[frenchie]

I have a chicken that looks listless . Her wattle is pink , not red and she is losing weight .
Her breast bone is very prominent .
Five days ago I put her in a gently heated room by herself with plenty of food and gave her antibiotics .

There is no discharge from her mouth or nose .
None of the other five chickens are ill in any way - so I don't think it's infectious .( also she was under the weather with the others for four days before I removed her )

This morning I have put her back with the others and when I scattered a handful of mealworms around they all started eating except her !
I've checked my books and the internet and can't find an answer !!

Any thoughts ?

Update :
5pm tonight I returned her to her warm room as she was sitting (squatting) on the floor . I gave her fresh chicken feed and some sweetcorn which she ate .

Although I wormed the chickens when I bought them four weeks ago I have given the ill one another dose .

She seems to be eating sometimes but hasn't got any worse or for that matter any better over the last five days .

[joyfull]

what antibiotics did you give and for how long. What did your vet think was the problem?
how old is the hen?

[Casey76]

Is she eliminating OK?  Have you felt for a stuck egg?

[frenchie]

I gave her her Amoxycillin (?) for two days  in her water

I live in France and this is what we bought from the local vets ..

I spoke to him today as I had to take one of my dogs in .
He is Dutch and speaks good english - so I don't think anything was lost in translation .
He thought it was a good idea to worm her and said that he would make up a vitamin supplement for her which I will be picking up this afternoon .

None of the other chickens are showing any signs of illness .- in fact I've just had my first
egg from one of my Brahmas !

If she has an egg stuck , would it be obvious ?
Also from owning and breeding other birds such as parrots , cockatiels etc I would think that a stuck egg would have either been fatal  by now .
(she has been ill for a total of about seven days now ). Or is this not the case with chickens ?

She seems to be passing faeces o.k. and she continues to eat . As I have said before , she isn't any more ill than a week ago - but she also isn't getting any better !

Thanks for any help/ advice . I'll keep you posted . I'll examine her rear end this afternoon .

[Casey76]

Hi Frenchie, where in France are you?

I asked about the egg mainly becasue you said she was squatting.  If she is eliminating OK, then a stuck egg can probably be ruled out (especially after 7 days!)

When you pick her up, how does her abdomen feel?  Does it feel soft and squishy, or fluidy in any way... how about compared to a similar hen who is not sick?

Do you know how old she is, and is she a brahma like your others?

I'm at a bit of a loss... does your vet treat chickens, if he does it might be work taking her in. (mine would laugh in my face, being an agricultural vet lol!)

[frenchie]

I  am near Gorron ( top part of 53 ) near Mayenne .

The chicken in question is one bought from a large chicken farm that supplies all the local markets .
She is not a Brahma .- She is just a normal sized black hen sold 'at point of lay '

Compared with the other three I bought at the same time she is very light . Her breast bone is still very prominent .- but I still can't understand it -  she is eating and drinking.

None of the other hens ( although still separate ) show any signs of illness .

From the reaction of the vet when I spoke to him , I really don't think that he could do anything that isn't being done already .

This might seem harsh , and I would always take any sick animal to the vet , but spending forty or fifty euros at the vets for a chicken that cost  seven euros isn't feasible .

Don't get me wrong , I'm potty about all my pets and animals - but I really don't see what the vet could do .

I'm going to continue giving her the antibiotics and see what happens.

I searched a friends books yesterday and found the symptoms that she has got
( coccidis ? ) BUT every line starts of with ' this highly infectious desease '.......

Which it oviously isn't . My books also state that many ailments are untreatable --- so it would seem my current course of action  is the right one .

I'll keep my fingers crossed ..