Sick Chicken

[steve9459]

This is my first year having chickens. I have 6 of them. Lucy is about 8 months old. Yesterday I saw Lucy sleeping with her head tucked in under her wing. I've never seen her do that. She did not wake until i touched her. She seemed out of it. I threw some treats down for all the birds. She was not interested in them. Today the same thing. She did not move until I picked her up. I do not think that she has is eaten or had anything to drink. I brought her in the house to keep an eye on her. How do I get her to eat and drink. I ordered some dewormer to try as I have seen some poop on the egg shells and read that if that happens they may have worms. Any other ideas

 

[azygous]

When a chicken turns up sick, you need to be a Sherlock Holmes and sleuth out clues.

The first thing is to give Lucy an all-over exam. Feel her crop. Is it full? Is it empty? What does it feel like? Hard, lumpy, squishy, flat? Any bad smell?

Look her over for injuries from head to toe, especially the bottoms of her feet. Check her vent area. Is it swollen? Do you feel something hard just below it that might be an egg? Is there any discharge?

Has Lucy been laying? If so, when was the last time she gave you an egg?

Besides being lethargic, how is Lucy behaving? Is she perfectly quiet? Or is she talking? Does she move around, or is she just standing in one spot with her tail down low?

How is her balance? Does she seem to want to fall over, balancing herself with one wing?

Where has Lucy been hanging out before you noticed she was sick? Is there a compost pile she likes to dig in? Are there any stagnant puddles that she's been drinking from?

Have you had any top soil delivered to your place lately? Have your chickens been playing in it?

How about machinery stored around the property? Does any of it leak fluids onto the ground?

Somewhere in there is a clue to what ails Lucy. We need to find it.

 

[Eggcessive]

Azygous has given you some good advice on assessing her. In the past I have had hens who looked this way, and one had a blocked gizzard and died a day later. One had a crop blockage and later died. They can have problems with those things, internal laying, intestinal infections, and many other problems. Giving her a thorough exam, getting her to drink fluids with electrolytes and vitamins, and seeking a vet if possible can help. Offer chopped cooked egg and feed wet with water. Let us know how she is doing in the morning, and good luck.

 

[steve9459]

Lucy is doing the same. she had been laying eggs as of yesterday. I noticed a couple of eggs that a couple of the chickens are laying have poop on then. I was told that they could have worms. I don't know which one is laying the ones with poop on them as they all lay in the same box.Lucy has not laid one today.
I have been giving her warm water with sugar, salt and baking soda. (recipe I saw on backyard chickens) I have been using a syringe but I don't know how much to give her at one time... I feed my chicken pellets. Should a crush up some and mix it with water and try to get her to eat it somehow? I will answer azygous's questions when I get home from work tonight. Thank you

 

[Eggcessive]

Yes, you can mix some pellets with a lot of water and stir to make a watery paste (just make a little to see if she will eat.) You have to be careful trying to give fluids by mouth. They can choke if you give more than a few drops at a time. It is better if you hold a cup up to her beak, and if she won’t take a sip, just dip her beak for a seconda and let her swallow.
Poop on eggs does not necessarily mean they have worms. Some hens just do that, and if there has been poop in the nest boxes, they can get some on them. All chickens have a few worms normally. When they get a large load, then they can have problems.

 

[steve9459]

ok, Thanks, I will rule out worms. I have checked her over a bit.
When I get home I'll give her a good going over.

 

[azygous]

Take a couple of random poop samples to a vet and ask for a cecal float test. It will tell you for sure if worms are present in your chickens. No need to worm if no worms are present. In ten years and a few cecal float tests, my chickens have never had worms. It's not a given that your chickens will have them.

