Sick or Not

[stestory]

I have a red that is acting strangely. It is very solitary and refuses to roost with the other chickens as normal. When I picked her up today she feels very bony. A friend of mine says when they Molt this is normal. But she looks no different than the other chickens and does not appear to be molting. The question is should I take her to the vet, let this ride, or other options. Your assistance is greatly appreciated. I cannot say that she's eating like the other chickens, but when I let them loose to Range she is eating grass like the others.

 

[Judy]

She may have some condition, an internal problem which the others sense so they keep her away from them. It's also possible she is simply the lowest one in the pecking order, and they are not allowing her to eat as much as the others. Adding a second feeder may help. I would probably also take her out of the flock once or twice a day and let her eat by herself for a few minutes. You can get a small bag of some game bird feed to give her a little extra nutrition, or give her a scrambled egg, a bit of ground beef or other protein source, or just see that she has the opportunity to eat all she wants of their regular feed twice a day. Honestly, most vets don't treat chickens or aren't that familiar with them if they are willing, and an avian vet is quite expensive, besides not being very common. A vet might try a round of antibiotics as a guess. You can get some at a feed store if you wish, though I doubt I would do this if she didn't feel warm or have a would. If she is over a year and actually ill, some likely causes are ovarian cancer and internal laying, or a heart or liver disease, none of which is curable, of course.

Another thing to consider if you dont worm your flock is worms. Worming a sick chicken isn't really the best thing to do, but if they have a heavy worm load, they can die just of the worms and the internal problems that the worms cause. I'd recommend either Valbazen or Safeguard; actually I'd use Valbazen, because if there is a heavy infestation, the dead worms won't poison her or clog her system, as I understand it. You should also check your birds for lice and mites if you haven't.

I wish you luck.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/818674/are-these-some-kind-of-egg-clusters/0_20#post_11897957

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ll-seeing-live-worms-in-poo/0_20#post_9315842

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...r-crd-parasites-are-rampant/0_20#post_7474233

 

[stestory]

Thanks, this is all stuff I didn't know. She did pass away tonight. I have to ask about some cracked corn I feed that had worms in it. (meal worms I think) I assumed since they eat bugs it would be OK. Do you think this was wrong?

 

[Judy]

I'm sorry you lost her.

It's not so much the worms or bugs that sometimes show up in feed in feed that concerns me as the age of the feed, plus the possibility of mold. When it's happened to me, the feed was not as fresh as I'd have liked. I actually suspect they will show up in any feed if they have long enough to hatch and grow.

I've actually never heard of the worms or bugs themselves causing chickens a problem. If no one else looks sick, that would seeem to confirm is.