Need some help diagnosing - 2 1/2 year old Buff Orpington Hen

[buffynita]

Within the past 6 months, she has gradually lost weight. It has been very gradual. It seems now, almost overnight, she seems skin and bones. Her comb is pale and she has runny poop. When I picked her up this morning, she smelled "funny". There was no other way to describe it. It was sort of sweet smelling, and I am pretty sure it was from her rear, but I am not certain. She also has a hard lump under her beak on her neck - not really where I think her crop would be I don't think... She seems to be eating, or at least picking through the food. It's hard to tell.

We have only had three hens in our lives and still have all three of them. They are "illegal," and we are really new to this. We immediately thought it could be worms, so we treated all three with Safeguard on Saturday. Her comb did seem to get a little color on it the next day. I also have Corid arriving today just in case.

I would hate to lose her because of our ineptness. What course of action should we take? I would really appreciate any suggestions!

 

[0wen]

Photos may help, but..

Search Coryza and see if the images of other birds and symptoms matches whats happening in your bird.. Possibly a tumor or canker. Seeing the cyst/knot would help..

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

Sometimes worming an already ill bird can make them worse especially if that isn't the problem... and to be thinking about treating cocci also?! Bad idea to just treat every possibility when a fecal sample taken to the vet could have diagnosed or ruled out both of those, usually for between $15-25.

Have you checked for external parasites? Are her feathers in pristine condition even though she is skin and bones? How has your weather been? DO you provide artificial light? Did she molt this pat year? What do you feed including treats and supplements? Any free ranging? Are your other 2 also BO and are they showing any symptoms? When was the last time your girl laid?

I don't understand how your girls are 2.5 years old, illegal (bad choice), AND you are really new to this... were these not your birds from day 1 as chicks? How long have you had them?

Just trying to help you figure this out.

 

[buffynita]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

Sometimes worming an already ill bird can make them worse especially if that isn't the problem... and to be thinking about treating cocci also?! Bad idea to just treat every possibility when a fecal sample taken to the vet could have diagnosed or ruled out both of those, usually for between $15-25.

Have you checked for external parasites? Are her feathers in pristine condition even though she is skin and bones? How has your weather been? DO you provide artificial light? Did she molt this pat year? What do you feed including treats and supplements? Any free ranging? Are your other 2 also BO and are they showing any symptoms? When was the last time your girl laid?

I don't understand how your girls are 2.5 years old, illegal (bad choice), AND you are really new to this... were these not your birds from day 1 as chicks? How long have you had them?

Just trying to help you figure this out.

WOW! You know, as the hens get older, everything that comes up is new to me if I have never dealt with it before, so yeah, I'm still new at it.

I never said I was treating with the cocci, just that I was having it on hand, just in case.

I did a lot of research before I chose to worm my birds, so I believe I made the right choice there. Sorry, if you disagree and think it is a "bad idea."

And a lot of people choose to have backyard chickens as pets even though their county ordinances are outdated and ridiculous. So, I'm sorry you don't approve of my choices. Maybe I chose the wrong place to ask for advice.

 

[Louise Waffles]

It's better for the chickens if you are treating with the right medication. You can only know for sure after a fecal float test. Treating with a medication that won't help your chickens will just allow whatever they have to do further damage when a $20 or so float test will tell you what they have and a vet will tell you how to treat it, or rule it out. It's always better to know what's going and treat appropriately than treating things you aren't sure about. Everyone just wants to help!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Within the past 6 months, she has gradually lost weight. It has been very gradual. It seems now, almost overnight, she seems skin and bones. Her comb is pale and she has runny poop. When I picked her up this morning, she smelled "funny". There was no other way to describe it. It was sort of sweet smelling, and I am pretty sure it was from her rear, but I am not certain. She also has a hard lump under her beak on her neck - not really where I think her crop would be I don't think... She seems to be eating, or at least picking through the food. It's hard to tell.

We have only had three hens in our lives and still have all three of them. They are "illegal," and we are really new to this. We immediately thought it could be worms, so we treated all three with Safeguard on Saturday. Her comb did seem to get a little color on it the next day. I also have Corid arriving today just in case.