 

[JeanR]

Do not force feed or water. When well enough, they will drink and eat--you may cause fatal distress by forcing water. If one bird has worms (actually most all chickens have some, with no harm) they all do--and the treatment is a poison that must be used carefully, according to directions. Worming removes all the helpful bacteria in the gut, as well as the worms and leaves them vulnerable to all infections. Followup with yoghurt to replace the many good bacteria is important. Guessing and giving antibiotics when NOT HELPFUL is why antibiotics are often no longer helpful when they used to be--we are becoming "immune" to them and stronger and stronger ones are being searched for, that may have bad reactions! WE are all suffering because of our demand for antibiotics when they are NOT the medication needed! Our dear and much loved chickens are not created equal--and problems may develop in one hen, without the others being involved--but not system problems, they are usually individual ones. Do hope she recovers on her own--=and no other hens are involved in same symptoms. Keep her comfortable and do not let the other hens molest her. Good luck.

 

[steve9459]

Do not force feed or water. When well enough, they will drink and eat--you may cause fatal distress by forcing water. If one bird has worms (actually most all chickens have some, with no harm) they all do--and the treatment is a poison that must be used carefully, according to directions. Worming removes all the helpful bacteria in the gut, as well as the worms and leaves them vulnerable to all infections. Followup with yoghurt to replace the many good bacteria is important. Guessing and giving antibiotics when NOT HELPFUL is why antibiotics are often no longer helpful when they used to be--we are becoming "immune" to them and stronger and stronger ones are being searched for, that may have bad reactions! WE are all suffering because of our demand for antibiotics when they are NOT the medication needed! Our dear and much loved chickens are not created equal--and problems may develop in one hen, without the others being involved--but not system problems, they are usually individual ones. Do hope she recovers on her own--=and no other hens are involved in same symptoms. Keep her comfortable and do not let the other hens molest her. Good luck.

Thank you JeanR. I have Lucy in a dog crate on the diningroom table. Keeping her warm. She has not eaten or drinking anything in 3 days on her own. She is very weak. I was feeding her electrolite water with a syringe she was swallowing it the first two days. Today she will not swallow it. Are you saying not to do that? She will stand but woblily. But mostly lies down with her eyes closed. Anything else I can do for her?

 

[steve9459]

When a chicken turns up sick, you need to be a Sherlock Holmes and sleuth out clues.

The first thing is to give Lucy an all-over exam. Feel her crop. Is it full? Is it empty? What does it feel like? Hard, lumpy, squishy, flat? Any bad smell?

Look her over for injuries from head to toe, especially the bottoms of her feet. Check her vent area. Is it swollen? Do you feel something hard just below it that might be an egg? Is there any discharge?

Has Lucy been laying? If so, when was the last time she gave you an egg?

Besides being lethargic, how is Lucy behaving? Is she perfectly quiet? Or is she talking? Does she move around, or is she just standing in one spot with her tail down low?

How is her balance? Does she seem to want to fall over, balancing herself with one wing?

Where has Lucy been hanging out before you noticed she was sick? Is there a compost pile she likes to dig in? Are there any stagnant puddles that she's been drinking from?

Have you had any top soil delivered to your place lately? Have your chickens been playing in it?

How about machinery stored around the property? Does any of it leak fluids onto the ground?

Somewhere in there is a clue to what ails Lucy. We need to find it.

Azygous, Lucy is doing worse. She barely stands. Her eyes are closed most of the time. She has not had anything to eat or drink Except some electrolite water I give her. Even now she doesn't appear to be swallowing that.
I have checked her out and don't see any wounds. Her crop seems ok and flat and no smell. I do not feel any eggs. She last laid 4 days ago.
Luch lies down with her tail down and feet curled up under her. She doesn't open her eyes to much. She will squawk if touched and picked up. At this time she will open her eyes. She will stand on both feet but is a little wobbily and stays in the same spot. My chickens don't free range because of a hawk, sh they have their coop and an 8x10 run. There is no standing water or compost pile. The eat layer pellets and I give them mealworms, oaks and sunflower seeds sometimes. No new top soils and no machinery.