Sick and/or dying hen! Please help!!

[andreanar]

Hoping her crop is empty!!

 

[Squirlz2018]

Sorry its taken some time to get back on here. I checked her crop before I left this morning and it was not as full as it was last night (10 hours later). It was still a bit gritty but dont they always have some rocks in there and such? I left her quarantined in my house with food and water for the day. I gave her two cherry tomatoes and she tore them apart!
Do you think it would be ok to give her some of those live super worms from the pet store? I'm trying to keep some meat on her bones!

 

[micstrachan]

I have fed my girls super worms with no problems. However, they CAN bite through plastic, and I know some people are concerned they might injure the bird from the inside by biting the crop. I don't think that is a real concern, but I could be wrong. Are live meal worms available?

 

[Squirlz2018]

I have fed my girls super worms with no problems. However, they CAN bite through plastic, and I know some people are concerned they might injure the bird from the inside by biting the crop. I don't think that is a real concern, but I could be wrong. Are live meal worms available?

I absolutely HATE the super worms but the chickens LOVE them. I only got them once and the second time was through Amazon. They were very well packed but somehow they got out and my mailbox was full of them! It was terrifying.
When I got home today I didn't really feel like her food was picked at or water touched. She did eat the shredded carrots and cherry tomatoes from breakfast. When I got home I gave her some corn and made her some scrambled eggs. She ate like she was starving. There were eggs EVERYWHERE. She made it half way through them and then it seemed like her crop got super poofy again. She stopped eating and just stood there till she started falling asleep. I think tomorrow I'm going to buy some yogurt and Pedialyte and treat her like she has sour crop?? I don't know what else to do for her.

 

[Morrigan]

Yogurt sounds like a good idea. If you aren't already doing so, you might want to give her a little nutri-drench with her water to.

 

[Squirlz2018]

Ive never even heard of that until right now. Ive had chickens for about 10 years now and I've been mostly hands off with them. I've only ever given them treats. Never any meds or supplements. They have all been self sufficient and healthy. At the end of last summer I purchased some dichotomous earth for the first time (learned about it on here), in an attempt to kill off some flies, but they bother me more than the chickens and I actually never put any out yet. I will though!!
I will look for the nutri-drench when I go out in the morning. I assume its something I have to try to shove in her beak? I've yet to see her drink water. Shes been like this for almost two weeks I think. She would be dead if she wasn't drinking some right?? I'm reading about people making their flock oatmeal and adding it in. Is this something I should try for the flock in general as a preventative? Does it matter if its Quaker quick oats or do I need to go with steel cut?
I was going to grab them a big thing of yogurt too. I figured it won't hurt for the flock to get some good bacteria in them. Can I just put the container out and let them have at it? Or do I need to make them oatmeal and mix the yogurt into it or something? Anytime I walk outside with anything they all run at me full speed to beg (scares guests when 12 chickens and 4 guineas run at them like their lives depended on it! ). I figured I would just put it on the lawn for the afternoon. Anything else I should try to pick up while I'm out? Either for the whole flock as a precaution or just for this severely malnourished and sickly bird?

Thanks again for the help and support. I really have no idea what I'm doing at this point.

 

[Chasingcars]

I know it’s controversial to use alternative therapies for some hen keepers but I treat my flock with Hepar sulph at the first sign of infection..I’ve had some very sorry looking ladies over the years and all but one pulled through using natural remedies ..so it’s worth a try. Quiet and dark also help them heal. Like us healing when we rest.
I manage the flock with other homeopathic and herbal remedies day to day to prevent as well cure...
hope you find what you need on here for your poorly ..it’s such a useful site..we all have are own opinions but we all give the advice to try and help .

 

[ChickNanny13]

You can find Nutri Drench at the feed store, it's vitamin/electrolyte boost. Scrambled eggs is good, try some tuna, beef liver, even moist cat food (high in protein), yogurts a good choice too. Quaker Oats is fine, they all would LOVE the treat along with the yogurt.

Edited: Plain Yogurt ... Thank you Chasingcars

 

[Chasingcars]

Yogurt sounds like a good idea. If you aren't already doing so, you might want to give her a little nutria-drench with her water to.

Ps Make the yoghurt a plain probiotic one

 

[andreanar]

Its really difficult to know whats really going on. I really would stick to soft foods. Wet her chicken feed with warm water, make it into a mash, they tend to love that. Scrambled egg, a bit of canned cat food. Make sure she has access to grit. Can you tell me if her crop feels like a water balloon? Open her beak and smell in her mouth. NutrDrench is a great product. It should give her some energy. Drip it into her beak. Is she pooping? Do you feel any swelling on her belly between her legs?