I would hate to lose her because of our ineptness. What course of action should we take? I would really appreciate any suggestions!

Hi

Welcome To BYC

When was the last time she laid an egg? Was it normal?
Any swelling of the abdomen, bloat, hardness, feeling like a balloon?
Can you post some photos of your hen, then poop and her vent area?

When you picked her up and noticed a smell - you thought it was coming from the vent (rear end). Did you take a look to see if there was anything unusual - does she have matted on poop, swelling/redness, a wound/plucked out feathers, discharge, etc.?

You may want to separate her - offer her some poultry vitamins and some extra protein like egg or tuna. Keep her hydrated and see if she will eat for you.

Keep us posted.

 

[buffynita]

Hi

Welcome To BYC

When was the last time she laid an egg? Was it normal?
Any swelling of the abdomen, bloat, hardness, feeling like a balloon?
Can you post some photos of your hen, then poop and her vent area?

When you picked her up and noticed a smell - you thought it was coming from the vent (rear end). Did you take a look to see if there was anything unusual - does she have matted on poop, swelling/redness, a wound/plucked out feathers, discharge, etc.?

You may want to separate her - offer her some poultry vitamins and some extra protein like egg or tuna. Keep her hydrated and see if she will eat for you.

Keep us posted.

OK - She has not laid an egg in over a year. When she did lay, it was normal. My other BO, laid maybe a half dozen last year. The other hen we have in a Polish. She seems to lay normally.

The abdomen does not seem to be swollen.

I think the smell was coming from the rear - she did have some matted poop on her butt this past weekend - mainly brown colored. This morning, it seemed kinda greenish/yellow steakish. I have checked her vent each day. No wounds. No plucked feathers. No discharge, No flies. Just nasty poop. I was thinking of trying to bathe her... Thoughts???

We separated her this morning. I was going to bring her in the house and check her good and try to get some pics to post this evening. We have been treating water with Healthy Flock Tabs and Oxy-E 100. I also have Poultry Booster vitamin and mineral supplement I can give. I never knew about tuna. I will try that tonight as well.

I will post photos and an update this evening.

Thanks for the response!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

OK - She has not laid an egg in over a year. When she did lay, it was normal. My other BO, laid maybe a half dozen last year. The other hen we have in a Polish. She seems to lay normally.

The abdomen does not seem to be swollen.

I think the smell was coming from the rear - she did have some matted poop on her butt this past weekend - mainly brown colored. This morning, it seemed kinda greenish/yellow steakish. I have checked her vent each day. No wounds. No plucked feathers. No discharge, No flies. Just nasty poop. I was thinking of trying to bathe her... Thoughts???

We separated her this morning. I was going to bring her in the house and check her good and try to get some pics to post this evening. We have been treating water with Healthy Flock Tabs and Oxy-E 100. I also have Poultry Booster vitamin and mineral supplement I can give. I never knew about tuna. I will try that tonight as well.

I will post photos and an update this evening.

Thanks for the response!

Yes, you can bathe her

A dish tub works well - use warm soapy water (dawn dish liquid or something similar is fine). Let her soak a few minutes to help dissolve "clumps". Work the warm soapy water into the feathers to try to get out the poop. You can also take a small pair of sharp scissors and carefully cut out stubborn clumps if need be. Dry her well. If she is going back outside, make sure she is dry - you can use a hair dryer set on low heat to dry. If you are keeping her inside, then dry her and keep her warm.

Without seeing it, greenish/yellow poop makes me think Egg Yolk Peritonitis. But it could also be infection or worms. Without testing there's no way to know for sure. Green goes hand in hand with her losing weight - not enough nutrition or not eating. Some hens get to the point they don't absorb nutrients like they should. If you have chick starter or an all flock type feed, that would be good. Since she hasn't been laying eggs, she really doesn't need layer feed, but if that's all you have that's fine. Any extra protein that you may think she will eat in addition to her normal food would be good. Beef liver, tuna, egg, mackerel, etc.

