Sick Chicken

[Cindy Sue]

I don't know if i'm posting in right place. I'm not hatching, my chicken is just shy of a year old and has been very healthy till now. She has a temp of 109, I've taken her to the vet and they've put her on antibiotics with low hopes of survival. She is not egg bound, is a little dehydrated and skinny, so I apparently missed the early warning signs that something was wrong. I'm putting colloidal silver in the water to try and protect the other girls. Any one have experience with this. I'm so sad. She will drink water out of my hand, but she still can't hold her little head up. Should we try feeding her??? I am Open to feedback. The vet doesn't have a clue what could be wrong with her. Other than she's sick. We have her in the house isolated and are keeping her warm and watching her.

 

[azygous]

Something a lot of chicken keepers miss, and vets also, is a crop disorder when they see their chicken is sick. This can cause them to not eat, lose weight, get weak, and it all appears to be some sort of chicken disease when it may be something that's easily treated.

Is there any odor coming from her head? Sauerkraut odor perhaps? Is her crop bulging in spite of her not eating? You need to check it in the morning before you give her food and water. If the crop is full in the morning, she probably has a crop issue.

What antibiotic did the vet give her? How old is she?

You could tube water and pureed food down her, and it might help her condition a lot. Your vet should have the supplies on hand you will need and can teach you how to do it. I got my catheter and syringe from my vet for just $3.

 

[rebrascora]

Hi Cindy. I'm sorry your hen is ill. More information and a photo of her and her poop might be helpful.
How old is she?
What part of the world are you located in.... putting that info on your profile page helps us to see at a glance each time you post and offer specific information based on that because certain diseases are more prevalent in different parts of the world and medicines and other treatment products vary from country to country.

What first alerted you to her being ill..... I assume you don't randomly take the temperature of your chickens, so I am guessing there were visual signs that she was unwell.
Have you checked her crop function? A bird that is very thin either is being bullied away from the feeder, has a problem with their digestive tract (usually a crop impaction or lower digestive blockage, perhaps as a result of a reproductive disorder) or a cancer is causing muscle wastage. The crop should be full at night and empty in the morning. To check this, food should be removed from the coop after the birds have gone to roost. If she is not eating her crop is likely already empty, but worth checking. Also feel her lower abdomen by cupping your hand between her legs from behind and assess if there is any fullness or bloat there or below her vent. Compare against other healthy hens. Abdominal swelling usually indicates a reproductive ailment although there can be other causes. When did she last lay an egg?

A raised temperature usually indicates an infection. Her poop might shed some light on that. A photo is often helpful and perhaps a description of the smell.

The more information you can give us the more chance there is that we can help.

 

[Cindy Sue]

Something a lot of chicken keepers miss, and vets also, is a crop disorder when they see their chicken is sick. This can cause them to not eat, lose weight, get weak, and it all appears to be some sort of chicken disease when it may be something that's easily treated.

Is there any odor coming from her head? Sauerkraut odor perhaps? Is her crop bulging in spite of her not eating? You need to check it in the morning before you give her food and water. If the crop is full in the morning, she probably has a crop issue.

What antibiotic did the vet give her? How old is she?

You could tube water and pureed food down her, and it might help her condition a lot. Your vet should have the supplies on hand you will need and can teach you how to do it. I got my catheter and syringe from my vet for just $3.

No smell, she's about a year old. The vet checked her thoroughly and couldn't see anything wrong physically. The vet gave her baytril. She is drinking water out of our hands. Should we feed her, my friend is watching her while I'm at work, and she doesn't want to feed her till she can hold her head up on her own, I'm wondering if she needs food so she can build up her strength so she can hold her head up.

 

[Cindy Sue]

Hi Cindy. I'm sorry your hen is ill. More information and a photo of her and her poop might be helpful.
How old is she?
What part of the world are you located in.... putting that info on your profile page helps us to see at a glance each time you post and offer specific information based on that because certain diseases are more prevalent in different parts of the world and medicines and other treatment products vary from country to country.

What first alerted you to her being ill..... I assume you don't randomly take the temperature of your chickens, so I am guessing there were visual signs that she was unwell.
Have you checked her crop function? A bird that is very thin either is being bullied away from the feeder, has a problem with their digestive tract (usually a crop impaction or lower digestive blockage, perhaps as a result of a reproductive disorder) or a cancer is causing muscle wastage. The crop should be full at night and empty in the morning. To check this, food should be removed from the coop after the birds have gone to roost. If she is not eating her crop is likely already empty, but worth checking. Also feel her lower abdomen by cupping your hand between her legs from behind and assess if there is any fullness or bloat there or below her vent. Compare against other healthy hens. Abdominal swelling usually indicates a reproductive ailment although there can be other causes. When did she last lay an egg?

A raised temperature usually indicates an infection. Her poop might shed some light on that. A photo is often helpful and perhaps a description of the smell.



The more information you can give us the more chance there is that we can help.

Thanks, I will get a picture, I'm at work right now. A friend of mine is watching her closely and giving her water every hour, which she does drink on her own. I noticed yesterday that she was not hanging with the other girls, this morning, I went to check on her, she had her neck stretched out and hung down, kind of shaking. I think she laid an egg this morning, it was not in the nest, it was in the middle of the coop and broken, which is not normal. We live in Moab, UT. The vets did a full exam this morning and did not detect anything unusual other than her high temp.

 

[coach723]

You have received very good advice on some things to check and look for. If her crop is currently empty, then yes she needs to eat or she will just continue to weaken. However, if it's determined that she does have a crop problem, then putting more food into an already backed up system may not be helpful. How her droppings look may also be a clue. If the crop is empty then I would try to feed her some and then monitor to make sure the crop empties. If she will eat some scrambled eggs, or a bit of tuna, give her that, or try mixing in some water with her regular feed to make a mash. If you have some poultry nutridrench you can give her some of that, it's made for quick absorption, and it will give her a bit of a boost and may help with appetite. The challenge is going to be to find what has caused her to become so weak, and try to rectify it, if possible. There are many things that can present with similar symptoms, so it's not always easy. Any answers to the previously asked questions will hopefully help narrow it down.

 

[Cindy Sue]

We actually had some hard boiled eggs, so we mashed them up and she is eating them. She did try to stand up, but was too exhausted to stand. She is not getting worse, so that is a good thing.

 

[coach723]

Eating on her own is a good thing.

 

[Kneedles]

I'm surprised that nobody else has suggested worms yet; did the vets sample her droppings to test for worms or worm eggs?

 

[coach723]

That would be a good thing to know, in addition to the other questions asked.