Do very sick chickens ever recover and live for long?

basement chick

Songster
7 Years
May 20, 2015
140
102
171
North Carolina
I am struggling with the thought of having my favorite sweet girl out down. I have never had any of my sick chickens get better. I am just hoping this one does because she is so friendly and i will miss her. I just wonder if anyone has ever had a sick hen recover and go on to live happily?
 

basement chick

Songster
7 Years
May 20, 2015
140
102
171
North Carolina
I had a bad case of capillary worms break out in my five hens. I have treated with ivermectin pour on drops on the neck. This was confirmed by a float test done by my vet. She barely eats. Very thin and weak. Now her Crop is not emptying. I am feeding her whatever she will eat (blueberries, fish, peas, apples, beans, kale, cooked corn, wet food pellets, etc.) and massaging her crop. Put acv in water today. She is passing some fairly normal looking droppings just small and a little loose but Brown with white on top like usual. At least no one is gaping and shaking their heads anymore and all breathing normally. Sorry I am depressed over this one more than usual....thank yoi
 

Wyorp Rock

🐓 ❤ 🐛
Premium Feather Member
6 Years
Sep 20, 2015
45,260
67,045
1,412
Southern N.C. Mountains
I'm sorry you have a sick chicken.
Answering the following questions along with photos of you chicken, any wounds/injuries they may have and of the poop would be very helpful.

1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/have-an-emergency-disease-please-read-first.3569/
 

Sneebsey

Songster
Apr 7, 2017
803
1,438
236
Shropshire, UK
I would suggest avoiding feeding her the treats you are currently giving her; as she's sick she really needs high protein foods. Unmedicated chick-crumbs may help with the protein, and you can feed her mashed up boiled egg too. Do you provide mixed grit? If her crop is not emptying, it may be that she does not have enough grit in there to grind up the food.
 

Wyorp Rock

🐓 ❤ 🐛
Premium Feather Member
6 Years
Sep 20, 2015
45,260
67,045
1,412
Southern N.C. Mountains
I had a bad case of capillary worms break out in my five hens. I have treated with ivermectin pour on drops on the neck. This was confirmed by a float test done by my vet. She barely eats. Very thin and weak. Now her Crop is not emptying. I am feeding her whatever she will eat (blueberries, fish, peas, apples, beans, kale, cooked corn, wet food pellets, etc.) and massaging her crop. Put acv in water today. She is passing some fairly normal looking droppings just small and a little loose but Brown with white on top like usual. At least no one is gaping and shaking their heads anymore and all breathing normally. Sorry I am depressed over this one more than usual....thank yoi
Did the vet not recommend a de-wormer?

I'm not sure how effective Ivermectin pour-on would be for Capillary worms. You can use Safeguard (fenbendazole) to treat those - dosage is 1/4ml per 1 pound of weight given for 5 days in a row. Alternatively you could use Praziquantel

The crop not emptying is concerning, she may still have an overload of worms or something else going on. See that she has plenty of water to drink, massage the crop and introduce some coconut oil into her. Try to determine if the crop is sour, impacted, slow, etc. This Article may help. I would try to keep her on softer foods if possible since things like apple, beans, etc., are harder to process. Wet feed or mashed egg would be good.
 

coach723

Free Ranging
7 Years
Feb 12, 2015
7,522
12,398
641
North Florida
Did you repeat the float test after treatment to make sure it was effective? I'm also not sure ivermectin pour on is the best treatment for capillary worms, and have read that some parasites are becoming resistant to it. If at all possible I'd repeat the fecal to make sure that worms are gone and are not still an issue, and if they are, re-treat with a different medication.
If you cannot redo the float test, I'd consider re-treating with another medication anyway, to make sure they've been gotten.
If the parasites are the only thing going on, then getting rid of them and getting her insides healed up should allow her to live a normal life. If there is something else going on, then different story. There are some management things you can do to minimize re-infection with capillary worms, here is a link with info:
http://parasitipedia.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2649&Itemid=2938
 

basement chick

Songster
7 Years
May 20, 2015
140
102
171
North Carolina
I would suggest avoiding feeding her the treats you are currently giving her; as she's sick she really needs high protein foods. Unmedicated chick-crumbs may help with the protein, and you can feed her mashed up boiled egg too. Do you provide mixed grit? If her crop is not emptying, it may be that she does not have enough grit in there to grind up the food.
I would suggest avoiding feeding her the treats you are currently giving her; as she's sick she really needs high protein foods. Unmedicated chick-crumbs may help with the protein, and you can feed her mashed up boiled egg too. Do you provide mixed grit? If her crop is not emptying, it may be that she does not have enough grit in there to grind up the food.
My chickens get oyster shell and they are out free ranging every day so i dont give grit. She refuses any form of chicken food so i try to give protein in fish and beans. I stuff pellets in the berries but she picks around them.
 

basement chick

Songster
7 Years
May 20, 2015
140
102
171
North Carolina
Here she is sitting with me. She is an Amber Link 3 yrs old
20180604_155330.jpg
20180604_155340.jpg
 

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