As a chicken owner, it can be concerning when one of your chickens suddenly stops eating. A sick chicken that refuses food is at risk of becoming malnourished, which will make it harder for them to recover. When a chicken loses its appetite, it’s important to take action quickly to get them eating again. In this article, I’ll share tips on what to feed a sick chicken that won’t eat to help stimulate their appetite and provide the nutrients they need.
Why Proper Nutrition is Crucial for Sick Chickens
A chicken’s diet directly impacts its health, so ensuring a sick chicken gets adequate nutrition is vital for their recovery. Here’s why
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Sick chickens have weakened immune systems and require nutrients to help support healing, Lack of proper nutrition will prolong illness,
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Without food, a sick chicken will become weaker, making it difficult to fight off sickness.
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Nutrients provide energy for a chicken’s body to keep organ systems functioning during illness.
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Once a chicken stops eating entirely, its condition goes downhill rapidly. Quick action is needed to re-stimulate their appetite.
So in short, nutrition is the fuel that powers a chicken’s body, especially when sick. Let’s look at ways to get them eating again
Tips on What to Feed a Sick Chicken With No Appetite
If your sick chicken has stopped eating its normal food, try the following techniques and diet changes:
1. Offer High-Nutrient Foods
First, focus on nutrient-dense foods even if your chicken eats a smaller amount. Good options are:
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Cooked eggs – scrambled or hard boiled. Eggs have a great nutritional profile.
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Oatmeal – provides carbs, protein and B vitamins.
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Rice – easily digested and high in nutrients. Mix in broth for extra flavor.
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Lean meats – shred chicken, turkey or beef over their food.
2. Make Food Appealing
Since sick chickens are picky, make the food smell and look delicious:
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Mix in a bit of yogurt, cottage cheese or peas to add flavor, moisture and nutrition.
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Warm up their food slightly to make it more aromatic.
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Dice veggies like carrots, sweet potato and greens into small, bite-size pieces.
3. Assist with Hand-Feeding
If your chicken refuses to eat on its own, hand-feeding may help stimulate their appetite. Sit with your chicken and slowly offer small pieces of nutrient-dense foods like boiled eggs, meat, rice, oats or veggie pieces.
4. Provide Liquid Nutrition
If hand-feeding isn’t working, give liquid nutrition. Try:
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Nutrient-dense broths made with chicken, beef or bone broth. Slowly pour into their beak.
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Meal replacement shakes made for sick animals – mix with water.
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Pedialyte to provide electrolytes and fluids.
5. Consider Supplements
Supplements tailor-made for sick chickens provide an insurance policy to fill any nutrition gaps:
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Powders to mix into food like VitaChick or Chick NV.
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Nourishing gels like Nutri-Drench. Massage into mouth and beak.
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Probiotics to support digestion and gut health.
If homemade options fail to entice, supplements ensure nutrition intake.
When to Call a Veterinarian
It’s always a good idea to consult an avian vet if your sick chicken won’t eat. A vet can:
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Diagnose the illness and provide appropriate treatment.
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Suggest feeding techniques and diet plans.
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In severe cases, administer IV or injectable nutrition.
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Determine if the chicken needs to be force fed with a feeding tube.
Call a vet immediately if your chicken hasn’t eaten for over 2 days and condition is declining rapidly. The sooner treatment begins, the better chance your chicken has of bouncing back to health.
Be Patient and Keep Trying
Getting a sick chicken that has lost its appetite to start eating again takes patience and persistence. Keep offering various foods and use different techniques until you find something that stimulates their appetite. With time and proper nutrition, most chickens will regain their strength and appetite. Just remember, don’t give up! With a little TLC and the right diet, your feathered friend will be on the road to recovery in no time.
Basic Herbs for a Sick Chicken:
- parsley
- turmeric
- garlic
- cinnamon
- oregano (this is a strong herb)
A Diet for Ailing Chickens
As soon as you notice one of your chickens is not feeling well you need to immediately think about their diet. After you take the usual sick chicken precautions you will want to dive into the nitty gritty of figuring out what is causing them to ail and how you can help. Your flock’s diet plays a big role in how healthy they stay.
Food and water is what keeps a chicken alive and ensures that all of the body’s functions are working properly. Deficiencies and imbalances in the diet can both cause health issues. However, sickness in general, even if it is not caused by the diet, can also be significantly impacted by what a chicken consumes.
Signs of improper feed and water intake include:
- diarrhea– a chicken who does not eat will often have bile in their poop (bile is green)
- thinness- if a chicken is not recieving the nutrition that it needs it will start to loose weight, feel on either side of the breast bone to check for thinness
- shrunken/pale comb and wattles– these areas are some of the first places that get restricted nutrition and blood flow
- long, sunken facial features– as a chicken looses weight and suffers from malnutrition, its facial features will begin to look sunken, making the face look long and narrow
Is My Chicken Sick? How to Treat Chickens Naturally
FAQ
How to feed a sick chicken that won’t eat?
See if you can provide her some extra support: electrolytes in water, scrambled eggs, plain yogurt, or mixing water in the feed to tempt her to eat.
What is the best thing to give a sick chicken?
Vi-tal) or you can use Pedialyte or diluted Gatorade (diluted 50/50 with water). You can offer these in a bowl or if she isn’t drinking on her own you can administer fluids (and hand feeding) via towel restraining and a syringe or dropper. Wrap bird “burrito style” and hold securely upright in lap.
Can a sick chicken get better on its own?
In most cases, sick chickens simply have a slight cold and take a few days to get over the condition — once the symptoms have completely gone and the bird has recovered it can be let out to rejoin the flock. Obviously, with severe illness the bird may not recover and subsequently die.
How do you perk up a sick chicken?
Nursing a sick chicken back to health
Once indoors you will need to make sure your chicken has plenty of liquid. If really weak you may need to help her to drink. If she will eat, it is good to get her eating something. Mushy easy to swallow food is best, something like porridge or bread soaked in water for example.