Molting or Sick?
- Thread starter Lorisa
- Start date
chrismahon
Well-known member
Hi Lorisa and welcome to the forum. She would still be eating and drinking if moulting. What can happen at first moult is she eats her feathers (normal practice) but a large one can get stuck in the crop, blocking the passage of food and water and making her feel she is full. Alternatively she is properly ill and has lost her appetite as a result. Sounds like a trip to the vet may be in order. Check her crop. If it is full and hard she is crop bound and it will need a quantity of Olive Oil (about 1 mL) syringed down the throat and a massage regularly until it has gone, or the vet may empty her crop.
Hi Larissa, nice to have you on the Forum. Sorry your chicken is poorly. Have you ever wormed her? Chcikens need worming with Flubenvet every 4-6 months, as I'd they get a heavy worm burden it can really affect their gut, especially at times when under stress, like when they are moulting, or when they have something else wrong with them. Have you discovered the main Poutrykeeper website yet? Theres a link at the bottom of the Index page, and this article on worms may interest you.
http://poultrykeeper.com/general-chickens/worming-chickens Click on the Roundworm link for a real horror picture!
Also if course what Chris suggests may be part of the problem anyway. Do let us know how she gets on.
http://poultrykeeper.com/general-chickens/worming-chickens Click on the Roundworm link for a real horror picture!
Also if course what Chris suggests may be part of the problem anyway. Do let us know how she gets on.
chrismahon
Well-known member
I completely overlooked the obvious there Marigold. I must emphasise the Flubenvet Lorisa, as there are some claimed wormers on the market that don't work very well or at all. If she hasn't been wormed and isn't eating or drinking I suggest the vet gives a worming shot, because they need to be eating properly to get Flubenvet as directed.
Thanks for the info. However, while I love animals with a passion, do y'all really take chickens to the vet? I could probably guarantee my husband wouldn't go for that. Also, I've given her some sugar water and one syringe of olive oil in hopes of fixing the problem, but while she's a bit more perky, she's still not eating or drinking.
Yes, well here we have the great divide, Lorisa, between those who treat their hens as members of the family and take them to the vet if they are ill (except that they're not eligible for NHS care for free) and those who think of them more as productive pets or as commercial earners. The latter group cull their hens when they have obviously got beyond the stage of laying well, or have got some evidently incurable health problem. I would put myself in this group - when the time comes, mine get a quick and peaceful end. But all good poultrykeepers do worm their hens regularly with Flubenvet, because it makes such a difference to their ongoing health, and as you can easily obtain this online without a prescription, no vet is necessary.
chrismahon
Well-known member
I would get some Flubenvet for the others Lorisa. Commercially it makes good sense as they lay better and it's cheaper than buying another one, which would go the same way.
We love our animals with a passion and therefore give them the best care we can afford, which isn't much in reality, but fortunately our vet realises this and keeps his charges to an absolute minimum. In time you don't need the vet, except for any drugs, as you have sufficient experience to deal with problems yourself. Replacing Pedigrees is an expensive business as you can spend weeks finding quality replacements and then travelling to buy them, so keeping them in the best of health makes good sense.
We love our animals with a passion and therefore give them the best care we can afford, which isn't much in reality, but fortunately our vet realises this and keeps his charges to an absolute minimum. In time you don't need the vet, except for any drugs, as you have sufficient experience to deal with problems yourself. Replacing Pedigrees is an expensive business as you can spend weeks finding quality replacements and then travelling to buy them, so keeping them in the best of health makes good sense.
