I had a constipated chicken which i gave a bath to on Friday. On Saturday, i put it back out, but it was so weak it couldn't even hold the perch. I put it back in its cage, and brought it in the house. I've been using an eye dropper to squirt water down the throat, as well as puting small amounts of feed in her mouth. She still cannot stand for long periods of time, but is more alert and interested this morning. She also stands a short time when she naps. She will not eat on her own, and will only drink a little bit. She is sleeping alot. Her manure is extremely watery and yellow. Does anyone know away i could help her to get stronger faster?

I can't really help with your question because I am a beginner, but I have a question for you. How did you know your chicken was constipated? Thanks

Hen, In most cases of sick chickens, forcing water or food is not a good thing. It will not likely leave the crop, and will spoil and then the bird is in worse shape and will surely succumb. The crop is not the stomach and until food leaves the crop, it does no good for a bird. If she is able to eat and drink, she will. Sadly, when birds become weak, they are often beyond anything we can do to help. Is she a layer, and has she been laying eggs previously? Sometimes trying to pass a soft shelled egg will make a hen very depressed for a day or two. And when the egg has passed, they are just fine. Sorry not to be able to give encouragement. CJR

Help ! One of my chickens looks like it swallowed a
tennis ball. The gullet is hard, large and very warm. The chicken seems to be burping and is uncomfortable. Does anyone know what this could be? Please help asap.

Irene

From the gospel of Chicken, according to Gail Damerow:
If this is impacted crop (the bird appears healthy otherwise), it is possible to slit the crop open, empty the contents which will usually contain lots of roughage, and keep the wound clean while it heals up. The bird should be isolated during recovery.

If it is thrush, the bird should show signs of depression, rough feathers, diarrhea, slow growth and/or weight loss. Thrush is usually triggered by antibiotics or coccidiosis or other drugs or diseases. It can be treated with a flush of molasses or epsom salts followed by bluestone. If you think it may be thrush, let me know and I will post the formulas Damerow recommends. If you use the keyword search on the left and type in "epsom salts" you should find the formulas from a previous posting. Good luck.