Sick Hen Not Eating, Drinking or standing

[Kinder89]

I have a year old Barred Rock hen who, up until last week was fine. Our weather out here went from 60 degrees to about 28 degrees over night. At first I thought the cold might be getting to her but the other hens were not affected. She came right up to me while feeding them which is usually unheard of seeing as how she is very skittish. I carried her around in my jacket to perhaps warm her up. That seemed to do the trick until a few days later when my husband noticed her laying outside on her side.
We brought her in the house to warm her up. We currently have her quarantined to our bathroom right by our heater vent. She is quiet content just laying down or taking warm baths. I thought she might be egg bound but doesn't seem to be trying to push out anything but liquid poop. She is not eating nor drinking any water. She just lays down by the heater. She has dropped half her weight in just a week. She is not even wanting to stand on her own. I don't know what is wrong with her and every attempt I make, it is a fail. I tried today to put her with the flock during feeding to see if she would eat. The minute another hen bumped into her, she just fell over and stayed laying on her side.

Please someone help me figure this out. She is a great hen and would hate to see her leave this earth. Ive already lost 5 hens in the past 9 months (due to many reasons)

 

[Eggcessive]

I would research the thread"GoTeam Tube Feeding" here on BYC. Your hen could have coccidiosis, enteritis, or severe worms. She probably won't make it if she can't drink medication. I would probably start her on Corid or amprollium for cocci. Safeguard horse paste or goat wormer is good--give 1/2 ml.

 

[ten chicks]

I would also check her crop to rule out any crop issues such as a impact or sour crop.

 

[Eggcessive]

What symptoms did your other chickens have that you have lost? Does this hen have diarrhea, and what do her stools look like? Check her skin for mites and lice. If you can gether to take some egg and milk or buttermilk tonight, it might help her until you can get meds. Has she had a Mareks vaccine?

 

[Kinder89]

Her stool was at first liquid white diarrhea. Ive checked her for mites and I cant find a single source. I just tried tube feeding her and she seemed to just have it all pour back out afterwards. Her breathing is very labored now and shes acting like shes giving up.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry to hear about her declining condition. She may have stasis or blockage farther down involving the crop, proventriculus, or gizzard. There could also be some toxin or poison in your environment that she got into. Botulism can be fatal to chickens, lead is also a common toxin from old paint on barns or houses, and rat poison if a neighbor unknowingly has put some out. I would do some investigation into the chicken's environment for any evidence of animal or fish carcasses, or rotting vegetation from compost beds, and talk to neighbors if you have any. I don't know how your other hens died, but 5 hens lost over 9 months is unusual unless there were predators. Here is some info on botulism: http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/19/botulism

 

[Kinder89]

Thank you every one for your help but unfortunately Tweetle Dee has pasted away. I thought we made a change in progress by force feeding her and she actually kept it down. Fighting my husband every step of the way today while trying to feed but shortly after he arrived home, picked her up to feed her antibiotics, she passed. I believe, since I have had strange, long drawn out deaths with my other hens, the farm from which I got them, never gave them the much needed antibiotics they so needed when young.

 

[Eggcessive]

So sorry for your loss.