bridghen
In the Brooder
Hi there,
About four days ago, I caught one of my hens seeming unwell-- she seemed unsteady, kept closing her eyes, and eventually went limp as we tried to examine her. It has been extremely hot where I live, so I figured it was heat stress/stroke. We brought her inside and dropper-fed her some electrolytes and she seemed to perk up that day. She ate a little bit on her own and pooped. It seemed like the worst had been averted and she was on the mend. The next day, she was making some normal clucking sounds and seemed weak and tired but more lively than the day before. We have been keeping her inside, though, because she can't seem to stand up on her own. After a couple days of small improvements, as of yesterday, she seems to be in a decline. She is always slumped over and quiet, eyes closed more often than not, and is not eating or drinking on her own. We have been giving her Nutridrench via a dropper, as well as some watered-down yogurt, which seems to temporarily perk her up, but then she goes right back to closing her eyes. She hasn't pooped at all today. I suspected she might have some brain damage or other neurological issues due to the heat stroke which might explain why she's so unsteady, but I'm not sure how much I should be trying to feed her or give her liquids. She is breathing slowly and steadily. It seems like hens need at least a few days to recover from heat stroke, though I have read accounts of longer recoveries. I'm just not sure what else I can be doing to help her and I feel awful. She's one of our dearest girls and I hate to see her in this sad limbo state. Any advice would be welcome. Thank you.
About four days ago, I caught one of my hens seeming unwell-- she seemed unsteady, kept closing her eyes, and eventually went limp as we tried to examine her. It has been extremely hot where I live, so I figured it was heat stress/stroke. We brought her inside and dropper-fed her some electrolytes and she seemed to perk up that day. She ate a little bit on her own and pooped. It seemed like the worst had been averted and she was on the mend. The next day, she was making some normal clucking sounds and seemed weak and tired but more lively than the day before. We have been keeping her inside, though, because she can't seem to stand up on her own. After a couple days of small improvements, as of yesterday, she seems to be in a decline. She is always slumped over and quiet, eyes closed more often than not, and is not eating or drinking on her own. We have been giving her Nutridrench via a dropper, as well as some watered-down yogurt, which seems to temporarily perk her up, but then she goes right back to closing her eyes. She hasn't pooped at all today. I suspected she might have some brain damage or other neurological issues due to the heat stroke which might explain why she's so unsteady, but I'm not sure how much I should be trying to feed her or give her liquids. She is breathing slowly and steadily. It seems like hens need at least a few days to recover from heat stroke, though I have read accounts of longer recoveries. I'm just not sure what else I can be doing to help her and I feel awful. She's one of our dearest girls and I hate to see her in this sad limbo state. Any advice would be welcome. Thank you.
