sick chicken

[never enough birds]

I have a nice RIR hen, she has a real messy back end
her comb is floped over, she just stands around does drink a little not eating, she dosen't seem to be egg bound and her crop seems to be ok she isn't coughing or sneezing. any ideas? thanks

 

[jjthink]

Has she been wormed? Do you know if she is bug free externally? What color is her comb? When did she begin to appear sick? How old is she? Are there other birds and how are they doing?

Keep her in a comfortably warm, stress free quiet place with comfy bedding and watch to see her eating, pooping and egg laying habits. You can use a good sized dog cage if you have or can get one right away. Try to keep her hydrated (if she won't take much water maybe she'll have some watermelon or something else with moisture).
Gently clean her bottom.

She may have parasites, she may have a virus, she may have a bacterial infection....so many possibilities. But one thing sure seems to be true about our feathered friends - prompt treatment is often necessary for any chance of survival because usually by the time they show symptoms they've been sick for awhile.

Blood work and a parasite test would be helpful if you can get it done quickly. Otherwise you are going to have to treat "in the dark" with wormer if she hasn't been wormed and possibly also with antibiotic. Both of these things are a stress to a system so it would be best to know what you're dealing with if possible. But if not, you can treat and hope. I had a hen very lethargic in early September - while I did get blood work and a parasite test we began treatment before the results were back because time was of the essence. She rallied quickly on antibiotic and later also anti-inflammatory. Blood work showed signs of infection and/or inflammation. There were no parasites. But that was Ellie. And I took her to the hospital the very day she appeared ill. Your hen may simply have worms which could kill her lickety split just as easily as a bacetrial infection or virus.

Hoping for a happy outcome.

JJ