, wouldnt crow) Fist thing I did was make him eat some yogut and put some wormer in his water. Over a couple of days he was doing real well, eating and drinking good and the third or forth day he was back to his old self and I put him back in with his hens. Hope this helps

 

[amity3520]

I haven't seen her poop yet, but with worms wouldn't she still be able to digest it? I'm hoping once her crop empties by morning she might eat something... I'm going to get up early before I go to work and head to the feed store to get some Terramycin, do others think that's a good idea? I was playing Google DVM and found someone who had a chicken with similar symptoms, and that worked for them. I may pick up yogurt as well if I have time, chickens always get sick at the worst time! I literally won't be at the house from 10AM-7PM... ugh, I'll be worrying the whole time.

How long can chickens survive without eating?

She was still standing, though she's definitely a weak girl, when I separated her from the rest. She had been with the others in the corner (they have a roost but have never used it) where they normally sleep, so she had walked from the feed to the corner by herself which is a good five feet.

From everything I have read it doesn't look to be anything contagious, unless it IS worms, in which case it's the whole flock anyways, likely, so I might as well deworm them all. Can I deworm and give Terramycin simultaneously?

 

[loralei]

So sorry you and your girl are going through this. I know it's scary. It sounds like a digestion / crop thing. I wouldn't use antibiotics unless there is a clear sign of infection. I would leave a little yogurt / feed mixture and maybe some scrabled egg to tempt her while you are away tomorrow.

Hugs to you and your girl!

 

[purpletree23]

Please don't give antibiotics unless you know it is an infection which I don't think it is. Antibiotics are only for bacterial infections.

Can you borrow yogurt from a neighbor?

The worms we are talking about are parasitic worms that latch onto the digestive tract lining and eventually kill the chicken. Not regular garden worms.

Has she ever been wormed? If not Wazine would be a good start. Get that at the feed store instead of the antibiotics.

Feed her soft foods. Scrambled egg, her pellets mixed with Gatorade until it is a soft mash, slightly overcooked plain pasta and she needs yogurt right away.

Mix Gatorade with her water to keep her hydrated.

Keep her quiet and warm.

 

[amity3520]

Thanks to everyone for the help! She's sleeping for the night and I honestly don't want to bother her anymore... but first thing in the morning I will be getting yogurt. Is there any specific brand/type that people use? Will also leave her pellets with gatorade while I am gone.

Thanks for all your help! Any idea of what this could be?

 

[Cetawin]

try a plan yogurt...get a berry flavored one for back-up....try to feed her the plain but if she refuses it...go with the berry.

Most important...smell her breath in the morning and see if it is smelling sour. Leave her food and watered down gatorade....be careful with gatorade because it has a ton of salt in it...so mix like 1 part gatorade to 10 parts water. If you can grind her pellets up (I use a goffee grinder) or break them up, that will help her swallow them too. Ground up you can sprinkle it on the yogurt as well.

good luck with her.