Sick Hen but no idea of the problem 😞

[FaithArthur123999]

Hey guys! I have a 2 year old Ex Battery Hen called Mabel. Yesterday morning I noticed she was a bit lethargic but was still moving around, I know some of my hens have the odd lazy day so I just kept an eye on her. She was sat in the next box for a lot of the time and when I tried to remove her, she would go back in. So I thought she may of been broody. However she became a little more lethargic as the day went on. This morning I went out and she was huddle on the perch all puffed out and didnt seem very happy. I have brought her inside as its cold out and secluded her to her own cage. I placed some food and water down and she went at the food like she hasnt seen food in ages? She ate a good amount but not sure if she has drank anything. I know she didnt lay Yesterday and not today either aswell. Shes just stood in the cage looking miserable, her comb is nice and red, quite alert and eyes and nose look fine, her crop did empty last night which was good, I have barley seen any poo from her but when she did it was a mixture of dark green (had some greens Yesterday), pellet type of poo with urates, however there was a pinkish tinge of liquid surrounding the poo aswell. Shes gone off food abit now and I have given her a warm epson salt bath incase of her being egg bound but I am so lost! My vets arent seeing any poultry at the moment due to avian flu so honestly feel so lost as to what is wrong and what to do. I did notice she shakes her head sometimes so we did treat her and the others with ivermectin drops for mites and lice Yesterday as one of the other girls had signs of it. So its possible that mites and lice are present but just dont know what this could be? I am really heavily pregnant now and running around as a full time chicken carer is becoming harder, I just want her to be okay. Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas? Rest of the flock seem absolutely fine so I think this is just an isolated incident

 

[Eggcessive]

It sounds like she is either feeling ill or maybe being kept from food and water by the others. Sick or bullied chickens will sometimes take to a nest box to hide out. If she has mites that can weaken or kill them. Ivermectin or Permethrin can treat mites. Have you wormed her recently? The pink drainage could be from that. If you are in the UK, you can get Flubenvet, and possibly Panacur. Cancer or reproductive disorders are common in hens. I would feed her some moistened chicken feed and some cooked egg daily. Tuna is also good. Make sure that she is drinking well. A poultry vitamin and electrolyte tonic could help for several days. Hopefully she will perk up and feel better shortly.

 

[FaithArthur123999]

It sounds like she is either feeling ill or maybe being kept from food and water by the others. Sick or bullied chickens will sometimes take to a nest box to hide out. If she has mites that can weaken or kill them. Ivermectin or Permethrin can treat mites. Have you wormed her recently? The pink drainage could be from that. If you are in the UK, you can get Flubenvet, and possibly Panacur. Cancer or reproductive disorders are common in hens. I would feed her some moistened chicken feed and some cooked egg daily. Tuna is also good. Make sure that she is drinking well. A poultry vitamin and electrolyte tonic could help for several days. Hopefully she will perk up and feel better shortly.

Hey! Thank you so much for your response. I havent wormed them since last September when they all had a confirmed case of worms. Does Ivermectin kill worms? I will call my local feed supplier for the flubevent feed but sometimes it takes a couple of days to get the feed. Ive given her some vitamins and a vitamin D liquid. Ive made her some scrambled egg but hasnt shown much interest in it. Once she had dried from her bath, I took her back out to the chicken pen to see what her behaviour is and she still stands there puffed up but she does have little periods of scratching around on the floor. My partner dropped an egg and her and the others came running so I know there is a bit of life too her, but I brought her back in and she seems miserable again. Not sure wether to leave her out (bring in for bed time) or leave her indoors with me. Its hard to work out what is normal end of life problems such as cancer and what treatable problems there are x

 

[Eggcessive]

Ivermectin has lost some effectiveness in treating worms, but will treat mites. Can you get fenbendazole 10% horse paste or the dog wormer below? Those work well, and dosage is 0.25 ml per pound of weight for 5 straight days.

I tend to leave sick chickens with their flock as long as they are not being bullied or pecked. Take her aside to feed a couple of times a day, and let her do as she wants. Sometimes they just want to hang out with the flock, even if they are lying down due to illness and not energetic.

 

[FaithArthur123999]

Ivermectin has lost some effectiveness in treating worms, but will treat mites. Can you get fenbendazole 10% horse paste or the dog wormer below? Those work well, and dosage is 0.25 ml per pound of weight for 5 straight days.

I tend to leave sick chickens with their flock as long as they are not being bullied or pecked. Take her aside to feed a couple of times a day, and let her do as she wants. Sometimes they just want to hang out with the flock, even if they are lying down due to illness and not energetic.

View attachment 3406053

Hey, my local supplier didnt have any and didnt know when they would get some in. Ive had to order online as no where else near me (or even a good drive away) has any. Its due to come Friday which I hope isnt too far away. My partner suggested to give her some pain relief (loxicam) so I thought there was no harm in trying as she didnt look great, 1 hour after she is up and walking around, also eating and drinking! I took her back outside as she perked up and shes about 70% normal again. Wondering if this is from the pain relief? Wondering also if worms cause pain or if its something else. Very strange but I have brought her in tonight to keep an eye on her but shes confusing me at the moment, glad to see her a bit better and hoping she stays that way! I will still worm her and the flock anyway

 

[Eggcessive]

Meloxicam is used a lot in chickens for pain and inflammation, so glad that it seemed to help her. Let us know how she gets along, and encourage her to eat and drink. Glad that you can get the wormer by the weekend.

 

[FaithArthur123999]

Meloxicam is used a lot in chickens for pain and inflammation, so glad that it seemed to help her. Let us know how she gets along, and encourage her to eat and drink. Glad that you can get the wormer by the weekend.

Thank you, I will do. Fingers crossed she is okay tomorrow. Will keep you updated. Thanks again for your help

 

[FaithArthur123999]

Meloxicam is used a lot in chickens for pain and inflammation, so glad that it seemed to help her. Let us know how she gets along, and encourage her to eat and drink. Glad that you can get the wormer by the weekend.

Hey, I just wanted to give you an update on the Hen. I made the post on Wednesday, and by Friday morning she was back to her normal self! I did give some ivermectin drops on the Wednesday so wether it was from that or not? The worming powder arrived Friday afternoon and we have carried that out anyway. Shes absolutely fine now and running around like her nornal self. Really not sure what caused all this but thankfully she has recovered. Thanks for your help x

 

[Eggcessive]

Glad to hear that she is much better.