Sickly Hen

  • Thread starter Thread starter Anonymous
  • Start date Start date
A

Anonymous

Guest
Hi all
Hope there is someone that can help. My hen is just so lifeless, stands around with her head down, comp going to one side. Did check her crop and it is empty. Phoned a friend that has chickens and she says it could be egg bound. If so what should i do, don't want to end her life if i can help her, but my friend says she might die. :cry:
I am going to go try and feel her back side ( sorry ) and feel if there is a egg.
Thanks guys
Hannelore
 
Hi, if egg bound she should be standing upright and straining- try to isolate her and she if she will eat/drink- check her for lice/mites and a trip to the vets may be the best thing- either that or if she gets worse- have her put to sleep. Hope she is better soon,
regards, David :)
 
Thanks Davidd for all the advice. Found the problem and she has lice on the head area. Made some calls and got her some meds that is put in the water, and a powder. I also put aloe in the water, as they say it heps for lice.
After i came back from town, i sat with her on my lap and one for one tried to take th lice of with a tweezer. I got lots off, and she was such a patient girl. I hope the meds work, and she is better tomorrow morning. If not i will have to ask our farm worker to do the deed.
Oh i do hope she is going to be better tomorrow.
Thanks once again and i mus say this is a great forum as you really get helped here.
Greeting
Hannelore
 
I doubt overnight will give you instant results and she'll be clear of them all and running round again. I'd give her a bit longer than that to bounce back from lice infestation and for them to all be gone. It isn't something that is going to be fatal to her by the sounds of it and so given a bit of time she should recover fully. I think culling her after such a short space of time is a bit drastic if it is a lice infestation.

Also if she has lice I'd be inclined to dust your other birds off to make sure they are kept clean of them :)
 
A couple of small points that you might consider...

Dust Baths help chickens get rid of mites by suffocating the mites with the dust - I'm sure where you are your birds free range and can find somewhere to dust bath but it's worth mentioning.

Garlic can be fed to chickens (crushed in water if you don't give a wet mash) and usually help with mites / lice etc. Garlic comes out of the glands and makes the host less desirable!

If she is being bitten by lice, she is probably anaemic and will have a pale comb. She will need lots of greens and a little extra food if she wants it to recover. Take care not to feed too much corn as it will not give her the correct balanced diet she needs. A vitamin supliment in the water would probably help her too.

Good Luck

Tim
 
Also dust the house & bedding (change the bedding too) as well as your other hens.
It can take a while as lice come in a cycle so there could be lice hatching again, so you will need to repeat the dusting etc. so please dont be hsty & dispatch if lice is the only problem.
apple cider vinegar is a good pick me up also, 20ml to a litre of water, but only use in a plastic waterer as it is acidic & corrodes galvanised. Hope your hen picks up!
 
Thanks so much for the help. Believe me i will do anything to get her well, as i am not the killing kind. She is looking a bit better today, the comb is much redder. She is still sitting alone, and sleeping. I did the chicken coop with powder and the nests. I will put some apple ving in the water too. Thanks again so much for all the help and i do hope all goes well.

Off to watch the opening of the world Cup!

Hannelore
 
Just an update on Ouma the hen. Been a long week with a lot of patience and TLC. Today she passed a weird type of egg. Looked like a boiled egg without a yolk. I did check for egg bonding but felt nothing. Just glad that is out, and i must say she had a good meal tonight. I am still keeping her in the garage as the Rooster has no respect for the sick and wants to do the deed. :oops: :shock:
So i will watch her for a while, feed her well and get her strength up, and hope my girl is her old self again soon.
Thanks once again for everything.
Greeting from a cold and freezing South Africa. :cry:
Hannelore
 
Hi, good to hear she is on the mend :)
hope she is back to her normal self soon, keep us updated :)
It's very warm here- makes a change :D
regards, David :)
 
Hi all
Just an update again.... She is still not herself but much better. She is walking around a bit in the yard, but then goes under a bush and sleeps and she now has her own bowl with food and water in and as she moves i move it with her. She again passed a weird egg, and was wondering why that is. Ricky the Rooster still has no respect for the sick and tries to get to her but i am there to give him a good talking. Just a question why would she be passing funning eggs still? Another thing i see on her face, she is peeling skin like she had a sun tan :oops: , it is dry and comes off easy. I am not going to kill her as if it means her living in the garage so be it.
Thanks guys
Hannelore
http://farmlife-hannelore.blogspot.com/
 
Hi, what are her legs like? has she got scaly leg? if so, this can also affect the face- it is caused by mites- if you google scaly leg and scaly face there will be some pics -see if it's like that.
regards, David :)
 
Sounds like she has scaley mite on her face, use liquid parafin in her comb and around her face being careful not to get it into her eyes, also put a little into her ears (will do her no harm). You can either apply it with a cotton wool bud or a small paint brush, would also do her feet as a precaution at the same time
 
Hi, if it is scaly mites you can use vaseline or fresh cooking oil (doesn't matter what kind) on her face and legs -it doesn't matter if it gets in her eyes it wont hurt :) does the same job- smothers the mites.
regards, David :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top