Weak, thin peahen -- Help please!

SilverPhoenix

Bantam Fanatic
10 Years
Dec 15, 2009
3,105
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Penn Valley, CA
I noticed one of my peahens, Charlotte, is weak/lethargic and somewhat thin today. She is not horribly emaciated, but her keel is definitely more prominent than that of my other peahen. She's letting me handle her, which is unusual, and spending most of her time sitting on the ground. She can walk but seems to prefer not to. I've been doing research on what to do for hours today, but because her symptoms are so vague I wanted some input on what to do next.

Here's some of her info:

- I've had her around 4 years now. Not sure how old she is, she came from a guy who said she came with the house he bought. She was an adult when I got her.

- She has not been wormed lately, so I wonder if that could be part of the problem. I did put some pour-on Ivermectin on her today when I noticed she seemed a little down. Assuming she pulls through, I'm planning to deworm her with SafeGuard ASAP, possibly tomorrow.

- I palpated for egg binding and didn't feel anything.

- She doesn't have any respiratory symptoms or anything like that--no sneezing, nasal discharge, eye issues, swollen face, or anything like that.

- She DOES live with three roosters (and in the general area of a number of chickens, though she isn't kept in with the rest of them) so I know blackhead is a possibility. In fact, right now I'm thinking I should maybe get some Metronidazole to try and treat her for it in case that is the problem.

- I have a peacock and another peahen, so far they seem fine.

- I couldn't locate any of her droppings to look at but I have her in an enclosed area right now so I'll keep an eye out for them.

- She doesn't seem to have much of an appetite at the moment.

I'm planning on picking up some SafeGuard tomorrow. I'm not sure where I can get Metronidazole locally so that concerns me--ideally I'd like to start treating her with it right away. I'm going to check my local pet store for Fish Zole but I don't know if they'll have it. I do have Tylan and Tetracycline but because this doesn't seem respiratory at all, I'm not sure if I should try either of those. I may try to get some scrambled eggs or something down her just to keep her going.

She seemed just a little slower than usual this morning, but this evening she started looking a lot more droopy and laying down most of the time. I'd really love some advice from experienced pea-people. I love Charlotte and will be very sad if I lose her.
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Yes, worm her ASAP, but also you will need to tube feed her, she doesn't seem like eating or drinking, right?

Thank you for the advice! I'll get some wormer down her ASAP. I'll observe her more to see if she's eating or drinking at all, and if not I'll make sure she gets the food and water she needs.

Has she started laying this year?

Yes, she did lay some eggs. I'm not sure how many because she's in with another peahen, but I believe both of them have laid at least a few this year.
 
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She sounds like sick then, laying on the ground isn't a good sign at all.

Yeah, there's definitely something wrong. I'm very concerned. I'm trying to figure out what to do aside from worming... Do you think I should give the Metronidazole a try, assuming I can get some in a timely manner?
 
You might want to read this:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ergency-and-supportive-care-updated-4-11-2016

If she were mine I would bring her inside, weigh her, then tube fluids, wait 60-90 minutes and repeat. Doing this should help produce poop, then from looking at the poop you can make a better choice in treatment.

-Kathy

Thanks for your input Kathy! I'll give that a try. I'm not sure I have what I need for tubefeeding but I'll check--I did wildlife rehab years ago so it's possible I have the supplies but I'm not 100% on that. I'll definitely find a way to get fluids down her (without aspiration) regardless.
 
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