Cuddles = 2 yr old Lav Orpington
Last egg Sept 1, 2015
Had unknown illness in Sept. that cleared up with Corid & dewormer (SafeGuard). Followed by molt Oct-Nov & then winter.
I knew something was off when she didn't RUN to me for treats. She was hanging out quietly in the coop, which is the opposite of normal for this hen. I brought her in for observation & withheld food overnight. Her crop didn't empty over night. (no odor or big hard lump) She also had abnormal watery poops. I later gave bread with oi & crop massage. The crop emptied by afternoon, but the poop output did not look right. The flock was wormed mid Feb (Strike III), so I tried Corid in her water. She lost all appetite, drank less, & has a hard swollen abdomen.
Her color looks good (not pale)
Her eyes are clear & bright
No eye or nasal discharge
No breathing difficulty
She still responds (quiet clucking or purring) when she hears her name or my voice
She walks in s-l-o-w motion & seems quiet
No loud happy noises or begging for treats (normal for her)
Lethargy- but not fluffed up nor droopy
losing weight / no appetite --- very unlike her
very firm swollen abdomen
I tried the lubed glove 2xs & never felt an egg.
I've done 20 min baths with epsom salt & blow dry.
Tried stool softener & yogurt thinking it's an intestinal blockage
Tried offering all kinds of soft treats like: cooked eggs, yogurt, oatmeal, soaked/softened feed
Started tube feeding (mostly water, probiotic, electrolytes, & some Exact (baby bird hand feeding formula) 35cc 2xs per day)
Only ray of hope: Today my daughter fed her some bread & mealworms. I've been trying soft foods, but after 6 days I really expected her to get better or decline by now. We cannot tube feed her indefinitely, so I'll let dear Cuddles eat bread & mealworms tonight.
Cuddles is a PET chicken, so if she never lays again, we're OK with that. There are no local chicken vets since we're in the suburbs. There are some exotic avian vets who take care of macaws & the birds at the zoo, but we simply can't afford $100s in vet bills
Below are some pics of her nasty poops & vent. Has anyone else experienced this? Any ideas of other causes?
Here are pics of her vent & poops.
Looks tight & dry like a non-layer
The yellow in 1st pic could be from the olive oil. She was only pooping 5-6xs per day & about 2-3xs at night.
Today she started pooping more frequently (maybe 8-12xs) - but it's not the poop explosion we thought.
Just as I was typing she made 2 small like this: (closest to normal so far)
Last egg Sept 1, 2015
Had unknown illness in Sept. that cleared up with Corid & dewormer (SafeGuard). Followed by molt Oct-Nov & then winter.
I knew something was off when she didn't RUN to me for treats. She was hanging out quietly in the coop, which is the opposite of normal for this hen. I brought her in for observation & withheld food overnight. Her crop didn't empty over night. (no odor or big hard lump) She also had abnormal watery poops. I later gave bread with oi & crop massage. The crop emptied by afternoon, but the poop output did not look right. The flock was wormed mid Feb (Strike III), so I tried Corid in her water. She lost all appetite, drank less, & has a hard swollen abdomen.
Her color looks good (not pale)
Her eyes are clear & bright
No eye or nasal discharge
No breathing difficulty
She still responds (quiet clucking or purring) when she hears her name or my voice
She walks in s-l-o-w motion & seems quiet
No loud happy noises or begging for treats (normal for her)
Lethargy- but not fluffed up nor droopy
losing weight / no appetite --- very unlike her
very firm swollen abdomen
I tried the lubed glove 2xs & never felt an egg.
I've done 20 min baths with epsom salt & blow dry.
Tried stool softener & yogurt thinking it's an intestinal blockage
Tried offering all kinds of soft treats like: cooked eggs, yogurt, oatmeal, soaked/softened feed
Started tube feeding (mostly water, probiotic, electrolytes, & some Exact (baby bird hand feeding formula) 35cc 2xs per day)
Only ray of hope: Today my daughter fed her some bread & mealworms. I've been trying soft foods, but after 6 days I really expected her to get better or decline by now. We cannot tube feed her indefinitely, so I'll let dear Cuddles eat bread & mealworms tonight.
Cuddles is a PET chicken, so if she never lays again, we're OK with that. There are no local chicken vets since we're in the suburbs. There are some exotic avian vets who take care of macaws & the birds at the zoo, but we simply can't afford $100s in vet bills
Below are some pics of her nasty poops & vent. Has anyone else experienced this? Any ideas of other causes?
Here are pics of her vent & poops.
Looks tight & dry like a non-layer
The yellow in 1st pic could be from the olive oil. She was only pooping 5-6xs per day & about 2-3xs at night.
Today she started pooping more frequently (maybe 8-12xs) - but it's not the poop explosion we thought.
Just as I was typing she made 2 small like this: (closest to normal so far)