Sick Chicken

[Sweetwtch]

I've looked and looked. There are so many chicken diseases, I can't figure out what's wrong or what to use to treat her. So here is what is going on. I have a chicken that has a terrible crooked beak. She does seem to be eating and drinking. It takes her a bit longer than the rest but she is doing it. She even eats treats. I picked her up yesterday and noticed she has gotten so much lighter! She still looks the same but is seriously light as a feather. So I was brushing through her feathers and noticed she has a ton of bugs on her. Little almost pale yellow color. So today we sprayed all of the chickens with Mana pro poultry protector. Back to her, she is making an almost hacking sound. And her breathing seems really loud. I am Not and I repeat am Not going to kill her. I want to find out what I can do to help her. What is wrong and what I can give her to help her! She was wormed last month, I also gave a couple of days ago 2cc's of penicillin in their gallon of water. Please help me figure out what to give her. What I can do to help her!

 

[TTracy]

You could try giving her some extra protein...like a scrambled egg. Also you could give her some pedilyte. It might be that because she has a crooked beak she doesnt get enough nutrients on her own, so add the mites in sucking her blood may have made her weaker and anemic.
Sorry i could not help you more, hopefully someone else will have some more info.

 

[purpletree23]

Follow the directions for the Mana Pro product. You might have to retreat every few days. The coops needs a thorough cleaning. Everything out. I mean everything. Take out the bedding and the nest boxes if possible. Close up the coop tightly and set off two bug bombs. Leave closed for at least 4 hours.

Open up the coop and air out. BEFORE adding fresh bedding sprinkle the floor and the crevices where the wall meets the floor with Sevin dust. Sprinkle their perch and any spaces you think tiny bugs might hide. Sprinkle on the bottom and corners of nesting boxes before adding bedding.

The hen with the crooked beak will need help feeding everyday because she can't do an effective job on her own. You will probably have to make her special foods like scrambled eggs or even baby food. I would think that feeding her at least twice a day would be the minimum. If she isn't fed regularly the poor thing will be hungry all the time. If you don't want to put her down this is what you'll have to do.

Do not give penicillin to any animal or human unless you know what infection you are trying to cure. Make sure there is an infection. Always take the full dose that was prescribed. The misuse of penicillin and other antibiotics are why there are so many drug resistant infections in the world today. You gave drugs to your chickens when they are suffering from malnourishment and bug infestation.

 

[Sweetwtch]

Thank you both. I have given her some scrambled eggs (she loved). How do you go about hand feeding her?? We have been making sure to give her extra free range time during the day. I treated every chicken with the mana pro, and have run out. None of our stores in this area carry any. But I have found a different powder you can put on the chickens, that I am going to give a try until I can get some more mana pro in the mail. The coop is cleaned once a week, and is washed, and dusted with DE once it has dried. I can not bomb the coop because it is attached to a different coop. The chickens behind it can not be let out with the others, rather grumpy rooster. I gave the penicillin, because I was advised to by a different chicken owner. Which it did nothing anyway.

 

[TTracy]

I have used a dropper. Take the scrambled egg add a little pedilyte (or a little sugar water) and then mash it up with a fork so that its easier to use the dropper. If you dont have a dropper you could offer her the egg with your hands, or mash it up and try using a spoon. You could separate her from your other chickens so that she could eat it without competition. Another food you could try with her is some yogurt.

 

[TTracy]

I meant to add that you could try a deep dish filled higher for food. It may make it easier for her to pick up on her own.

 

[purpletree23]

Wow. You clean the coop once a week? That's great. Instead of dusting the coop with DE use Sevin dust or poultry dust. DE is a preventative but once you have mites or lice it won't do the job. Unfortunatly in this case you have to go with a pesticide.

 

[iheartnh]

I have used a dropper. Take the scrambled egg add a little pedilyte (or a little sugar water) and then mash it up with a fork so that its easier to use the dropper. If you dont have a dropper you could offer her the egg with your hands, or mash it up and try using a spoon. You could separate her from your other chickens so that she could eat it without competition. Another food you could try with her is some yogurt.

I would not recommend yogurt - chickens cannot digest lactose, it will cause diarrhea.

 

[Sweetwtch]

Oh I did not know that about the DE! We are new to using it. I picked up today some Ytex garden and poultry dust. Will that kill the bugs? Every Friday we do clean out coop. We live in SC so it's so hot the coop will stink and I wouldn't live in it so I do not expect my girls to! She seems to have taken a turn for the worst. I am using a siringe to put baby food in her. We sprayed her down again with the last of the poultry protector. Right now she seems a tad bit perky, and is in our warm bathroom. I will pick up some pidealight tomorrow. She wouldn't eat the egg out my hand, I'm going to try to blend it up.

 

[Sweetwtch]

Also, about how often should I feed her?