Easteregger hen is lethargic and has a poopybutt and I’m not currently able to get to a vet.

[Newtothebrood]

I noticed our hen was lethargic last night but put it down to me closing them in their coop later than normal. The other hens were already roosting but she was on the ground next to the waterer. She doesn’t always roost up high, she’s larger than our other hens and older. She’s about a year old and an easteregger as far as I know. Her comb is usually red like in the first picture I attached.
I picked her up and put her on the roost and when I did I noticed a string of poop dripping from her rearend. I thought it was odd but just assumed she’d pooped right when I picked her up.

This morning we let them out and noticed she was on the ground again up against the wall and her head was angled down and her bottom was a mess and her comb was off colored.

Iv since separated her in to what I now call the sick tank with food and water.
I also regularly put pepper flakes in with their feed.

A little off topic but we’ve had her for maybe 2-3weeks now and Iv only seen her lay one egg. She doesn’t lay in the coop and she layed in a very random spot on the ground when I saw it.
She’s been through a very stressful situation-saw all her friends die in her original home coop.
I have one other egg layer right now and she lays maybe every other day so I don’t think too much about her not laying a lot and our other egg layer doesn’t lay in the coop aswell but in random spots out in the field usually. She also wasn’t laying till the new(sick) hen arrived. All our hens are around 6-3months old.

Unfortunately we’re in a new area and I’m not sure about vets around here and my kids are sick this morning aswell so I won’t be able to get her to the vet today.

Any help in diagnosing or any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[StinkyAcres]

She looks very unwell, I'm afraid. Have you done a thorough check of her body? Have you checked her weight or fat around her keel, checked for a stuck egg or any abdominal swelling?

 

[Matilda84]

Poor girl

Yes she definitley seems quite sick and the poop on her butt is a sign of diarrhoea. Has she been wormed recently? It could be intestinal parasites, or some kind of bacterial infection, or many other things going on internally aswell, its often quite hard to tell with chickens.

I have heard of chickens who have got sick and even died after traumatic events like what you described, and chickens definitely do grieve aswell. Its possible she is depressed or traumatised, which has weakened her immune system, preventing her from being able to fight off any disease she might have. I expect a vet might prescribe antibiotics and/or painkillers depending on if they find anything else when examining her. If you feel underneath her does she seem to have any pain? Is she eating? These can help to tell how serious it is, but may not tell you much more about what the actual problem is I'm afraid.

If you do not have access to a vet, Beryls (or similar) is good for boosting the immune system and things like apple cider vinegar and yoghurt can also help the immune system in general. But it really depends on what is really going on and how serious it is to tell if this will have any effect or not. Sorry I can't be of more help, I hope she is ok!

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you obtain some SMZ TMP (bactrim) a sulfa antibiotic that will treat coccidiosis and some intestinal diseases? I would get that and also worm her with either Valbazen or SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer or the horse paste. Valbazen dosage is 1/2 ml given orally and repeated in 10 days. Dosage of the SafeGuard is 1/4 ml per pound given once and in 10 days to treat roundworms only. Or give it for 5 straight days to treat more of the difficult worms. Mix some mushy wet chicken feed, a spoonful of plain yogurt, and offer some bits of scrambled egg. Check her crop each morning to see that it has emptied overnight. Here is where to find the antibiotic, and dosage is 1/2 tablet twice daily for 5-7 days.
https://www.medi-vet.com/Bird-Sulfa...ts 480mg,Paratyphoid and Coccidiosis in birds.