Hello, My one ISA Brown and Rhode Island Red chickens have recently picked up a sickness that has made them droopy and tired. I brought them inside, cause it was really cold outside. My mom's friend said that she feeds her sick chickens yogurt, so I fed the two hens a whole container of raspberry yogurt. After about 12 or more hours, I tried giving them some water. I gave them a bowl of water, and the Rhode Island Red hen started to drink like crazy, but the other wasn't interested. At 4:30, I brought them back outside in the coop. My dad turned our heat lamp on, and I put the hens in the light. I also put the chicken's feeder in front of the hens, and the waterer in the middle. They wont get up, they sort of struggle to move, and one of the hens has curled toes. I don't know if this is a disease, or a sickness .. Or what. They are younger (1 year) laying hens, so I didn't expect anything to happen to them now. Can you think of a cure? Or what this is? Thanks!
Do you know if they were vaccinated for Marek's disease as a chick? Do their legs appear paralyzed (press you finger into the ball of each foot--they should curl it and/or move their leg), or just too weak to stand? Any other symptoms (nasal discharge, heavy breathing, bloody poop, swollen crop, etc.)? I would start by isolating them, if possible, in a warm, clean place. Put some poultry vitamins/electrolytes and maybe some probiotics in their water, and just let them rest. I would also purchase a poultry wormer (Valbazen, SafeGuard, Worminator, etc.) and worm them. Try to not stress them out too much. They probably have some sort of diseases/disorder, that may or may not be able to be treated. Answer the questions I asked above the best you can; doing so should give me a better idea of what you're dealing with. Good luck with them!
Have they been laying? Is their abdomen hard? They could be egg bound, which would cause them to be droopy/lethargic. However, it is unlikely that both are egg bound at once, so its probably not this. What do their crops feel like? Are they eating? If the crops are hard, they may be impacted. This would make them not hungry, and somewhat weak. Did this come on suddenly? If its been gradual, they may have worms. Have they been wormed recently? Worms cause weakness, thinness, and loss of weight. If you think they may have worms, worm them with a dewormer like Safeguard or Valbazen. Check them for mites an lice. These can sap the energy of a bird. Are their droppings normal? And, how old are they? Coccidiosis also causes droopiness, lethargy, and lack of appetite. I'm not sure why the hen's toes would be curled-- were they like that before?
Curled toes can be a sign of riboflavin deficiency. I would get them on poultry vitamins from the feed store right away. You should check them over for the condition of their crops first thing in the morning--flat and empty like it should be or full and hard, or full and squishy? How are the poops--any diarrhea or blood in stools? Chickens can have a small portion of yogurt, but use only plain unsweetened yogurt. What type of feed are they on--could it be old and have lost some of it's vitamins or nutrients? I would also wonder if they had a Mareks vaccine?
Hi, Wyandottes7, Yes. They were laying hens, their abdomens were not hard, they were not eating, but the Rhode Island Red was gulping down gallons of water, while the other wasn't interested. It did not come suddenly. I noticed about a couple of days before I had brought them in. I saw them cooped up underneath the coop, I tried to poke them out, but they would't move. I thought a couple days later, that maybe they are sick. so I brought them in. They did have lice, one of my chickens who had died was infested with lice, and was egg bound. The Rhode Island Red was 1 and the ISA Brown was 2. Their droppings were normal.
