[Tricky]

after two months of receiving my pol’s one of them is not eating. It just picks at the pellets and the treats (that the others go mad for) and is half the size/weight of the others. It walks around (sometimes) as if it hasn’t got the energy to carry its own weight and does a huge amount of just sitting down whilst the others are on a jolly.
Any ideas what I can do?

[joyfull]

how long has she been like this? Perhaps a trip to a poultry friendly vets may be in order.

[kegs]

If she is bottom of the pecking order, it could be that the others are stopping her from eating.  Joyfull advised me to put out extra water and feeders round the garden so mine could always get at the food.  Also, have they been wormed with Flubenvet recently?

[Tricky]

she has always been like this, just didnt notice really until the others started getting larger.

due to size and being bullied a little i have removed her from the rest of them, this is when i noticed her not eating as the food was going almost untouched.

what type of place do i need to go to for Flubenvet?

[Helenaj]

Hi Tricky - I've been having the same problem with a little Faverolle that is bottom of my pecking order. She couldn't initially get to the food but now she can she just doesn't seem keen to feed. I've had to segregate her in the mornings and hand feed her to get some food into her. What I did do though is worm her and she has picked up a bit since then, although still won't feed out of the feeders. It may be your little girl has a worm burden that's dragging her down.

[joyfull]

you can get a runt in a batch of chicks and they often don't grow very well. Sadly these chicks may not make it through the laying stage or their first moult. I lost my little Copper Marans when she got to 9 months and she had never laid an egg - she was only half the size.

[ANHBUC]

she has always been like this, just didnt notice really until the others started getting larger.

due to size and being bullied a little i have removed her from the rest of them, this is when i noticed her not eating as the food was going almost untouched.

what type of place do i need to go to for Flubenvet?

I ordered mine online

www.animeddirect.co.uk/birds/Flubenvet-1-wormer-60g.html

[Tricky]

Right, dont know what to do now, poorly chicken isnt eating at all, looks the size of a fat pigeon and can hardly stand up let alone walk.
I dont want to sound mean but I have to justify the possible cost of making my little chicken better against being able to purchase another half a dozen flock.
Flubenvet was suggested but at approx £15 for something that has to be eaten (which mine isnt doing) seems a high cost risk. A trip to the vets is also not a cost effective trip as when I enquired it was £18 before I got through the door.

[Casey76]

Tricky, all of your hens will need treating with Flubenvet, normally every three months.

If you can't justify the £18 consultation charge at the vet (which is a very fair amount), why do you have hens?  All livestock is entitled to a disease and pain free existance.  Just because hens are relatively inexpensive, doesn't mean they are disposable!

Have you tried making a mash out of the pellets?  If you pour on enough boiling water to soften the pellets (then wait until it cools) your hen may find this more palatable.  Or you could make up a really sloppy mix and syringe it, carefully, into her so that she is taking in some nutrition.

[orchardlady]

I do understand where you are coming from here when it comes to costs. However the Flubenvet is a defo purchase as you have other birds that could probably really do with worming. It's easy once you've done it once. However the issue of cost re the little non eater must be down to you wether you take her to a vet. I'm quite sure you are a responsible owner and will not allow her to fade and die slowly but you must also be prepared to dispatch her with as little stress to her or her companions as possible. Do it well out of sight of the others.

Orchardlady.

[Tricky]

I do understand where you are coming from here when it comes to costs. However the Flubenvet is a defo purchase as you have other birds that could probably really do with worming. It's easy once you've done it once. However the issue of cost re the little non eater must be down to you wether you take her to a vet. I'm quite sure you are a responsible owner and will not allow her to fade and die slowly but you must also be prepared to dispatch her with as little stress to her or her companions as possible. Do it well out of sight of the others.

Orchardlady.

the thought of getting close to time to dispatch is the reason i posted my last message, its a last resort that i dont want to do.
if i knew all it needed was worming is there a way to force feed?

[orchardlady]

Hi Tricky. As suggested make a porridge of pellets, also I believe some people pop a little wormer on a grape and feed it daily that way. How much I'm not sure but I'm certain someone will be able to help there. Often people get confused with flubenvet but all that is needed to remember is that each bird will consume as much food treated with flubenvet as it needs. If you little hen is really not eating probably the grape method is the best way.

Orchardlady.

[joyfull]

I use sweetcorn with flubenvet on as my hens all free range and have no way of stopping them doing this (nor do I want to  ).

[kegs]

Or you could buy the pellets with the Flubenvet already in it:

http://www.sprcentre.com/product.asp?numRecordPosition=1&P_ID=2689

that way you could worm all of your chickens at the same time.  As to how you force feed your sick chicken someone with more experience would need to advise you.  Maybe if you make the feed into a porrige and use a pipette to drip it into her mouth.