Weight Loss + Pale Comb

[aart]

How much did she eat yesterday?

 

[Coturnix Quail]

She didn't eat much, probably less than a handful. She drank a lot, i mean a lot of water. I gave her an average sized bowl and it was nearly empty by the end of the day. Her condition is just getting worse and I dont know what to do. I don't think its sour crop because she doesn't smell, or impacted because her crop isnt hard.. I'm so worried about how she'll end up

 

[aart]

Is her belly swollen?

 

[feather13]

Have you checked for worms in her (or the other chickens') feces? Our chickens have been acting lethargic, with pale, droopy combs and not eating. It's been extremely hot here, so I thought that was the issue. One died and I found worms in the feces of another this week. I'm heading to the vet for a floating fecal test today. Most vets, even non-avian vets, seem to be able to do this test.

Good luck with your bird! Hope she heals quickly.

 

[Coturnix Quail]

No, it’s actually quite the opposite. I hadn’t noticed this until i moved her feathers away and looked under her. Her breast bone is completely visible there’s barely any meat on it. What am I supposed to do??

 

[Coturnix Quail]

Have you checked for worms in her (or the other chickens') feces? Our chickens have been acting lethargic, with pale, droopy combs and not eating. It's been extremely hot here, so I thought that was the issue. One died and I found worms in the feces of another this week. I'm heading to the vet for a floating fecal test today. Most vets, even non-avian vets, seem to be able to do this test.

Good luck with your bird! Hope she heals quickly.

I haven’t, i’ll call my vet and see if they can do the test. If it was worms though, wouldn’t all the chickens or at least one other be affected? Everyone else is perfectly healthy.

 

[feather13]

I haven’t, i’ll call my vet and see if they can do the test. If it was worms though, wouldn’t all the chickens or at least one other be affected? Everyone else is perfectly healthy.

Our chickens have not had worms before, to my knowledge, so take my advice with a grain of salt. Only one of our surviving chickens has visible worms in their feces . The other one seems fine, although she started molting early. My guess is that some can act lethargic and have pale, droopy combs that have a worm infection while others seem fine. I would think though that they all had worms if one had them. If you rule out everything else, this might be worth looking into.

 

[Coturnix Quail]

Our chickens have not had worms before, to my knowledge, so take my advice with a grain of salt. Only one of our surviving chickens has visible worms in their feces . The other one seems fine, although she started molting early. My guess is that some can act lethargic and have pale, droopy combs that have a worm infection while others seem fine. I would think though that they all had worms if one had them. If you rule out everything else, this might be worth looking into.

I’ll try to find someone who will treat poultry, but in the meantime, she’s extremely thin, what can i do to help her gain weight?

 

[feather13]

I’ll try to find someone who will treat poultry, but in the meantime, she’s extremely thin, what can i do to help her gain weight?

I think most vets can do a fecal float test, even if they don't treat poultry. Is there something your chicken likes to eat, like blueberries, mealworms, spinach, etc? I would try feeding something she definitely likes as a way of getting her to eat in the short run.

I forgot to add that our Australorp (the one with visible worms) has also lost a lot of weight.

Good luck! I hope you can get her to eat soon.

 

[aart]

No, it’s actually quite the opposite. I hadn’t noticed this until i moved her feathers away and looked under her. Her breast bone is completely visible there’s barely any meat on it. What am I supposed to do??

Not her breast, her belly.....from just under the vent to down between legs.
Is it really hot where you are?
Some electrolyte/vitamins might help.
Details in here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-hot-weather-spiel.75893/