Sick Chicken, don't think she's going to make it.

[Sharedspirit]

This evening the kids brought me one of our hens. She's a pullet from MM just now starting to lay.

She was lethargic and breathing kind of heavy. I thought maybe she got overheated. I gave her some water and she wouldn't drink. About an hour later she was laying on her side, kicking her legs and her neck was extended all the way back to her back bone and stiff. Kind of like a seizure? Any idea what this could be?

We have 30 other chickens and nobody else is sick...so far. They are in an enclosed pen for now but do run free range when the gardens allow. Any ideas are appreciated!

 

[Ladysonja]

I'm sorry, I do not know how to help, but maybe bumping you up on the list will help catch the eye of an expert or someone who may have an idea of what might be happening to your girl.

Make sure to list her breed and age... Has she been out in the garden today... What makes her day any different... The more information you can post about your question and your bird will help someone know what to advise....

Hope this helps? Good luck!

 

[seminolewind]

Sounds like a seizure. Seizures look like some kinda repetitive movement that you can't stop by holding. If you think she is overheated, I think I would put her in the sink with some lukewarm water, and cool her down. Not cold water.
If overheating didn't cause this, I would think poison, or something that you have no control over.
I'm sure you know to offer her water, and electrolytes if you have them.

 

[Sharedspirit]

She's 5 months old and she's a Andalusian...I think. Now she's sitting up and shaking her head back and forth. She's not really panting but it looks like her breathing is labored. She responds to me petting her and she seems confused.

I've just never seen anything like it! I still can't get her to drink. She has nothing in her crop so she hasn't eaten in a while.

Today they had their normal laying mash and scraps from the kitchen. Tomatoes, Zuchinni, crushed egg shell. Nothing out of the ordinary for them at all today or yesterday.

I put her in a pen by herself but don't have a clue as what to do for her.

 

[kinardmommy]

I know after humans have seizure they have a period of confusion that wil last sometime after. This could definately be a possibility but I don't know what you can do for her. Sorry I couldn't be anymore help. I hope she makes it.

 

[sammi]

get her some electrolytes for the drinking water..
in a pinch, until you can get a commercial mix, such as Durvet, you could use diluted Pediolyte (unflavored if possible)or diluted Gatorade.

electrolytes will stabilize the system and help with stress.

give her some using an eye dropper, on beak..

also..poultry vitamins..Durvet brand, if you can find it..
you can also try giving her some Poly-vi-sol liquid baby vitamins, Enfamil brand, no iron..3 drops once day for a week or so, then taper off for a week if you don't have the poultry vitamins on hand..

keep her cool and calm in a dim place so she can destress..with food and water.
it's likely she had heat stroke.
or could have banged her head..
hopefully she didn't get into any poison.

try making up a little mixture of water cooked oatmeal, feed, plain yogurt, and cooked egg..
along with her regular feed in a separate feeder..

check your feed for any signs of mold..
clean up any spilled feed or kitchen scraps.
make sure waterers are clean from algae.

hope she gets better.

 

[Sharedspirit]

She had another seizure and died about an hour ago. I just went out to the coop to check on the other chickens. They all seem ok right now.

A few of the hens did get out yesterday..not sure if she was one of them. She could have gotten into the compost pile and ate something she shouldn't have. Normally the chickens are in there all the time but they've been kept in their run for about a month to keep them out of the gardens. So it wouldn't have been safe for them to be eating out of it.


I can't think of anything else she could have gotten into. I'm hoping that by morning the rest are still ok.

Thanks for all the information. I hope I won't need it for any more of my girls. I'm going to print it out so I have it in the future if I need it.

 

[Ladysonja]

I'm really sorry for your loss...

Let us know how the other girls are doing... I'm sure if the girls ate something they were not suppose to, then all would have had the same reaction.

You may have had a girl with a seizure issue. From the details you provided, it sounds like a seizure.

One of my little dogs has had bouts of seizures for years and acts just like you described... He will not drink and actually looks drunk after coming out of one. He looks dazzed during and right after... sometimes it takes a good hour for him to really recover from a bad seizure.

Of course dogs are not as fragile as birds... maybe her little heart couldn't take the stress.

Best wishes and keep us updated on the others...

 

[Sharedspirit]

Today, the rest of the chickens are still all ok. It must have been something with just her. I'll be watching them close for a few days just in case.

 

[SpottedCrow]

I'm sorry you lost her.