Difficult for Dottie to eat.

[albertajune]

Dottie has had a long moult this year, still going on and been a bit lethargic. Over the last couple of days I have noticed something peculiar with her trying to eat. She pecks towards food but her beak doesn't reach it, even when I hold food in my hand.
I've just watched her get frustrated at not being able to pick up a worm and find it quite upsetting. When she does manage to get something in her it is more luck than judgement.
She is now about 6yrs old and hasn't laid eggs for 2yrs. Her age is a guess as she was laying when we got her. She is walking about alright and grooming herself but is sitting around a lot more than normal. She does feel lighter and her crop empty.

I have given her two doses of Tylan left over from when I took another girl to the vet and too soon to know if it will make any difference. I only have one other chicken left who spends most of her time keeping Dottie company. My dilemma is, do I have her PTS or let nature take its course. If she looked ill, as other chickens that I have lost did, I wouldn't hesitate at doing the deed but except for air pecking thing she seems contented.

Unfortunately our vet admits to having basic knowledge about chickens so I haven't taken her yet.

I would really appreciate your thoughts on this.

[perchy]

Bless her, she is getting on a bit maybe her sight is failing? what does she eat? pellets or mash, maybe you could wet the pellets or mash, if she does manage to peck at it she should at least get something if it is wetter, personally I would see how she goes, maybe add a little honey to her food and or water to give her a little boost, up the protein etc. You know her better than we do June and I am sure if you thought she was in pain you would do the right thing. Maybe some baby vitamins too without the added iron would help

[bikesandbirdsbob]

Hi , I would feed her sweet corn . If you feed her (forcibly if possible or needed ) at least she has some food in her and you can then watch it go through the system.
Giblet is the one to help as it is blind .
She may need special treatment ,but as said you know best .
If not in pain then for aperiod it may be good to try .
Best wishes .
bob

[KarenE]

She's a good age, but maybe is lacking vitamins because of her long moult. I'd give the mash a try and add some vit drops and tonic to it. Try her on other wet things too so she can scoop rather than trying to pick - sardines may be good as maybe a bit of a protein boost might help too.

If her sight is failing then at least she'll be able to scoop around rather than rely on precision pecking. I'm not sure whether Giblet has mash or pellets off the top of my head. I guess you'll need to make sure she is drinking as well.

I've also seen them do this when they're running a temperature, like they get a bit disoriented. Hopefully the tylan should knock that if there's an underlying infection or problem.

Personally, I would try this and see how she goes but as everyone has said - you know her best June and will be able to make the right call for her when needed.

[albertajune]

Thanks for your answers. I will try giving her mash to see if that help.
I do have a feeling that age has something to do with it as she has been slowing down for some time now. I did wonder about sight but she did see the very small worm in the dirt yesterday so I am really puzzled.
Anyway, she came out this morning looking normal but soon started looking tired, which she will do will little food. I don't know if she is drinking but I have bowls of water and food placed at different heights around the garden.
An awful quandary that lots of chicken keepers have had to go through is am I doing the right thing for her. Poor little Rosie her only companion is keeping her company. That will be my next worry, what to do about her!

[kitla]

I agree with the others, sound like her eyesight. She's obviously not blind
but sounds like she's having trouble with depth perception. This is what happened
with my cockerel Smidge as his sight gradually went (from a mareks tumour) I think
your vet should be able to check her eyes even if he doesnt know much about
chickens. He may be able to see if there's anything obvious wrong.
You may be able to check her pupil reactions yourself with a little torch, take her
into a darkish/shaded room & her pupils should get larger then smaller when you
shine the torch at her. I've had a several different chooks with eye problems, Bibble
with uveitus (infection inside the eye) her pupil became very small, Bonny with
a cateract & glaucoma - easy to spot as it went cloudy, Smidge & Nettle with ocular
mareks which gradually changed the shape of the pupils, also the colour of their eyes
changed. Last but not least of course is Giblet, born blind, her eyes look quite normal
but her pupils dont react to light. I've read that lack of a certain vitamin can cause
sight problems too so I'd recommend vitamins in the water asap. I would be tempted
to hand feed her some vitamin water for a couple of days too, to the side of her beak
with a syringe or even spoon.
Giblet has a bowl of mash with a few mealworms, treats & a sprinkle of grit mixed
in, her bowl is raised a bit & fixed in place, I sometimes tap on it to encourage her
to eat. Her food & water is always put in the same place.
I hope she recovers

[albertajune]

Kitla, lots of help and I will do the test. I have looked up Mareks but the birds affected seem to have other things wrong as well, which she doesn't seem to have.

I did put out some mash this morning with her favourite, sweetcorn, in it and did put it higher for her. She had a little peck at it and ate some which is hopeful. She has also had another dose of Tylan. I do have poultry Nutri-dops which she hates. Maybe it will be an idea to put them in water and give them to her via a syringe. Anything is worth a try.

The time comes when they have to eventually go and she is an old lady and I must admit my favourite. She always chats to me and answers back when I talk to her. At the moment she is sitting in the sun and enjoying it, bless her. I hope she does recover but am not too hopeful. Fingers crossed!!

[perchy]

Aww June it is hard isn't it, if she is pottering and having a little to eat and drink then maybe just see how she goes, you obviously know alot about her and what is isn't normal for her so if things change very much you will know instantly and then make a decision of the next step for her