Sick chicken

[jrawls1981]

Hi all,

One of my ladies is under the weather. At first I thought it was a injured foot as her attitude and appetite were fine. But over the last two days shes lost her appetite. I have her quarantined. She has runny poop with a fair amount of water in it and some awful gas that just reeks. I thought she may be eggbound. Ive given her some warm baths and have tried to get her to take some calcium. (altho I dont have liquid), I felt in the vent about 3/4" to 1" but did not feel a egg. Any advice would be welcome.

Jake

 

[Hishigata]

Hi Jake,

Sorry to hear your hen is under the weather. What kind of symptoms did your hen have in the last couple of days other than a lack of appetite? Was she limping or just laying down a lot that caused you to think it was a foot injury initially?

Chickens are one of the few animals that do not fart so having "gas" may indicate an infection or other digestion problem. Does her poop look unusual other than the runny texture? Does it have a weird color or blood?

 

[jrawls1981]

no weird color or blood in the stool, a little more green than usual. Yes she was limping and not moving around as much as usual. Thats why I quarantined here. Shes pretty much staying in the same spot and not moving. She is not lethargic yet but she is not eating.

 

[Hishigata]

Chicken stool can take on a greenish tinge if they are not getting enough food passing through the digestive tract. Here is a link to an article on how poop can tell you about your hen's health. Have you tried giving her treats (scrambled eggs, oatmeal, yogurt)? My hens love scrambled egg and they have all the nutrients a chicken needs especially when they are sick.

Is she still drinking water? Hydration and food will help her fight off an infection. If you have a water soluble electrolyte or mineral solution to add to the water to give her a little boost that will help.

It still seems like it is probably an infection but it could also be parasites. When you gave her a bath did you check around the vent for any mites, lice, or other parasites? No injuries or wounds were visible?

If you can, take a sample of her poop to a vet for a parasite analysis.

 

[jrawls1981]

so right now im getting her to eat some yogurt dipped meal worms, shes skeptical though. I will make some scrambled eggs for her tonight! Thank you for the link. I have not seen any injuries or wounds. And ive given her a couple of baths to clean her vent area and check to see if she was egg bound. Her stool is completely liquid though and smells awful. Definitely something wrong. She is drinking well though. And shes moving a little today on her own.

 

[Hishigata]

That's great! I'm glad she still has an appetite (for treats at least). How is her attitude? Is she still alert and attentive?

Ideally, you should take her to a vet to diagnose the issue: parasites v infection. It is not something you can accurately diagnose without testing. If a vet visit is not an option, you can administer medication for one of the possible causes and see if she improves. If she recovers on that treatment, great! If not, try the other option. I like to avoid medicating my hens unnecessarily, but I know each flock owner has different opinions and constraints on care options.

 

[jrawls1981]

So she has turned around! Shes up and moving. Lots of attitude and eating well! Thanks for the advice! Some TLC and a couple of spa treatments was all she needed!

I am concerned it may be a worm issue though. I pulled a worm off the back of one of my other chickens today. It looked like a very small skinny earth worm. It was either stuck to her feathers or coming out of her. She moved while I was pulling it and I could not tell. Any advice for worming? My flock are a year and a month old and have never been wormed before. Thanks!

Jake