Sick hen. Help!

pickledtink

If anybody's up. My little skyline is in trouble.
I'm flummoxed and desperate to keep her alive right now.

She's been a bit listless and keeping to herself the last 6 days but still laying an egg a day which I tend to use as an indication of where they're at health and contentment wise but I've been worried. All 4 girls have lived happily together with the usual squabbles for the last 4 years and have a pretty palatial space outside and in all ways.
I went to lock their inner run tonight and check as usual and she was lying on the floor barlely moving not on the perch with the other 3. Horrible.
I've brought her in. Can't find any signs of injury or attack, ticks, fleas, mites but she is barely alive. Not responding much at all or standing. She's got a bit of feather loss but nothing major at all. I've brought her in to the kitchen and given her some cuddling and TLC, bedded her down in a box and she did have a bit of a peck at some mixed corn grain I put in but didn't drink. She's probably the last in the pecking order but not ostracised by the others or anything. Can anybody help?

aeb_2

Hi, I don't know but I do look things up on here:-

http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/

Hope she is OK tomorrow

skintbint_2

know nothing about hens unfortunately - but hope she's okay!

MrsCrafty

Is this the point where you wring neck and use in stew. I can't give you anything sensible as I would be eating her if it had anything to do with hubs. He would do it and pluck and we would be having hen for dinner. Sorry.

pickledtink

aeb wrote: »

Hi, I don't know but I do look things up on here:-

http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/

Hope she is OK tomorrow

Thanks. Checked through all but can't really find a match. If she hadn't been laying I'd have been more on the case. I know I can seek help in the morning but worried she won't last the night and simply cannot go to bed and leave her. She's a little sweetie. My favourite.
Keep hens, get eggs, fall in utter dote with them. Arghhhhh!

the_cake

So sorry to hear about this, haven't kept hens for years but I well remember how endearing they were .... fingers crossed she makes it through the night. Hen-hugs, the cake.

pickledtink

MrsCrafty wrote: »

Is this the point where you wring neck and use in stew. I can't give you anything sensible as I would be eating her if it had anything to do with hubs. He would do it and pluck and we would be having hen for dinner. Sorry.

I love my hens and their amazing personalities as do the neighbours who were at first deeply dubious about their arrival.
Miss Williams is part of the family.

Would find it far easier to wring your hubs neck and eat him frankly. I'm sure he'd taste delicious baked on a mound of garlic with an apple stuffed in his gob. Can butcher and joint a pig after all. Doubt it's much different.

Money_maker

Sorry but it doesn't sound good. When mine are really bad, I find that if I dip their beak in the water to wet it then they do take a drink. Not sure if that will help with your little un. Will she take a wet mash or tuna perhaps?

skintbint_2

pickled try on here - there are still a couple of green lights on

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4876

pickledtink

Money_maker wrote: »

Sorry but it doesn't sound good. When mine are really bad, I find that if I dip their beak in the water to wet it then they do take a drink. Not sure if that will help with your little un. Will she take a wet mash or tuna perhaps?

She didn't take any when I did that. Oh dear. She's still alive and she did peck at the corn, grain mix I give em as a treat but is just slumped in the box. I'm going to try that again though. I wasnb't sure if I should just leave her be but she does seem to respond slightly to being held and stroked I think. I don'tr know whether to keep gentling and encouraging her or leave her be...

Gigervamp

MrsCrafty wrote: »

Is this the point where you wring neck and use in stew. I can't give you anything sensible as I would be eating her if it had anything to do with hubs. He would do it and pluck and we would be having hen for dinner. Sorry.

That's a bit of a heartless post.

Even if the hen wasn't a dearly loved pet, eating a chicken that was sick wouldn't be advisable.

OP, I hope she pulls through. I know the heartache when a much loved hen is sick and dies, it's happened to 3 of our girls.

Oh, if you can't get her to drink, use a teaspoon to trickle some water into her beak as you hold it open.