tracyann Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Hi all, Well, it is not the best of days today, got home after visiting my father who is very ill in hospital to find Ruby chicken not too well. She wasn't behaving normally. Anyway, have taken her to the vets and she has a respiratory problem and has been started on a course of Metacam and antibiotics, but its not looking good, she's got a very empty crop. Can anyone offer any advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
percy049 Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 hope she gets better soon. Have you brought her indoors in a cardboard box? Give her water with a little sugar in to give her some energy if she isnt eating Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Same advice as above. Bring her inside and keep her warm. Hens use an awful amount of energy maintaining their body temp, so any help you can give her will be appreciated. Maybe a warm water bottle to one side of the box, so she can move away if it is too warm for her? Pellets mixed with hot water to make a warming porridge will also go down well. Diced cucumber to get her fluids up. Hope she is better soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staceychristie Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Mealworms are also a nice tasty treat for her. Hope she gets better soon Stacey X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracyann Posted March 16, 2011 Author Share Posted March 16, 2011 Ah bless you all, thank you so much for your help. I've just given her a second dose of antibiotic and metacam. I could feel food in her crop, so it looks like she has eaten something and does seem a bit brighter. She is inside anyway on deep litter in our garage which is where the other hens are, they are all snuggled up, I do check them several times a day, so hopefully will be able to notice whether any of the others show any symptoms (hopefully not). My vet did advise me not to separate them as they may not accept her back. What ratio of pellets to water for the porridge? Will put some in the run in the morning. Gave them corn and mealworms which is what started her eating... She had eaten some boiled potato this morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staceychristie Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 You SHOULD separate them if they are poorly. If you don't then they will pick on her (even if before the illness she was the boss) It helps them recover quickly because it reduces stress, they have unhindered access to water and food, warm. I can understand what your vet means, but a separation of a few days doesn't usually stop the flock. Good luck. Stacey X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 I put a few tablespoons in a dish and cover with boiling water. As it cools the pellets absorb the water to form a porridge. I would separate her too. A couple of days won't do her any harm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracyann Posted March 17, 2011 Author Share Posted March 17, 2011 Just to let you all know that Ruby's condition has picked up. She has eaten some pellets and some corn as well as cabbage and mealworms, I think she is on the road to recovery. Hurrah. All other chooks seem in good health. I had a whopping 67g egg today!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyChickenLover- Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Great news Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Sad update here Click Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
