Very poorly 6 month amber white please help!

[Rachael23]

I have a 6 month old amber white, approx 3 weeks ago we noticed she was losing tons of feathers, keeping herself separate from the other chickens (5) and one chicken had a go at her. After examining we found out she had chicken lice and treated daily with diatom, the feather situation stablised but she was not happy so i brought her inside (approx 7 days ago). She is in my studio in a dog crate, padded and with a perch put up. The heating is on 27 and it is toasty. So far i have given her an epsom salt bath and blow dry, treated for leg mites (just in case?) and she is on day 3 of a worming programme (flubernet?)....i expected to see tons of worms in her poo but am unsure if there are any....if there are they are hair worms (but she is not gasping). her eyes are shiny and her face is not swollen. Her comb is a much better colour (was purple then very pale and now pretty much normal, but not standing proud). I thought she would be doing better than she is...she has very little interest in food, practically none for the past 2 days. i have tried her with meal worms, yogurt, rice, cabbage, sweetcorn, scambled egg and strawberries. today she has eaten one strawberry and 6 mealworms. she is drinking small amounts (the water has some type of chicken tonic in it). Im at a total loss. i have spoken to the chicken welfare people who said to feed her pellets as balanced but she wont touch them. they suggested a vet but my vets aren't great with chickens and i don't want to distress her further. her poo is green and watery with white in and she slipped twice when she was out today (not outside too cold, but out of her crate). she is tired, but then will sort of wake up look around and take a few steps and stop again. She is outrageously thin. Any suggestions as i don't know what to try next :'(

 

[mithious]

To get her eating, try adding some warm water to her food, make it like a mash, add some probiotics to the water you use to wet the food also. Parasites can take an awful lot out of the chickens and they will need to be built back up and that could take some time.

Have you ever wormed them?

Have you treated your other chickens? If one has them, they all probably do. A thorough coop cleaning and treating with a product like sevin 5% both chickens and coop is a must plus changing their bedding. A repeat of the process in 7-10 days is also needed to get rid of them.

There is a thread, right above, that give more choices for products to use and better discussions on parasite issues...might want to read that also..or below this thread after I post this.

Hope you chicken gets better soon!

 

[Rachael23]

Hi i've just been and given her warm pellet mash (will pick up probiotics tomorrow), i took her out the crate and she went to move away but i was stroking her and she ate two tiny bits (her legs gave way twice) and then she put herself back on her perch in the coop. so i've turned the light and radio off now (its pitch dark outside). she is on day 3 of a worming programme flubernet (its really difficult to buy wormer for chickens here, i had to get that one from the vet). When i realised she had lice i diatomed all the other birds (they had no lice on them but i gave them a good going over)...they all seem totally fine and are their usual demanding selves lol

 

[Rachael23]

should i tube feed?

 

[casportpony]

should i tube feed?

Yes. Fluids first, then fluids and baby bird food... Are you in the UK? In the US I recommend Kaytee Exact Baby Bird Food, but I don't know what's available elsewhere.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Keep in mind that tubing is not a cure, but it can buy time to figure out what's going on.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

And you should start weighing her daily.

-Kathy

 

[Rachael23]

Yes in the UK and in a place in northumberland which is near scotland and what is available is pretty rubbish.... i was after the wormer which was only available in America for about 3 days before i realised i couldn't obtain it here...hence the one i'm using. I just don't know what's wrong with her? and can't find links which sound even similar. She is doing the head moving thing, stretching it up and to the side (not gasping, nor rattling) but like she is trying to reorganise her crop...from what i've read on here? i've never used the tube on anything before and have only had the girls for 6 months...but you give really clear instructions and i want her to get better...

 

[Rachael23]

yes i will start weighing her daily. there is nothing on her , breast bone protudes badly...she is skin, bone and feathers. but eyes still bright.

 

[Rachael23]

how many days liquids? and im presuming this is water and probiotics? and how much a day?....and on what day do i move onto solids and again how much daily? thank you x