Silkie hen won't eat, poor balance, can't poop URGANT!!

[BlueChai]

Murphy is doing much better today. I got nutridrench, and put it in her water. she is willing to drink, and she's drinking a lot. She eats a small bit, only if i hold it up to her. I did some research and I think she has impacted gizzard, which is probably from the long grass in my yard. I mowed down the grass super short today. I gave her some olive oil in a dropper, so hopefully that will help loosen her impact. I'm going to also give her some grit.
But so far my baby is doing a lot better than yesterday and I have a little more hope for her.

 

[azygous]

If she has an impaction, it's in her crop, not the gizzard. You need to get more than a eye dropper of oil into her, about a teaspoon or even two. Then massage the crop very gently. If the crop fails to empty, you can try a stool softener such as Dulcolax. Massage is key to getting the impaction to break up, but be careful not to be too vigorous, and keep your fingers away from her throat or she could vomit and aspirate the liquid.

By the way, solid coconut oil is easier to get into a chicken than liquid oil. I just push it into the side of the beak onto the tongue, and close the beak and the chicken will swallow. Some chickens will happily eat the chunks of oil from your hand.

 

[BlueChai]

Alright, I have coconut oil. I'll give her chunks of it. Her crop has been empty except for the water with nutridrench, oil, and the small amount of food I got her to eat, so that's why I assumed the impact was in the gizzard. Because she is hardly pooping, and she hardly eats so I thought it was some sort of blockage.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Try feeing her some boiled egg yolk mixed with some wet feed or yogurt.

 

[azygous]

It's not real common for the gizzard to be impacted. It's more common for the impaction to happen in the crop. The gizzard can get impacted from eating too much grit or oyster shell, and usually it's because the chicken didn't have access to adequate food.

The most likely reason for Murphy not pooping is because she hasn't been eating, but you should be seeing at least some watery green poop.

It won't hurt to give her the coconut oil to be safe. And I second the recommendation by @ChickNanny13 to feed boiled egg and yogurt. She will be feeling better from the antibiotic and this will start her eating again.

Keep on with the antibiotic. Whatever the recommended course is for the Tylan, make sure you complete it fully.

 

[BlueChai]

I just gave her a tylan shot for the night and fed her some coconut oil and yogurt, got her to drink and eat a bit more, and put her to bed. I'll boil some eggs for her in the morning and make the yogurt egg food mixture for her in the morning. She has started to poop more frequently. It is mostly water, but will have soft green solid parts with it now.

 

[drumstick diva]

I've been following this- and learning along the way. I hope she has the best possible outcome

 

[azygous]

The green stuff is bile. It just indicates she hasn't been eating food. As she gains strength, so will her appetite, and you should start seeing normal poop after she's eating normally again.

Egg is one of the best things to feed any sick chicken for their first food coming off a serious illness. It has all the good stuff plus energy for a good launch.

My chickens like the egg microwaved until the yolk is still just a little bit runny. Except for new baby chicks. I boil theirs solid and mince it finely in a food processor.

 

[BlueChai]

Murphy went downhill this morning. I gave her nutridrench water, some oil, and got her to eat a little bit. I'm at school right now and I hope she is alright when I come home. She didn't want to walk when I left. When I return, I will give her another tylan shot and boil her an egg. Thank you all for the help. I really appreciate it.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Sorry for your loss. If you can take her to get a necropsy, you would know what she was suffering from. Store her in a frig until you take her. Again sorry she didn't make it