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Barnyard Buddies:  Sick Chicken  |
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Sabrena Orr
True Blue Farmgirl
198 Posts
Sabrena
Olympia
WA
USA
198 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 20 2012 : 4:09:04 PM
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One of my barred rock hens is sick and I wondering if someone has suggestions on how to help her. She is about 2 years old and had a runny rump which has seemed to have improved. Her comb has lost its color and she is sort of hunched down and doesn't want to move around much. She does seem to be eating and drinking. Any suggestions/ideas fellow hens? Thank you so much!
Sabrena, Olympia |
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oldbittyhen
True Blue Farmgirl
1511 Posts
tina
quartz hill
ca
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - Apr 20 2012 : 7:10:57 PM
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could be smany things, but start with egg bound, then maybe sour croup...without being there, and being a poultry expert also, its a crap shoot...I highly recomend calling a vet, for the reason of ruling out something bad that will spread to all your poultry and your neighbors also, then there are several good poultry books out there, get at least one of them...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
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batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Apr 20 2012 : 8:04:15 PM
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Are her wings down like they might or do drag the ground?...if so you have an egg bound girl from the sounds of it...if you can't do a vet what you can do is:
gently pick her up & where her vent is gently push on it, above it & to the right side of it...do you feel an egg?
or do you feel, hear crunchy sounds like an egg may have broken? if its a broke egg its best to put her down that to try & remove the broken pieces without causing her to tear & bleed inside.
if you feel what feels like a whole egg you can either use a non needle syringe or turkey baster & gently put some warm cooking or baby oil up her...you will need someone to hold her, head tucked under their arm & her vent area out towards you...gently put the syringe in at a slight upward angle & to the right a bit...or you will be sending the oil to the gizzard area...instead of towards the egg....keep her in a quiet area away from the others with feed & water...preferably in a darkened area so she will feel the need to push the egg out....
Now the other thing you can do is fill the kitchen sink with overly warm but not hot water so that when you set her in it it will cover the vent area....as the vent moves it will bring water into the inside & help move the egg...you will need to hold her & change the water when it gets cool as you do not want her to get sick from being cold....or you can set her in it til it grows cool, remove her, wrap her in a towel to dry her then lightly wrap her in another dry towel & place her in a warm darkened area away form the other hens.....
I have had to do the warm oil & I like it cause they aren't having to go into water when they are already stressed......if she has not laid the egg you feel in 24 hours you may need to do a heavier oil up in her & then very very gently use your hand behind the egg you can feel from the outside & help gently & slowly move it for her until it is out...either way she needs to have the egg out....eventually it will decay or break & then you have a very sick dying hen on your hands.......Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622
http://theoldbatzfarm.blogger.com |
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StrawHouseRanch
True Blue Farmgirl
1044 Posts
Paula
Holt
Missouri
USA
1044 Posts |
Posted - Apr 21 2012 : 07:46:36 AM
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Sabrena,
I hope your girl starts to improve soon!! Good advice from the experts!! Keep us updated.
Hugs,
Paula
Farmgirl Sister #3090
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, and Today is a Gift.
"Look deep into Nature, and then you will understand everything better."--Albert Einstein
"A meal of bread, cheese and beer constitutes the perfect food." --Queen Elizabeth I
http://www.etsy.com/shop/StrawHouseDesigns |
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Sabrena Orr
True Blue Farmgirl
198 Posts
Sabrena
Olympia
WA
USA
198 Posts |
Posted - Apr 21 2012 : 07:50:56 AM
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Thank you ladies!! Michele - I have a feeling she is egg bound and I am treating her with warm oil and see how that goes. Poor little thing, she is such a sweet girl. You are all the best!
Sabrena, Olympia |
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laurentany
True Blue Farmgirl
3259 Posts
Laurie
Patchogue
NY
USA
3259 Posts |
Posted - Apr 22 2012 : 5:34:33 PM
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Hi Sabrena,
Just saw this post and wondering how you are making out with your egg bound girl? I hope everything is ok.
