Very Sick Hen

[Sunshine009]

Another update

She seems to be doing more or less the same. I've checked for mites and couldn't find anything. Yesterday, I gave all the girls the piperazine in their water. I also mixed a concoction of pedialite, applesauce, buttermilk and yogurt and gave her a few syringe-fulls. I also noticed that yesterday and today, she got water for herself in the morning and even ate a bit. I threw out some blueberries and she actually pecked at a few, though she was slow about it and usually got the blueberry she was working on stolen away. I really don't like holding her and force-feeding her because it seems to make her breathing difficulties much worse but I'm still concerned about her getting all her nutrients. She eats, but not very much. I'm thinking about making a small space within the coop that's separated from the others so she can have space to eat while not stressing from isolation.
One grace in all this is the rest of the flock has been very kind to her (besides the stolen blueberries but they could never understand why that's wrong, of course). No bullying whatsoever - I've even seen some of them hanging around her like they're keeping her company, though I know I'm probably imagining it.
Hoping for the best

 

[Eggcessive]

When I have a sick or weak chicken, I wet the feed in a small bowl. They prefer that to dry food, but only get it occasionally, and cooked egg, tuna, liver, or meat are usually grabbed fast. Plain yogurt in small amounts mixed into the feed, are good for probiotics and getting the gut bacterial flora back to normal. Thank you for the update.

 

[Sunshine009]

Back again
More of the same - but I have ordered VetRX in the meantime. It should get to me as early as the 19th (2 days). I'm staying positive that she'll hold on until then.
I've tried giving her cooked egg but strangely, she's much more interested in blueberries then that. Usually it's the other way for her and all the other hens.
I'm going to give tuna a shot soon. In the meantime I've put out a bowl of watery, mushy feed for her to try. I watched her nose through it but she didn't actually eat any of it but hopefully that will change. I'll try adding yogurt to it later today.

 

[magdasalsa]

This is my first time on these forums seeking advice for a sick turkey. I saw your post and am reading through the updates. I'll be praying that your hen pulls through, as I do the same for my turkey.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sunshine009, does she seem to be having congestion, sneezing, labored or rattly breathing?

 

[Sunshine009]

@Eggcessive just labored breathing. Standing around with her mouth slightly open. It's worse if I'd handled her. She'll sometimes stretch her neck to get more air. I thought at first it was gapeworm, but the dewormer I gave her hasn't seemed to have an impact. Though maybe the dewormer I got doesn't cover gapeworm I don't know.
@magdasalsa best of luck! I know how tough it is to have a sick animal and seeing them suffer. Hopefully we'll both help our animals pull through.

 

[Eggcessive]

How does her lower belly feel? It is full and enlarged compared to the others? Piperazine is a wormer that I am not familiar with. @dawg53 and @casportpony are more familiar. I really doubt that she has gapeworms, since she would be in very severe distress, but other worms can affect her breathing. If you could get fenbendazole (SafeGuard or Panacur) that will treat gapeworms and capillary worms with 5 straight days of treatment at 1/4 ml per pound orally. Levamisole is another wormer that you might find in Canada that would work.

 

[Sunshine009]

Is it safe to use two dewormers in such quick succession? I added the piperazine a few days ago, I'm wondering if doubling up on dewormer will cause more harm.
Last time I checked, no. But I'll check again this afternoon when my fiancee is back from school and can help me hold her.

 

[dawg53]

I've used piperazine (wazine.) It treats for large roundworms.
Since your hen is "picky" when it comes to feeding, I suspect it might be coccidia. Try getting Corid as Eggcessive mentioned.

 

[rebrascora]

My guess would unfortunately be Marek's disease. It is a very common disease and she is at a prime age to suffer an outbreak. It often causes respiratory distress either from tumours or secondary infections as well as digestive problems.

How does her body condition feel? Is she getting thin? Does her breast bone feel sharp under the skin? Is she perhaps slightly undersized compared to hatch mates?
Was she vaccinated for Marek's?
I would recommend a good quality poultry vitamin supplement if you can get one. Personally I would not worm her again unless you have reason to believe she has a worm infestation. If it is Marek's, worming her may upset her digestive system and tip the balance against her. It is possible she is suffering from coccidiosis as a result of Marek's because it weakens the immune system and allows secondary infections to take a hold that the bird would normally be resistant to. Getting a faecal sample checked would be the best course of action rather than pump unnecessary chemicals into an already sick bird but I appreciate that is not always possible. Try pureeing the blueberries and mixing it into the wet feed, to see if that will encourage her to eat more or even dip bits of bread into a blueberry/yoghurt smoothie and see if she will eat that. Keeping her eating and hydrated without putting her under too much stress is really important.