[Help diagnose] Golden Sexlink - 2 yr. old / diminished crop and comb / liquid poo / poo-encrusted f

Hi, BackYard Chickens-goers,

One of my mother's hens is sick. I thought it may be vent issues because there was a large amount of matter stuck to the feathers surrounding her vent. But it was not impacted and she almost shot me with a stream of pungent, liquid expulsion.

This is the first time this hen has been like this. Even during molting periods, she has always had a robust personality.

Normal characteristics: incredibly mobile, skittish, high flyer. Very hard to catch and able to jump very high.

Current characteristics:
Stays near-motionless for extended periods (hours).
Weak vocalization.
Diminished, graying comb and crop.
Soupy feces.
Seems unable to jump up onto roost bars (was in nest, standing this morning).

Things I have tried:
Checking/cleaning vent.
Checking fecal matter for worms (no segments, a few small, white stringy things that may have been worms but were mostly unidentifiable--fibrous and few).


Diet: Layerfeed, free-range, and whole-grain bread, oats, misc. Water with apple cider vinegar.

I have uploaded two images and two videos here: https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0L5nhQSTGq038Y
The first video gives an example of the vocalization. The second video shows her lack of mobility--as she stands on one leg, head low.



Any help, things to try, or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
-ck1500

I have put her in the coop. She has not moved for two hours. Standing, not laying or sitting as if she would be broody.

Eggbound, perhaps?

Has she been wormed? Do you have Corid to treat coccidiosis?

How old is she? How long has this been going on? Is she losing/has she lost weight? Are any of the other hens affected? Is she eating or drinking on her own?

If you suspect she is egg bound, have you tried feeling for an egg? If you have latex gloves and some lube or vaseline you can gently feel just inside her vent to see if you feel an egg.

I'm definitely not an expert, so hopefully someone more experienced will chime in, but the symptoms also sound like they could be coccidiosis. It might not hurt to treat her for coccidiosis if you can get a hold of some Corid. The third post in this link has dosing info.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/976541/coccidiosis

Kind of sounds like our rooster. Hope someone can help you out. The only thing I can think of is thread worms.

animalgrl said:

How old is she? How long has this been going on? Is she losing/has she lost weight? Are any of the other hens affected? Is she eating or drinking on her own?

If you suspect she is egg bound, have you tried feeling for an egg? If you have latex gloves and some lube or vaseline you can gently feel just inside her vent to see if you feel an egg.

I'm definitely not an expert, so hopefully someone more experienced will chime in, but the symptoms also sound like they could be coccidiosis. It might not hurt to treat her for coccidiosis if you can get a hold of some Corid. The third post in this link has dosing info.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/976541/coccidiosis

Click to expand...

2 years old. No idea, but not very long. Seems about the same, never weighed. No other hens affected. She drinks on her own; haven't seen her eat, but not watching.

Stuck her in a warm tub with epsom salt. Hot room. Let's see if this relaxes her, despite the odd environment.

Also, none of them have been wormed.

I have another video.

https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0L5nhQSTGq038Y;B2865BBE-3C30-45AF-89AE-9E6174098E1D

This is her today. It is approximately day 3 of her acting like this. When walking, she takes microsteps and never gets very far.

Mother has taken her into a makeshift nest and into the house.

I have no idea what else to try, nor does she. She does not eat much layer feed (though she dug into the oat-y yogurt yesterday).

She has died. Her last day was spent completely immobile, sleeping. No longer would she drink, eat or emote.

RIP Delilah. April 2014 - March 2016. Unknown Causes.

Did you try worming her? Or treating her for coccidiosis?

Sorry for your loss. This hen may have been suffering from internal laying issues. A necropsy by a vet might give you more answers.