Sudden onset chicken illness???

[tnchickenut]

Her crop would look enlarged and maybe even lumpy to one side. If it does... just massage it gently. It should help work things out.

 

[KCNC06]

I gave her 2.5 tps of water a little bit ago and felt her throat/chest/belly area. I didn't notice anything hard, other than her bony body, but I rubbed her a bit anyway and heard belly noises that I wasn't hearing before. Maybe there are belly noises now because she's getting more fluids in her or maybe things are just moving that weren't moving before. Either way, she looked more alert than she did before. She talked a little more and even pecked at her bedding a bit before I put her back in the crate.

 

[chickabator]

if she is not eating her food make her a boiled egg and chop it up into little peices, that seems to be the only thing I can get down mine when they are not feeling well.

 

[KCNC06]

I got her to eat about 3 teaspoons of squished up hard boiled egg yoke mixed with the medicine water a little bit ago. She seemed to really like it, though I think she might need a bib if she's going to keep eating that mixture.

 

[jazziemay]

I have lost two of my young hens to something that killed them???? I now have another hen sick...pale comb, beak open like mouth breathing, lethargic, not eating or drinking and staying alone, now sitting in a nest...thanks for your input...

 

[jazziemay]

Also she is all puffed up, swollen...

 

[KCNC06]

Quote:
Jazzie ~ I'm sorry for your loss, and that you seem to have another sick girl! I'm still fairly new to chicken keeping, I've only had my oldest girls about a year. It seems like there are so many things that can cause chickens to get sick and die, and unfortunately a lot of the illnesses have similar symptoms and no real treatments. This link <http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044> is a great resource in my opinion. It lists lots of different illnesses, symptoms and possible treatments.

One possibility that's not listed on that page...I guess depending where you're located...has it been abnormally hot lately? If so, are your chickens in a well ventilated area where they have access to shade and lots of cool water? I think being overheated could cause your chickens to be lethargic, pant, etc. Our temperatures have been in the upper 90's to low 100's the past couple weeks and my chickens haven't really been acting normal. They all hang out in the shady end of their yard and kick little dirt holes to roll around in. When they're up moving around scratching for bugs they tend to have their beaks open like they're mouth breathing. I haven't really noticed that their comb color has changed, but I do make sure I refill their waterers with cold water twice a day.... Of course, if the sick one isn't willing to drink anything I may be completely off base on this idea.

My hen that this original post was about died a week after I posted this. It seemed like she was trying really hard to die that whole week and I was just holding up the process by trying everything that I tried. I still have no idea what killed her, none of the other girls ever got sick. Someone told me that sometimes chickens are born with genetic defects that eventually kill them...I've got to figure that's what happened with my hen. It seemed like starting to lay was too hard on her and her body just couldn't handle it.

Hopefully things turn around for your chickens though!!