Starving chicken: a true mystery

[lisasea]

Hi everyone. Noodle died peacefully in her sleep last night. I really do feel like we were all in this together, so I know it must be upsetting for many of you as well. I hope this experience and this thread lives to serve a broader purpose, and can help many others in the future. We'll be getting a necropsy, and will report back on the root issue if it can be identified.

Our thanks can't adequately be expressed over the internet, but to those of you who have been with us from the beginning to offer your experience, our pure and sincerest appreciation goes out to you. This is our first time going through the decline and loss of a chicken, one who was very beloved no less, and your support was just as helpful to our emotional state as it was to Noodle's health. It can't be easy following these threads knowing that the outcome may be dire, but your time and selflessness has been everything to us the past week.

Noodle lived a really wonderful life in sunny, warm California, rolled with a great flock that includes a pitbull she could boss around, and was never left wanting for treats, bugs, or luxurious dust baths. She once starred in a YouTube video for Google, and ruled the roost until her final day. She's left quite an impression on our home, and will never be forgotten.

 

[Sara Ranch]

*hugs*

 

[azygous]

Noodle lived well, was loved, and she had stellar good looks.

I was dreading this announcement. I could see she was losing ground and had probably reached the point of no return. The only thing harder than having a pet chicken die is to have to euthanize her. It appears she arranged to spare you that wrenching task.

 

[biophiliac]

Sincere condolences.

 

[menotti]

Lisa said it better than I ever could. Thanks everyone for your support - it really means a lot.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Unfortunately I just got news back from my very best pet hens necropsy who had the EXACT same symptoms yours had. I took her to the vet for the fecal float test on Thursday although that was no fun obtaining since her bowel movement was nothing but clear slightly bubbly liquid resembling water with what appeared to be green foragings. That took creativity since they told me I could not absorb it back up with cotton balls and it was mostly liquid. So I put her in an old parrot cage for the night and lined it with saran wrap, bunched it up and placed in a ziplock bag. It tested negative for coccidia and parasites (which includes worms) He said it had to be bacterial and put her on Baytril .01 ml (she's a 1 pound ematiated silkie since she has not been keeping anything down for long) I stayed up with her all night on Thursday making sure she was drinking plenty of fluids through the night because her level of diarrhea had quickly progressed. She was drinking a LOT but it was going through her twice as fast. So Friday morning I was back at the vets as soon as he opened. He upped the Baytril to 0.3 ml every day and said there was no chicken IV unfortunately and we just had to keep her hydrated long enough for the medication to work. On Friday night I stayed up yet another night (at this point I had not slept in 2 days) to make sure she'd drink but by midnight she was just holding her mouth open when I'd dip her beak in her dish so I quickly initiated tube feeding which I have done as a nurse on humans and as a chicken breeder for years. (Priscilla again was more like a chicken daughter than a regular chicken to me) After that feeding I fed her again throughout the next couple hours every 30 minutes with nutridrench and water. She passed in my arms at 2:18am Saturday morning. I held my baby in my arms and just told her I loved her. The hardest thing ever. Today I took her in for a necropsy. Now for a quick back story. 3 months ago my hen Lola had a big wound come up on her leg joint (where our knee would be) it looked necrotic (like dead black tissue) and since she was broody at the time, I noticed it when she stood up and walked over to eat one morning. I brought her in and after soaking it in epsom salt, debrided the tissue as well as I could with what I had, applied a load of triple antibiotic ointment on it, placed a nonstick telfa pad over that and wrapped with gauze roll and secured with vet wrap. I'd do this every other day. Well she lived about 2 months and then she passed last month before Christmas and so I also had a necropsy done on her because I want to know for sure why a bird dies so that I can prevent deaths in the future where possible and it's only $10 for private owners. So now back to Priscilla, I brought her in today to be tested and the vet came out to get her and saw who I was she said did you get the report I sent you Friday? (it was emailed and I had been busy with Priscilla) I said I had not because I had been dealing with the care of Priscilla and then grieving for her. She said that Lola had mareks. That had been a mareks tumor on her leg. Now before you say well my bird did not have that, neither did Priscilla. And before you say well my bird was immunized, Priscilla was also and I paid extra for it when we got her from cackle hatchery although Lola was not. We bought hatching eggs for Lola and didn't realize that it was necessary for a backyard flock. So today the necropsy was done. We do not have confirmation until the pathology comes back but it seems that Priscillas organs were enlarged and having multiple enlarged organs on necropsy is indicative of mareks. I asked how could this happen to her since she was vaccinated and she said that less than 1% can still get it while vaccinated. I asked what to do. She said to vaccinate ALL of my birds. From the youngest to the oldest regardless of age. So I have watched videos and ordered vaccine and from now on I will do just that. I never want to see another bird I love or that anyone else loves for that matter go through this. Once they have it, there is nothing that can be done. You can't cull it away. So my suggestion is to order vaccine and vaccinate ALL of your birds because your birds are worth it. It may be too late for the one who is sick but it may save lives of the others. I hope I am wrong but the symptoms are identical. My feed store don't carry it but many do. You can order it online and they'll ship in on ice. Very easy to do. Good luck and God bless.

Edited to add: Priscilla quit laying about 6 weeks before she passed.

So sorry for your loss. And thanks you for sharing your story. What state are you in that costed only $10?

My apologies, I am still on page 8 as I post this...

But what I wanna know is what kind of vet doesn't have the thought to administer subcutaneous fluids?

AND what kind of vet recommends USELESS vaccines at an age they can no longer be effective?

I personally would find another vet.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Is what I’m gonna say to the broodiness! It’s been a broody spell marathon here the past 2 weeks..

Thank you for the insight, @junebuggena on our problems. I was going to start new threads on these issues if I felt they were getting worse.

The Faverolles bare belly could also be just from standard rubbing on the roost or when laying around. They are a heavier breed aren't they?

 

[staceyj]

Dear Menotti and Lisa,
Know that you did everything possible to save your sweetie.
@azygous, said it best, oh, how kind of her to spare you by slipping away peacefully in her sleep.
Sending you hugs and sympathy.
Stacey

 

[EggSighted4Life]

So super sorry for your loss!

Not only Noodle but her devoted and loving family is what captured our hearts.

And thanks to your willingness to share this very difficult journey, many of us will have learned some things to help in future circumstances.

I hope your necropsy comes back with clear results so you can finally have some answers after how hard you worked.

Goodbye beautiful Noodle!

Do you have a fun story to share about she got her name?

 

[mertzy1963]

Hi everyone. Noodle died peacefully in her sleep last night. I really do feel like we were all in this together, so I know it must be upsetting for many of you as well. I hope this experience and this thread lives to serve a broader purpose, and can help many others in the future. We'll be getting a necropsy, and will report back on the root issue if it can be identified.

Our thanks can't adequately be expressed over the internet, but to those of you who have been with us from the beginning to offer your experience, our pure and sincerest appreciation goes out to you. This is our first time going through the decline and loss of a chicken, one who was very beloved no less, and your support was just as helpful to our emotional state as it was to Noodle's health. It can't be easy following these threads knowing that the outcome may be dire, but your time and selflessness has been everything to us the past week.

Noodle lived a really wonderful life in sunny, warm California, rolled with a great flock that includes a pitbull she could boss around, and was never left wanting for treats, bugs, or luxurious dust baths. She once starred in a YouTube video for Google, and ruled the roost until her final day. She's left quite an impression on our home, and will never be forgotten.

So sorry to hear this!!!!