Please help - we have a very sick chicken!!!
Urgency:S.O.S.!
Category: Health & Wellness
Asked by: Sarah S. (sarahswan) 1 year ago
My boyfriend and I bought a 4-acre property in May. There was already a fabulous chicken coop on the property, so we knew we would want to get chickens.
Shortly after moving in we got 3 baby chickens, which are now adults.
2 of them are doing wonderful and are very healthy. The third one started showing strange signs a while ago. It started out with her just not being as active as the others. Then she started falling over - almost like her vertigo is messed up.
It has continually gotten worse, and I feel that she is suffering. Does anyone know what is causing this and what we can do???
This is the first time we have ever had chickens, so any advice is greatly appreciated.
I don't even know if there is a humane way to euthanize a chicken or what.....
I hope I don't sound like a complete ignorant idiot - We have dogs, cats, fish & a horse that we know all about caring for and are spoiled rotten.
Our chickens are also spoiled, but we don't know what to do with this sick one.
I know there are 'chicken vets', but I think they are just for people that are raising large numbers of chickens for egg or meat production.
Our chickens are more like pets.
Please help!!!!!!!!
Answers from Zootooers
Answered by: Ginny D. (teeny97) 1 year ago
Okay, I asked my bf, who is a chicken expert. He's raised chickens and quail, and some other birds. Here is what he says (and I really apologize if it sounds blunt):
Here is my advice, separate the chicken, clean all the chicken stuff, maybe even new hay, and hope that the 3rd chicken gets better. The one thing I learned from having chickens is, once you notice they are sick, they are usually too far gone to fix.
And then, back to me. If you want to take the chicken to the vet, it doesn't matter if they typically treat farm animals - a chicken is a chicken whether it is a pet or no. Just make sure your vet knows how to examine and treat chickens, not all of them treat all animals (though you probably already know that).
Good luck! =)
Answered by: ethel02 1 year ago
I don't know about chickens but I would ask the Vet that takes care of your other animals if they can help, the Vet that you have for your horse may know about other farm animals, please don't let her suffer and don't wait it could be contagious to your other chickens, good luck.
Answered by: Miwako O. (Lukatrel) 1 year ago
Have yo9u heard of Merek's Disease in chicken? This disease causes paralysis. I believe your chicken can get vaccination for this disease. You should take your sick chicken to vet who specialize in birds RIGHT AWAY because this disease is contagious. Good luck!
