Single hen

[eggalp]

Can anyone help with what might be wrong with my chicken?

 

Last week she had a sore eye so took her to the vets and got some eye cream, but after a few days she looked worse. i thought it was more than a sore eye as she was very sleepy and didn't really want to eat or drink.

 

So went to the vets and he took her temp - said she was too hot and she might have an infection, of which the eye was just a symptom. So he gave her an injection of Baytril and gave us some syringes to squirt down her beak for the next few days.

 

After five days she is still no better, very sleepy, eye closed, not eating or drinking much and all hunched up - looks more like a rugby ball on legs than a chicken. She hasnt laid for five days and has green poo (firm not runny).

 

Anyone any ideas what could be wrong, i am so upset she is ill?

 

i feel another trip to the vet coming on.........

 

alison

[Egluntyne]

Has she been wormed?

 

How high was her temperature?

 

Don't forget that hens have a significantly higher temperature than humans. 41 - 43 degrees C ...that is around 105F.

[chelsea]

Sorry your hen is poorly. I would maybe go back to the vet and get some more Baytril - the one shot may not have been enough. You could ask for a longer course from the vet and hopefully this will wipe out whatever is bothering her.

 

I would also agree with Eglutine about worming if you havent done so already.

 

Hope she is better soon.

[miffy]

sorry to hear your girl is poorly, hope she is better soon

[Guest]

when you say sore eye, can you be a bit more specific? Is there any discharge from the eye? Is it any better at all, any worse, just the same?

 

green poo is often the bird getting rid of excess bile. If they're not eating properly then there's no food in their digestive system for the bile to work on so it comes out as green poo. My vet told me green poo can be a symptom of several problems.

 

as mentioned, do you worm regularly?

 

I'd definitely take her back to the vet asap.

[eggalp]

thanks for the replies - yes she was wormed in february with flubenvet on grapes, so hopefully its nothing to do with worms.

 

The vet said her temp was 47 degrees - can this be right? I dont think i was helping though - because she was hunched up i thought she was cold so had a snugglesafe under the bars at night, how guilty did i feel when he said she was too hot

 

She has no discharge from her eye, most of the time its shut tight - but when she does open it it looks a bit cloudy, and it looks like her bottom lid may be a bit swollen.

 

I got her to drink a bit today, by putting sunflower seeds in a shallow dish of water, she ate a few seeds and hopefully took some water in at the same time.

 

I think the vet must think im a nutter as when i took her last weekend i was so worried that i cried so much i could hardly speak, goodness knows what he thought of that! I bet he is hoping i wont return....................

[Groovychook]

Hope she's feeling better soon

Don't feel embarrassed about getting upset at the vets- if you care about your animals, you're bound to get a bit emotional! They're used to it- it's a part of their job.

[sandyhas3chucks]

my girl had a temp of 107,5 don't know the conversion. I had metacam for her which is anti inflamitory, she clearly felt better within half an hour of having it, & felt more like eating, of course that is only one part, need to think what is causing an infection, to give her temp, and if you have completed a good full course of Baytril,(mine was on 2ml rwicw day for 10 days) perhaps she needs anpther anti biotic. I am also now thouroughly convinced that whwen they are poorly they don't seem to want to drink, & am sure they get dehydrated which seems to make ir all worse. I did the floating game with my poorly girk too.. we used lettuce in tuny little bits as it was all sge would eat at the time, prior to that all she ate for about 4 days was cucumber. good luck

[eggalp]

just want to let you know that ginger has died.

 

I tried everything to get her to eat and drink, went to the vets four times in ten days until eventually they said nothing more could be done, except to force feed her with a tube in her crop. I didnt want to put her through this, im convinced she was suffering - she was just a sad little skinny ball of feathers at the end - not even interested in her favourite foods. It broke my heart to see her like this, so i had her PTS.

 

Still no idea what caused her to be ill, luckily my other two are fine - if not a bit lonely.

 

Last night i burried her in the garden, in the lawn with some daffs on top.

 

The pain and guilt i feel is unbelieveable - i never thought i would love a hen this much. Ginger was my favourite - such a cheeky little chuck.

I cant think about her without crying, i wish it hadn't of been her.

[fluffyknickers]

So sorry. x

[Egluntyne]

Sorry to hear it.

[sandyhas3chucks]

that is so sad, thoughts are with you x

[Plum]

Very sad news.

[madchickenlady]

Just wanted to say, I know exactly how you feel. I've just had to put Delilah to sleep, and it's horrible The children are so upset I suppose it's all part of hen keeping, though, and I wouldn't be without them. Will you get another hen? I'm considering it, as my bottom hen will be terribly lonely now (Delilah was her only chicken chum )