- Dec 14, 2013
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I have this nine-year-old black Japanese bantam. It's below freezing where I live and the flock of six stays warm in an insulated wind-free coop. I noticed she wasn't perched on the roost one night and found she was super skinny. I mean keel bone poking out with very little muscle tone. I brought her inside where she is warm, alert, and eager to consume mealworms and cooked eggs if I offered them to her. So, she was eating generously. Her crop was a bit squishy and hard, so I thought it was sour crop. I treated with Monistat for three days until her crop would fully empty. It seemed like a success. She was eating and drinking, but still not gaining weight. Due to my academic and work schedule, I am not home for the majority of the day. Therefore, I can't fully observe her behaviors or the consistency of eating. Nevertheless, I managed to get some Safeguard goat de-wormer and worm her last night. I also provided an emergency dose of the Nutri-Drench for poultry in accordance with her weight as well as force-feeding cooked egg. She is still alive with poor balance, reluctant to eat now, she fills her crop up with water, her vent reaks of uric acid (white cap on chicken poo), huddles in a corner, and is "fluffed up." Another odd thing I noticed is that I offered her some dirt to peck through, she would literally eat the stones and dirt VERY eagerly. Despite now being reluctant to consume chicken mash and cooked egg, she prefers the dirt? I do mean eat the dirt as I know the difference between foraging in dirt and consuming the dirt. Thus, does she have a mineral deficiency? Does she need more grit? Why the build-up of uric acid on the vent? She is vaccinated for Mereks. She is in a molt that has lasted for it seems about 2+ weeks, so maybe she was in a weakened state due to the molt? Could this be a potential organ failure or cancer? What else can I try to revive her if this is a curable condition?
Thank you for all your patience and time.
Thank you for all your patience and time.