Hugs,
~Laurie
"Little Hen House on the Island"
Farmgirl Sister#1403
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.. |
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emsmommy5
True Blue Farmgirl
1547 Posts
Angie
Buckley
WA
USA
1547 Posts |
Posted - Apr 22 2012 : 7:30:21 PM
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It's always good to see advice from everyone here.... So I will ask for some also.... I got my first batch of chicks the other day. One of the little one's never really thrived and finally died today. So sad.
One of the others has what my daughter says feels like a tumor! It's a big lump on her chest. But the others have smalled ones on their chests. Is this normal?
Do what you love, love what you do. |
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batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Apr 22 2012 : 9:45:57 PM
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ok if you touch the mass does it feel lumpy? & does everything move around if you mash it?...it so you are feeling the feeding crop where they store the food before it goes to the tummy & gizzard....sound like you have one thats a piggy if its got a bigger mass stored than the others...lol...Michele'
Chickens RULE!
hen #2622
theoldbatzfarm.blogspot.com |
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Sabrena Orr
True Blue Farmgirl
198 Posts
Sabrena
Olympia
WA
USA
198 Posts |
Posted - Apr 23 2012 : 09:04:20 AM
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My sick barred rock girl seems to be a feeling a little better. I cannot tell if she is egg bound - I don't feel anything in there. She is eating and drinking more and has a little color has returned to her comb. Thank you all for you help and concern!! :0)
Sabrena, Olympia |
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batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Apr 23 2012 : 12:42:01 PM
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Sabrena if you didn't feel an egg what might be happening which is alot like egg bound is gizzard bound...the best way to see if it is that is check her poo...does it look watery with little green bits in it? sometimes it will have a touch of sunny yellow or whitish yellow in it as well but either way it will be very little poo & lots of water......they will still eat & drink but are not getting the food to where it needs to go cause the gizzard is bound up with either long grass or long bits of hay or plants...if its not a bad bounding you can add play ground sand to the feed, it is best right now if you wet the feed so its a bit soupy so she can get the vits ect she needs without doing all the work since the gizzard may be having problems....the play ground sand will be easier for her to get to the gizzard & hopefully break up what is massed up in there....But if she is up & running around like normal this may not be the problem...but if she is still sitting & not moving much try this for her & see if you can check out her poo.......
Now if she is up & moving around pretty much like normal what may have happened is she accidently ate a bad part of a plant somewhere & had a bad tummy ache & reaction to it...with the spring coming in they sometimes accidently eat something bad before they figure it out......if that is what may have happened up her protein for a few days with some dried mealy worms as a treat or add meat soup stock to her feed each morning......a bit of milk or yogurt wouldn't hurt either to rebuild up her calcium level....keep us informed of how she is doing please....Michele'
Chickens RULE!
hen #2622
theoldbatzfarm.blogspot.com |
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Sabrena Orr
True Blue Farmgirl
198 Posts
Sabrena
Olympia
WA
USA
198 Posts |
Posted - Apr 24 2012 : 07:52:14 AM
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Michele, you are a genius and one smart chicken gal! I will bet it's her gizzard giving her fits. Yes, her poo, although better, is just as you described. I am going to pick up some sand today and see how she does with that. THANK YOU THANK YOU so much for the help!
Sabrena, Olympia |
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batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Apr 24 2012 : 10:12:13 PM
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Oh sweet hen you are too kind but I am so happy I could help you...I so adore my chickens I have made it my mission in life to be able to do everything I can for them so they have a good healthy life..
.Now not to upset you but if the gizzard is bound up bad she will probably pass away eventually from it......its a sad thing but their gizzards become like a bound up twisted nest but if you keep her on wettened feed so she can get the vits, minerals she needs to work thur it she has a chance to make it...
