poorly chicken, but no obviously issues

[tlck9]

Hi All

My ex batt who is around 3 years old, she lays off and on. She is generally healthy, no issues since I've got her.

However the last couple of days her crop is empty and she doesn't seem to be eating much, she isn't constantly hunched but she is much quieter than normal.

I have checked her over and cannot feel any lumps or bumps, her bum is clean, her breathing seems okay, no sneezing etc

anything else I can check?

and how can I get some food down her, would dairy free yogurt help?

[Suechooks]

You could try something like sardines or meal worms. Live yoghurt is ok too. Ex-batts do sometimes start to fade at this age as I'm sure you know. I've recently had a new group of ex-batts who were very thin and didn't seem able to get to gips with food! Gave them Nutridrops every morning for a few days and BINGO! Eating like good 'uns! They've now progressed from the greenhouse to an outside coop and run and are starting to lay so you could try that too.

[tlck9]

HI Suechooks, Sardines that I haven't tried, mealworms she sniffs at them and walks off. However I must remember where, but I found a recipe while hunting high and low last night, it involved grated apple, oats, yogurt honey and a few other things I hadn't got...

So this morning, I mixed up a few oats, warm water, small drop of cider vinegar, live yogurt, tiny bit if honey, teaspoon of her mash and bought her out of the run to eat on her own and also very slowly she took some, I left her for a bit and she has ate more of it.....after an hour i felt her crop and it felt like she had something in there for the first time in a couple of days. She is sat a bit hunched up today, but when I mixed up a bowl of the stuff and popped it in so she had some for when I left she went over and helped herself....

I will need to try nutridrops haven't got those

I haven't really had a ex batt fade, well i don't think so, as they age do they get a bit more lethargic, and just fade away not really eating or doing much - the others seem to just get something wrong and pop.....but yes, I have a couple of the age when I know i will start to lose them