Sick Hen - Help

[Forever Green]

Hi- So I found my white leghorn had worms, she was already emaciated when I found the worms. I dewormed with Wazine 17 my entire flock of free-ranged 14 birds, including her, this was done on 7/14/11. I've research here and found out i should do valbezen or ivermectin next at 10-14 days post Wazine. My feed store had pour-on ivermectin, no valbezen. I am doing the ivermectin pour on on 7/26.

My question: I have one very sick hen in isolation. Her bones are protruding. She can take 2 steps then has to sit. She is eating and drinking. I'm sure the worms have done severe damage to her, but she is not giving up. I'm feeding her high protein, tuna, salmon, scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt plus her normal food. I hate to see her so sick, but again, she will not die.

I know no one has a crystal ball, but for a bird this sick, how long can she last in this state? Is there any hope of her recovering?

I think i see a sign of improvement, but then a relapse. Should I give her the ivermectin now, will that help? Should I start a dose of antiobiotics? When I put her in isolation on 7/14, she was very weak but could still walk, now she can only take 2 steps then drops.

Obviously, I'd like to do whatever I can to save her. She is not yet 3 and could have good years ahead...... Looking for some advice on if I can do anything else for her or just keep her comfortable and let nature take its course.....whatever that might be.....

Thanks for reading......

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
Go ahead and dose her with the ivermectin pour on now. Four drops on bare skin on the back of the neck. It is quickly absorbed into the blood.
Stop giving her the salmon, tuna, yogurt, cottage cheese. Give her scrambled egg, buttermilk, mixed into her feed to make a mash and give it to her. Get some poultry nutri drench at your feed store and add a few drops into her water. Do this for 5 days then stop. If she picks up eating and drinking on her own, there's a good chance she'll recover. If not, it's best that you cull her...the worms have done too much damage.

 

[Forever Green]

Dawg53, thanks for your help.

Wanted to let you know that despite all of our efforts, we needed to put our hen down yesterday. She couldn't or move her legs in any way, could no longer hold up her head to eat or drink. She gave it her all, but just could not recover from the round worms. My husband and I both cried as she was our first chicken, our very first hen, who laid our very first egg. Her grave has been appropriately marked with her nickname.... "our little champion". She will be missed, never forgotten.

The rest of our flock of 13 seem all to be well post 2 deworming treatments (first with Wazine and second with Ivermectin pour on). We should be able to consume our eggs around 8/15. I plan on deworming yearly on a go forward........lessons learned.

 

[dawg53]

Sorry for your loss. I wish you the best.