Sad news: my poor girl didn't make it

My 10month old hen is suddenly sick and I don't know why. All my hens were fine when I locked their coop last night and this morning when I went out to check on them one of them was laying on the floor of the coop next to the water dish. She had poop smeared on her wings and back and can't stand up. I've examined her for any injuries and can't find any visual signs of that she is hurt. I've separated her from the flock and have her in the house so I can tend to her. She will eat and drink but does so while laying on her side. If I hold her up she tries to move but falls over if I let go of her. She won't open her right eye and when I stand her up she droops her head to the floor as though she can't hold her own head up. All my other hens appear to be fine and this hen seamed fine last night. She's been laying eggs regularly (though not today) and has access to plenty of fresh feed and clean water. Any suggestions on how to help her or what might be causing her sudden illness?

Welcome to BYC!!!

Sounds like she is experiencing a balance issue.

Everything about this post makes me think Avain Boutlism.

Neck weakness is also know as Limber neck a sign of botulism.Boutlism is present in Dead animal carcass,Ponds ect.I would recommend checking the run for dead animals or maggots a Avian vet should be contacted for Crop cleaning

The coop and run are exceptionally clean, I love my ladies and don't go more than a week without cleaning their coop and raking the run. I make sure their food is good quality and all their treats are fresh and uneaten snacks are promptly removed so as not to attract vermin or pests. I've checked her crop to make sure nothing was impacted or blocked and I've felt to make sure she doesn't have an impacted egg. When I stand her up she perks up for a minute before dropping her head and acts like she's trying to stand on her own but she can't. Could it be mareks or Newcastle or just an ear infection? She's a little more reluctant to drink now and I have to hold the water right to her beak and encourage her to take a sip.

All i can say for now is Keep her warm in the house with Water and vitamins.Like i said before her symptoms perfectly matches Avian boutlism ,The post above sounded like you thought it was clean,Check under feeders.ect

Cosmic said:

My 10month old hen is suddenly sick and I don't know why. All my hens were fine when I locked their coop last night and this morning when I went out to check on them one of them was laying on the floor of the coop next to the water dish. She had poop smeared on her wings and back and can't stand up. I've examined her for any injuries and can't find any visual signs of that she is hurt. I've separated her from the flock and have her in the house so I can tend to her. She will eat and drink but does so while laying on her side. If I hold her up she tries to move but falls over if I let go of her. She won't open her right eye and when I stand her up she droops her head to the floor as though she can't hold her own head up. All my other hens appear to be fine and this hen seamed fine last night. She's been laying eggs regularly (though not today) and has access to plenty of fresh feed and clean water. Any suggestions on how to help her or what might be causing her sudden illness?

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Welcome To BYC.

I'm sorry you are having trouble. Can you post a photo of how she is laying down or a video of her actions?

It's always hard to determine the cause of a sudden illness.

She could have fallen from a roost and somehow injured herself or possibly even had some type of seizure, with her having poop smeared on her back and wings it sounds like she must have been flailing about. Marek's would also make birds flutter around, but so can Vitamin B deficiencies. Newcastles could cause similar symptoms, but you most likely would be seeing signs of respiratory illness as well. Internal laying/reproductive disorders can also cause lameness/trouble standing.

Check her ears for any signs of infection or lice/mites just to make sure this is not the cause.

Keep her isolated and warm. Keep her hydrated. Add some poultry vitamins to her water that have B vitamins. You can also give human B-complex vitamins (no iron) - just crush one up and add it to her food. Extra protein is usually helpful with an ill or injured bird, try some egg or tuna.

Let us know how she is doing.

Here's some detailed info on Marek's (includes illnesses that "mimic" Marek's):
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq

Video of birds with Marek's:

List of common poultry diseases:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

@Wyorp Rock. First of all thank you for your feedback and Merry Christmas! update: As of this morning she still can't stand up and seems very lethargic still. When I picked her up an egg rolled out from under her and the egg was normal in size,shape and color with a nice smooth hard shell. I checked her ears and see no signs of mites, irritation or injury. Hand feeding her and making sure she drinks often. Hoping that with some vitamins and lots of TLC she will perk back up soon.

Cosmic said:

@Wyorp Rock . First of all thank you for your feedback and Merry Christmas! update: As of this morning she still can't stand up and seems very lethargic still. When I picked her up an egg rolled out from under her and the egg was normal in size,shape and color with a nice smooth hard shell. I checked her ears and see no signs of mites, irritation or injury. Hand feeding her and making sure she drinks often. Hoping that with some vitamins and lots of TLC she will perk back up soon.

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Merry Christmas @Cosmic

If you can't fine poultry vitamins you can also use infant/children Poly Vi Sol (no iron). Poor girl, I know it's hard to see her this way. There can be so many things. Hopefully with your TLC she will make a full recovery.

Unfortunately my poor girl is taking a turn for the worst. As of this morning she has been refusing to eat and I've had to force feed her. She's even refusing yogurt which she normally goes nuts for. Been giving her polyvisol and pedialyte to ensure that she's hydrated but she seems weaker and appears to be having trouble breathing.

Cosmic said:

Unfortunately my poor girl is taking a turn for the worst. As of this morning she has been refusing to eat and I've had to force feed her. She's even refusing yogurt which she normally goes nuts for. Been giving her polyvisol and pedialyte to ensure that she's hydrated but she seems weaker and appears to be having trouble breathing.

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I'm so sorry

Most likely she has some type of internal laying/reproductive disorder. This can cause the going off feed, difficulty walking and trouble breathing.

Does her abdomen have any swelling or bloat?