- Nov 9, 2013
- 6
- 0
- 7
Okay, so I have a small flock of mixed hens (2 Reds, 1 White Leghorn, 1 Plymouth Barred Rock, and 1 other Plymouth Barred Rock, but she's developmentally disabled and seems very old -we're not really sure of her age as we rescued her from an abusive flock-). One of our Rhode Island Reds (her name is Ginger) is very sick. As of now, she is the only sick one.
She was fine yesterday, but was obviously very sick this morning. She seemed sort of catatonic and would not come out of the coop, whereas the others had been out for a few hours. I witnessed some diarrhea (VERY watery with a little foam but N O T bloody -yet-) as well. We bought electrolytes and a bottle of Sulmet drinking water solution. We do not know what disease she has, all we know is that she is very sick.
We separated her from the others and brought inside the house where it is warm so that she doesn't need to be fighting off cold on top of whatever she has going on with her. We also worry about the others catching what she has. She is in our [finished] basement to be kept warm in a makeshift wire enclosure. Inside she has a VERY low bar to perch on, a small amount of food, a box filled with hay (one of the only times she has moved before we brought her inside was to sit in her favorite nesting box), and her medicated water. But she won't drink. The others also have medicated water as a precaution.
Right now she is perched on the bar, and not moving. She is standing up, but still will not drink or move. She keeps closing her eyes and wavering on the bar.
I understand that chickens are fairly fragile and are subject to/carry many diseases. I also understand that once you notice that a chicken is sick it is often too late to save her.
But any advice would be very helpful! Ginger is a beloved pet and we do not want her to die! Any tips on getting a chicken to drink, what she may have, or what we can do would be very much appreciated!
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
- young chickens. We got them this April, but they are our second flock.
- no roosters (not sure how helpful or important any of this is but I'm going to tell you anyway)
- We live in New Hampshire (which is why we figured it would be important to bring her out of the cold)
- the coop is rather small, but they spend the majority of their time in the pen, which is a good size
- we sweep out the pen to prevent bacteria build-up
- we clean out their coop once a week
- we let them free range in the evenings until it gets dark (we have numerous hawks that have already taken two of our ladies, so we don't let them out as often as we wish we could)
thanks.
She was fine yesterday, but was obviously very sick this morning. She seemed sort of catatonic and would not come out of the coop, whereas the others had been out for a few hours. I witnessed some diarrhea (VERY watery with a little foam but N O T bloody -yet-) as well. We bought electrolytes and a bottle of Sulmet drinking water solution. We do not know what disease she has, all we know is that she is very sick.
We separated her from the others and brought inside the house where it is warm so that she doesn't need to be fighting off cold on top of whatever she has going on with her. We also worry about the others catching what she has. She is in our [finished] basement to be kept warm in a makeshift wire enclosure. Inside she has a VERY low bar to perch on, a small amount of food, a box filled with hay (one of the only times she has moved before we brought her inside was to sit in her favorite nesting box), and her medicated water. But she won't drink. The others also have medicated water as a precaution.
Right now she is perched on the bar, and not moving. She is standing up, but still will not drink or move. She keeps closing her eyes and wavering on the bar.
I understand that chickens are fairly fragile and are subject to/carry many diseases. I also understand that once you notice that a chicken is sick it is often too late to save her.
But any advice would be very helpful! Ginger is a beloved pet and we do not want her to die! Any tips on getting a chicken to drink, what she may have, or what we can do would be very much appreciated!
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
- young chickens. We got them this April, but they are our second flock.
- no roosters (not sure how helpful or important any of this is but I'm going to tell you anyway)
- We live in New Hampshire (which is why we figured it would be important to bring her out of the cold)
- the coop is rather small, but they spend the majority of their time in the pen, which is a good size
- we sweep out the pen to prevent bacteria build-up
- we clean out their coop once a week
- we let them free range in the evenings until it gets dark (we have numerous hawks that have already taken two of our ladies, so we don't let them out as often as we wish we could)
thanks.
