Diagnosing and treating sick chickens
Q. My chicken is sick, can you help?
A. Sorry to learn of your sick chicken. I hate it when one of my animals falls sick and I am helpless.
Unfortunately, due to the "wholesale" practices of the American Poultry Industry, chickens are considered throw-away and not much time is spent finding ways to heal them of a disease.
That is a particular rant of mine...
Chickens are just not considered worth saving, certainly not like a horse or dog. Consider, the shelves and catalogs and books of ways to heal a horse holistically but the measly not existent information of how to raise poultry holistically.
I have several contacts (mostly in Australia) of writers who have written holistic poultry books that I am dealing with to offer their books to distribute in America.
Anyhow, back to your chicken:
Is your chicken sneezing, shaking her head, coughing?
Does her face look swollen?
Do you notice if she is "roached-back?" (Her tail almost tucked under and her back lifted.)
If your chicken don't have a respiratory odor like rotting flesh or carrion then it might be something less alarming.
I don't think it is Coccidiosis (coccidia). You would have seen something gradually progress and there would have been loss of weight, lethargy.
'Coryza' was one of the first things that came to mind but I don't know for certain if she has it. You'd smell something. Look it up on the internet, however. (link: http://www.umaine.edu/livestock/Publications/AIC.htm )
Here's a link that I use a lot: http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp
On the left side, navigate to 'poultry.'
For the general health of a bird, I found that Apple Cider Vinegar added to drinking water at the rate of 1tsp to a gallon will work miracles.
I would also bathe their eyes in colloidal silver and drop a few drops down her throat. Colloidal silver can be found in any health food store. It's expensive but a little goes a long way and it does work - sort of a natural antibiotic.
You should get some electrolytes down her - unflavored children's pedialyte from a drug store. And I would get some water soluble vitamins available at any pet store for parrots and other birds.
There's an old fashioned remedy for breathing problems in poultry that has been around since 1800s. It's called VetRX and is sold in feed stores. It might be in pet stores... not sure. This works great on my goats and it is also used in poultry.
Also I don't like antibiotics but I will use Terramycin when I am clueless as to what is wrong with one of my birds. If it is a virus, it will clear up with Terramycin. Unfortunately, that is the way the world works today - because we don't have the knowledge or the 'old timer' to advise us,
sometimes I have to reach for the antibiotics until I know more.
You can find it any pet store or feed store. In a pet store, it's usually sold for parrots or other caged birds.
Here's a vet that I know treats chickens, but I haven't had any personal dealings with them yet:
Studio City Vet
818-769-1338
Sometimes if you find out what is the problem, we can find a holistic, natural solution.
14 Comments: "Diagnosing and treating sick chickens" »
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I have a new flock of city chickens. This is my first experience and I have only had my hens since Sunday, so 7 days. They have not even layed yet, as they are still settling in. Last night I went out to the coop to hang with them. I want to get them really used to me, so that when we're ready I can put them in the yard for a few hours and then they will come to me to put them away. But when I went into the coop, my Rhode Island Red hen was sick. She was weezing in and out on each breath. And another of my chickens was sneezing. I panicked. As I said, this is my first experience with owning chickens. The Red is a rather mean girl. She doesn't want me to touch her, and she is the top of the 5 girls. I was really worried, and everything was closed. I started searching online for answers. I realized that there was nothing I could do until morning, so I decided to do some energetic work on her. Okay, laugh if you want, but what else was there to do? So I went back to my coop and sat on a hay bale. Then I got 'into' my chicken. I did corrections and directed healing energy into her, and then into all of the girls. When I left I thought 'how silly of me'. These are chickens.
This morning I went out to feed and check on my hens. They are all fine! The Red is not weezing at all. No one is sneezing either. But here's the funniest thing. She wants to be friends! She is approaching me and taking feed out of my hand. How bizarre!
I am going to go put some Apple Cider Vinegar into their water - thanks for that advice! Hoping for happy healthy chickens and delicious eggs soon!
I have 6 black Jersey gaints and i just got 4 white brauma Hens about 2 weeks ago and since then 2 of my Black Gaints have gotten sick (coughing). My vet told me to give them Sulmet in there water they seem to be getting better. I was just wondering if the new chickens i bought could have made them sick? they seem healthy.
Hi,
I have a chicken who has been sick for a long time. She definitely has the 'roached' back that was mentioned earlier. She has a lot of trouble walking, her feet turn in and over each other. Her wings are strangly affected. She can flap them and fly up but not without a lot of trouble. The others attack her all the time. I usually feed her by hand and spend a good deal of time running out to protect her when I hear her crying. I can not kill her although I think this is probably the best thing for her. I also have a hen who has a cough, sometimes sneeze and shakes her head. Should I give her (and all of them) the cider vinegar treatment? Hoping you can help me.
Stacey
my road island red hen, ruthie, is acting the same way, head hunckered, listless, eating minimally and her feathers are ruffled up and some of them are broken. did you find an answer to your questions? thank you, ruby
MY BABY CHICKS HAS THE CHICKEN POTS HOW CAN I HELP SAVE AND TREAT THE POX THEY ARE GOING ON 3 WEEKS OLD
I have a chicken who seems weak and has the arched back....kinda walks like she is constipated! Can't really fly up or reach back to clean herself. She loses her balance when she tries to eat or put her head down. There is no weezing or coughing. Can they get sick from being to cold? How can I help her? I feel bad that she is not herself
I have just bought 12 chickens from an auction in South Carolina and brought them home in Va. They are just standing around with there eyes closed, laying down, not eating and coughing and sneezing. Now the chickens were already had are doing the same thing. What can I do?
I just got a baby chick it is 2 days old. It looks half dead. I put a heater close to it because it was cold in my room. Now it just lays on its back and sticks its feet up, and it doesn't really make a lot of noise like it used to. What should I do?
I have 12 baby chicks and only one of them is sick what do I do?
the signs are; very off balance and she flops around when see movies and walks,
shes eaten and drinken fine i have her in a different place what could this be?
I have a chicken that I can't get to eat. She just sits and sort of pecks at good food I bring special for her. Poop is greenish and very watery. Any suggestions Thank you. she has been this way for a few days and each day seems worse.
i have a three or four week old silikie bantam i bought her on may 19 and the baby chick started walking and then would stop and put its head up like it was waiting for mama to feed it and would sneeze sometimes and now the baby chick seems to not be eating much but does try and i went and bought pedelite and mix half with water and keep putting beak in it does drink but doesnt try alone to eat or drink i have to put the chick to the food and water i am a first time chicken owner and all the others seem fine so i pulled the baby chick and put under heat lamp and keep on trying anyone that can help please
Hi you all, I as well bought two baby bantams in March, they are laying now, sometimes they sneeze and scratch, I put some "diatomatious earth" on the ground for them to dust bath themselves, they like that, and stops the itch. I will try the apple cider vinegar thing cause Hennie's poop is runny and getting worse by the day... she is looking a little thinner today too...Timothia is a hen to be proud of, she is like a mother to Hennie and worries about her. Hope you are all doing well with your pets! How are things with them now? did you find the vinegar solution to work? Did your local pet store have something to help your bird?
I have a chicken that is gasping for air. She was fine a few days ago, but now she his gasping and wheezing. No runny nose, or eyes. No sneezing or anything else. What can I do to help her?
Hi there. My baby chick is about 3weeks old and i nltoced she has a head twit h. Whenever she twjtches fluids come from her nose . Please help!