My chicken is jaundiced and lethargic. Can she recover or is it kind?

I’m sorry to hear fluffy is dealing with this. A small amount of chicken or chicken baby food is likely ok to offer her, as of course it is important to get her eating. Without knowing the details of her lab work it is hard to give specific nutritional information. So I would suggest getting in touch with her vet when you can. If her liver is failing we do need to be more careful about the amount of protein they are consuming.

Hello. It is very common to see reproductive disease in chickens including salpingitis & egg yolk peritonitis. If you could bring her indoors where it is a bit cooler, feed her nutritious foods such as cornbread, cooked eggs, even a bit ( not much ) of canned cat food & see if she perks up. Many of these birds are actually in quite a bit of pain, so if there is any way to have her seen by a vet, this would be best. X-rays are often taken in these cases to evaluate the internal organs or see if she is actually egg bound. There is a lot we know about chickens, but sometimes not much we can do to save them. Hope you can have her evaluated soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

If home remedies haven't worked, then it is time to seek out the care of a vet. It is possible there is a bacterial or fungal infection going on that may be causing the symptoms you are seeing and require antibiotic or anti-fungal treatment. Making sure the coop is kept clean and the hens aren't laying in their own droppings can also help keep their bottoms clean if there is no underlying illness. You can also bathe any affected hens to help clean up their bottoms and provide some relief from the irritation. If you have a hen that is acting very ill, I would remove her from the flock and place her into a hospital cage with easy access to food and water until you can be seen by a vet. Separating any other sick birds is also a good idea if you suspect something infectious to keep your remaining hens safe and healthy.

Thanks for reaching out about Salt. If lethargic, a veterinary visit is necessary, and the sooner the better. Providing heat support in the 809-85 F can help but is not a treatment. Yellow feces could be pigments from the food but also intestinal problems such as parasites, infections, increase bile (liver problem) and more. Good luck.

Parasites and some types of foods can also cause the urates to change color slightly, so deworming your flock (if you haven't already) and making sure the starter/grower feed you're feeding doesn't have dyes, etc in it that can change stool color may also help. Respiratory issues and infections can also sometimes cause color changes to the stool as well. If the pullet isn't growing well, seems ill, or you've recently dewormed, then having a vet rule out other issues is best.

Without knowing more about the signs that your birds are showing, it is difficult to say what is going on with them. There is a lot of overlap with infectious diseases in chickens, so many of them can look alike. The treatments for them, however, can vary, and need to be initiated by a veterinarian. I would recommend that you contact a veterinarian in your area so that s/he can do a physical exam on at least one of your birds. I was unable to find where you were located based on your zip code, as it did not give any results for the US. There are some regions which have avian diagnostic labs, and many times they have a chicken veterinarian on staff. This may be an option for you depending on your location. At home, you can try supportive care for the birds. Ensuring they have a warm place to go is crucial, so they don’t have to work as hard to keep warm (chicken body temperatures are about 102-104 F). Also make sure they have fresh water and food easily available to them, and monitor to ensure they are eating. To do this, you can feel along the bottom of their necks - this is where the crop is, and it is a pocket in their esophagus where good is stored when they eat. If you feel good in it, that is good as it indicates they are eating. If it is empty, they are not. Please do not give any human medications to your birds, as many of them can be harmful to chickens. I hope that gives you a place to start, and good luck.

Jaundice is a sign that the liver is not functioning properly. This can be caused by giving the dog human pain medicine, a virus (leptospirosis and others), parsites, a liver abscess and many more. Jaundice is serious, and you need to take Shin Hye to a veterinarian for an exam and blood tests.