THESE ARE THE SYMPTOMS!!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY HEN??? HELP PLEASE!!!

[chickenman101]

HELLO. I HAVE A LEGHORN HEN WHOS HAS BEEN SICK FOR A WEEK NOW, AND SHE JUST CANT SEEM TO GET WELL. I HAVE QUARANTINED HER FROM THE REST OF THE FLOCK. SHE SEEMS TO BE DRINKING AND EATING A LITTLE ( NOT AS MUCH AS USUAL). SHE SEEMS TO BE IN A DAZE JUST STANDING IN ONE SPOT WITH HER FEATHERS RUFFLED AND HER HEAD TUCKED IN HER FEATHERS. SHE HAS DIARRHIA REALLY BAD. IN THE MORNING ITS EVERWHERY WHERE SHE WAS SLEEPING AND EVEN ALL OVER HER FEATHERS. its a weird yellow chalky color with dark black and real runny. does anyone know what might be wrong with her. i cant stand seeing her like this. what can i do for her to help her, and does anyyoe recognize these symptoms?? any help is appreciated!! thanks oh yea sorry i left the caps on earlier

 

[speckledhen]

Cant say for sure. Sometimes, advanced coccidiosis will produce yellow mustardy poop. Sometimes worms. Has she been wormed at all?


BTW, please dont use all caps. It means you are yelling and it's very hard to read. Thanks!

 

[dave_Cash69]

i hope your hen gets well soon.
not sure what it is, but it sounds like adv. cocci. like she said.

 

[chickenman101]

i wormed the flock wednesday, but im not for sure she drank any of the water is it ok to try to worm her again now that shes by herself??

 

[speckledhen]

If you dont know how much wormer she got, I'm not sure I would do it again, as I said in PM. Worming is very hard on them and if she was already ill in some way, it may have not been as beneficial as you would think. The general rule is dont worm a sick bird, unless you're positive that she does indeed have worms.

 

[jjthink]

I am not certain what's going on with your hen but last September my hen Ellie became ill and had some yellow poop. She was extremely lethargic (standing in one spot, etc...) and I rushed her to the vet same day her symptoms manifested (Murphy's Law - it was Labor Day and really hard to find a vet who would see her!). Blood work showed signs of significant infection and/or inflammation (the test does not distinguish between the 2), so the vet put her on antibiotic and antiinflammatory immediately and she got well. I think I would have lost her without the meds...she was going down fast...
Your hen may be suffering from something completely different but it does sound pretty urgent at this point - a week is a long time......
I hope she will get well

JJ

 

[maymiegirl]

Isn't that typical of Blackhead? If so, the supplement Acidified Copper Sulfate, which is safe, inexpensive and easy to use should clear it up in 3-5 days. Not sure but It sure sounds like Blackhead. Pretty, pretty birds, JJ.

 

[mypicklebird]

The more information you give, the more and better help can be offered-
All I can get from your post is the breed and she has very severe diarrhea.
How old, where did she come from, how long have you had her, what are you feeding them, do you deworm, do you treat for mites/lice, are the others ok, have you inspected her besides noticing her messy bottom? Seems to be eating? Is she eating or not? Pick her up- feel her crop, feel her keel, clean off her bottom and look at it and around it- let us know what you find and more about her history.

Black feces is possibly GI bleeding, never a good thing. Dark green feces means she is not eating. White urates are normal, yellow is not. It sounds like you have a very ill bird, possibly dying. If you cannot take her and a fecal sample to a vet- you need to up your supportive care. Besides quarantining her- offer a heat lamp, offer tasty and nutritious food, consider adding electrolytes to her water (bad diarrhea mean loss of water and electrolytes, add that to not eating & drinking well- this can kill a creature just as fast as whatever is causing the diarrhea). If she is not eating/drinking- if you are comfortable slowly syringe feeding her, this may help her.
Long story short, best chance this bird has is having a hard diagnosis- ie fecal check for severe parasite problem, bloodwork to see if she has organ failure or severe infection, and a good physical. This can help you decide if you have a bird that has a chance of recovery, or whether your should cull her.
If you can't do this, then best thing is to do supportive care and hope.

 

[chickenman101]

ive had her a year now and id say shes 2 years old. she eats scratch and cracked corn and occasionally i give them cheerios for a treat. she still eats some but not alot. amd she drinks her water. she moves around good when im near her but when im away thats when she just stands in one spot or lies down like she has a belly ache or something. i cant afford to take her to the vet. im just not sure what to do or if im doing the right thing. im trying my best to nurse her back to health, it just worries me. i have been giving her electrolytes in her water but she hasnt improved or gotten any worse either in about 5 days. any suggestions on what to try? thanks everyone.

 

[jjthink]

Oh no.....scratch/corn are just treat foods, and shouldn't be the mainstay of a diet. She should immediately be provided with hen layer food and/or game bird maintenance food and in both cases with crushed oyster shell available at all times (has she had this? if not, she likely has a calcium deficiency that could kill her if she's not forming proper shells for eggs as a result - has she been laying eggs? when was the last one?).

This hen is in serious trouble. The lack of proper nutrition likely weakened her to the point of being vulnerable to whatever is ailing her now. If she is going to survive, she needs some major intervention immediately - see if you can find some way to manage getting her vet care - she may not get through this without major help fast. At the very least, also get her some children's liguid Polyvisol vitamins and very carefully give her 3 drops daily. I would start all of these things immediately, if not sooner.

Also keep her in warm, comfortable clean environment to help her rest well. Is she your only chicken or are there others? Where do you keep her? Does she go outside?

JJ