.alot of people don't now that sometimes a bound up crop that is hard & soured is a sign of a bound up gizzard as well...the food can't move past the crop cause the whole system is backed up from the gizzard.....but that is not always the case with crop bound/hardness so don't think you have a gizzard bound chicken if the crop is soured/hard.
anyway Sabrena just keep doing what you are doing & give her the wet feed & sand to help her...let us know how it goes please...Michele'
Chickens RULE!
hen #2622
theoldbatzfarm.blogspot.com |
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crittergranny
True Blue Farmgirl
1096 Posts
Laura
Lindrith
NM
USA
1096 Posts |
Posted - Apr 25 2012 : 07:53:59 AM
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I would think that if a chicken is crop bound that it is too late to give them sand because it will just turn into cement if the crop isn't active. I would say that to just gently massage the crop and give water only till it starts to move out. However I could certainly be wrong on this. I would say that if you want to try giving some sort of grit to buy it at the feed store or get it off of a red ant pile if you have any in your area. The gravel is the right size. You wouldn't want sand that is too fine is what I'm sayin. And of course you want to make sure that any grit gotten from an ant pile doesn't contain any ants or ant eggs cause if a chicken eats a red ant it will make them very sick too. Especially a young bird. I hope she gets better. It sounds like she is going the right direction. Some vitamin B might help.
Laura
Horse poor in the boonies.
www.nmbarrelhorses.com |
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batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Apr 25 2012 : 08:50:51 AM
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You are right Laura, sand won't help with a bounded crop but with a bounded crop you need to give them syringes of warm water & then turn them upside down to make them throw up then do the water again & again until the crop is empty...if feed is bound up in the crop it has to be removed as most likely some part of it is soured & that you don't want the chicken digesting...
but for Sabrena who is probably dealing with a bound up gizzard the sand is the best way to go as regular grit is too large at the moment for her gizzard to handle plus when they are feeling this bad they won't eat it so by mixing sand in with the wet feed its getting to the gizzard where it can break up the mass hopefully.
I was just letting you all know that sometimes a sick chicken with gizzard bound can have a soured crop as well...Michele'
Chickens RULE!
hen #2622
theoldbatzfarm.blogspot.com |
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rphelps4
True Blue Farmgirl
620 Posts
roxanna
westport
indiana
USA
620 Posts |
Posted - Apr 25 2012 : 09:34:49 AM
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| Does anyone know if chickens are like small birds when laying eggs, if you add a little cooking oil to their water it will be helpful in preventing them becoming egg bound. Input please!! Roxanna |
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batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Apr 25 2012 : 11:40:48 AM
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Roxanna, good question! problem is the area where the egg comes from is different from where the poo is created so the egg has to travel downward towards the vent where as the feed or oil you give them travels in a more straight line then up a bit....but by adding sunflower seeds which are high in oils to help lubricate the organs, might also help here with laying eggs...each egg before its laid is given a coating to seal the egg, what I think occurs is the area the egg travels in gets dry & not enough of the coating is developed so the egg gets stuck until the coating can be made to help it along...There is not much out there explaining why chickens get bounded eggs but they do this also is over;y stressed when the body is trying to work to calm itself down...like when we get upset & our mouths go dry...well it seems they have this occur thurout their body while upset...more of their moisture goes into the poo, depleting the body of its moisture needed for egg laying.....I think it would be better to put any oils in the feed than the water as they are somewhat picky about their water & may not drink it...but then who knows they may love the oils in the water like they do with apple cidar vinegar....Michele'
Chickens RULE!
hen #2622
theoldbatzfarm.blogspot.com |
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crittergranny
True Blue Farmgirl
1096 Posts
Laura
Lindrith
NM
USA
1096 Posts |
Posted - Apr 25 2012 : 7:14:42 PM
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Wow good info Michele. I will have to write that down if I need it sometime. I have to constantly fight sand colic in my horses here in NM so I guess I have developed a fear of sand...lol
Laura
Horse poor in the boonies.
www.nmbarrelhorses.com |
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Barnyard Buddies: Sick Chicken |
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Sick Chicken
