Help! my pet chicken wont eat, I have been giving her antibiotics for chickens but she still wont eat what other food would she eat?I tried oatmeal and some cooked rice nothing, she is getting weak from not eating.Thanks for any advice paisley7

tickle

i raised chickens once, but they were free range from pullets only being raised as roasters. So they went through my flower garden and ate everything in sight and then started on my vegetable garden. Needless to say I never raised them again. They werent even very good after I slaughtered them for the freezer and eventual eating.

You can buy chicken feed at a grain store, or pet food store I am sure. I hope your chicken doesnt have lice or anything else growing under those feathers because when you slaughter them and defeather you would be surprised whats living under the feathers.

Why do you have a pet chicken anyway, I would be interested to know what pleasure you derive from an almost inaminate object.

pompano

Chicken can have parasites which will make them sick.Many times they seem to be in a trance when they are sick.some will look at the food but will not pick it up. you can buy dewormer from a feed store,whch you place a few drops in the chickens water.If the chicken has mites on her skin, you can dust her with a flea powder under her feathers,it will kill the mites.

mrssittingduck

ok if the hen has had antibiotics the chances are that if it is broad spectrum anti biotic like baytril that the bird will have no immune system left to help it get over its illness, you will need to buy a pro biotic from somewhere to give the bird some friendly gut bacteria to help build the immune system, then the bird may start eating,

also if you have the chicken for eggs the eggs will be no good to eat for a while because of the antibiotics in the birds system so throw all eggs away she lays for about 4 weeks,

check for parasites and if you find any i dont know what country your in but go to the vet and get some ivermectin if in the uk... if not i dont know what they have in other countrys but tell the vet the bird has lice and see what they give you,

your bird needs proper chicken food in the form of chicken crumbs..layers pellets or other depending on age, this can be brought from most pet shops or ordered in by the sack from manufacturers ..

the main thing is to keep her hydrated, as long as she is taking water she will be ok for a couple of weeks , but she needs to see a vet to sort this out..


tickle , i am assuming you slaughtered the chickens yourself (i have nothing against this by the way)

but while i have done the job and also kept chickens as pets i can not say they are an inanimate object , they are great fun to have around the place and have a carachter of their own, and yes they make good eating and yes they make good eggs , as my 5 year old son had a chicken as a pet that he loved what is considered inanimate to one person is not to another, it is clear that paysley cares for the chicken else would not be asking for help

as for eating birds some chickens are specifically bred for eggs and lack flavour in the meat department, and some are bred for meat and the eggs taste like crap.. others like rhode island reds etc are suitable fro both.. as you had chcikens that were not good for eating it would explain why they did not taste good to you
i would research into the breed you get and what you feed it on if you ever do change your mind, then when it comes to the slaughter you may get a tasty one instead

good luck paysley and let us know how the feller whent on
but please you need to by pro biotics to get his bacteria back up again and do not eat the eggs for a while... pro biotics can be ordered from a company called the birccareco

The Birdcare Company, birdcare, health, nutrition and breeding advice for bird keepers. Budgerigars, canary, canaries, finch, finches, parrot, parrots, parakeet, parakeets, cockatoo, cockatoos, african grey, macaw, conure, pyrrhura, cockatiel, lovebi

ALSO FORGOT TO SAY HAVE YOU WORMED THE CHICKEN LATELY? as if you havnt wormed him he will need worming also as they will pick up worms from scratching the ground and foreging in the soil, this can also make them very ill if not treated...this worming treatment can be brought from a vets or from a pet store , but those pro biotics are still the the main thing here

bushg

When I was growing up we had chickens and I loved them dearly , I would cry my heart out when one was killed. That was the first thing I did in the morning ,was to let them out of the hen house, and feed them chicken feed,they were free range and roamed during the day and went to their house at night. some were tame and allowed me to pet them and carry them around. lol sometimes they would try to follow me in the house. Our chickens were always dusted to keep the bugs at bay and the houses were cleaned out on a regular basis. Oh if I could have a couple of hens and a rooster in the city I would be so happy to hear the crowing and clucking...I am home sick now

mrssittingduck

i have never lived in countryside but my house is 20 steps away from wasteland, farms and reserves , we used to keep chickens but the council got at me and made me get rid of them all including my ducks, rheas etc said they are are not allowed because they attract vermin and make to much noise , we are not allowed to feed wild birds or encourage waterfowl into our area either ,
however i still rear them upto 10 to 12 weeks and then pass them on, the whole time they are housed inside or in the birdshed away from prying eyes

my son makes regular pets of the chickens and any bird that comes into the house

here is a pic of my son with one of his pet white star chicks which he reared himself

in the pic he was 3 years old, he reared this bird to adult hood all by himself, i am just glad i havnt forced the hobby of birds onto any of my children they have all took it up by themselves and if they lose interest that is fine by me, although it would be nice if they were to carry the family traditions on, my son in the picture has been hand rearing cockatiel chicks with my help since he was 3 and he now can hand rear himself without my help all i have to do is mix the food to the correct temperature

i miss having chickens and ducks about but unfortunately it cant be helped so i know how you feel bushg

even though i havnt moved from where i was i still miss the characters of them running round

bushg

Mrssittingduck Thank you for sharing, people that teach their children to help take care of creatures are doing this world a big favor.