Do the best you can. Hydration first, then eating.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

WOW! You know, as the hens get older, everything that comes up is new to me if I have never dealt with it before, so yeah, I'm still new at it.

I never said I was treating with the cocci, just that I was having it on hand, just in case.

I did a lot of research before I chose to worm my birds, so I believe I made the right choice there. Sorry, if you disagree and think it is a "bad idea."

And a lot of people choose to have backyard chickens as pets even though their county ordinances are outdated and ridiculous. So, I'm sorry you don't approve of my choices. Maybe I chose the wrong place to ask for advice.

Whoa, sorry it came off that way!

Wasn't how it was intended...

I don't disagree with you about choosing to worm, every one of us must do what we believe is right is our situation. I meant to provide more info, that SOMETIMES it's not always the best choice because it could cause more issues. So I offered a fecal sample may be a possibility. And I realized you were only getting the Corid just in case... never meant to indicate you didn't do research, but you did indicate you were very new to this. That is why I asked questions to try and be helpful.

Yes, I realize ordinances are out of date. And once again we all decide whether to abide or not. No judgement, it just would work better if people would work to get it updated instead of just breaking it. They do exist for a reason... and I don't mean towards you. We are here to support each other even if we don't agree on some things!

We all care about our birds and our families and their health!

OK - She has not laid an egg in over a year. When she did lay, it was normal. My other BO, laid maybe a half dozen last year. The other hen we have in a Polish. She seems to lay normally.

The abdomen does not seem to be swollen.

I think the smell was coming from the rear - she did have some matted poop on her butt this past weekend - mainly brown colored. This morning, it seemed kinda greenish/yellow steakish. I have checked her vent each day. No wounds. No plucked feathers. No discharge, No flies. Just nasty poop. I was thinking of trying to bathe her... Thoughts???

We separated her this morning. I was going to bring her in the house and check her good and try to get some pics to post this evening. We have been treating water with Healthy Flock Tabs and Oxy-E 100. I also have Poultry Booster vitamin and mineral supplement I can give. I never knew about tuna. I will try that tonight as well.

I will post photos and an update this evening.

Thanks for the response!

So a year is a long time not to lay for a BO of that age. Is it OK for me to still run with you here...?

Are you sure she didn't have a hidden nest anywhere? Were they chicks when you got them, so you are sure of their age?

Nutrition is suspect, (again not pointing fingers, trying to help)... Are you feeding layer, do you free range, any treats, scratch or supplements given regularly?

I'm being super sincere here... be careful giving multiple supplements. I don't know what those things (bolded above) have in it, vitamins won't overdose your chickens but minerals like salt and potassium can VERY easily.

Upping protein intake (if you are feeding 16% layer) would probably be helpful. Going to an unmedicated starter or flock raiser type, with less calcium since the girls mostly don't need it (because they aren't really laying) and putting oyster shell on the side for the ones who do is a great idea! To much calcium long term in non layers can (doesn't mean will) cause kidney failure. And Orpington are a large, heavy fathered, dual purpose breed. The heavier breeds will do better with more protein than in most layer feeds. Feathers are made up of 90% protein. Some people do fine on layer forever and others don't.

Your girl will probably enjoy her bath... At least that's mostly been our experience when needed.

Hope she feels better!

 

[buffynita]

Thanks for the response

I'm positive there is no hidden nest. They were chicks when I got them, so I am positive about their age.

We do feed layer pellets, mealworms as treats (sometimes with black sunflower seeds), scratch grain through the winter months, and table veggie scraps at times (raw, but not often). We have been giving them a mix of oyster shell/grit on the side.

I can definitely look into starter or flick raiser - that's easy. Any other protein ideas other than egg and tuna that was mentioned before?

And what's your opinion on Epson salt in the bath? Yay or nay? And how long to bathe?

And is it possible that the "bulge" I'm feeling on her neck is an impacted crop? It just doesn't seem low enough down, but then again she is skinny...

I did get a pic of very fresh poop!