hen puffed out, standing still, not eating or drinking? please help

[jamie444]

I'm hoping someone can help me figure out what's wrong with my hen. Yesterday morning when I opened the coop, she was acting a little different - puffed up, moving around slowly, not "talking" as usual, and not as interested in food, then as the day went on she got worse, and last night she didn't sleep on the roost as usual - she stayed on the floor of the coop with her neck tilted towards her back. The most concerning part is she's been standing completely still with her feathers puffed out for the majority of the last 2 days, moving around very little and eating very little and infrequently. There's no coughing or wheezing or discharge..but she looks very ill and uncomfortable..just constantly standing still and silent (which is very unlike her). There's no color change on her comb. This morning I brought her into the house and put her in a dog crate in a quiet, warm room. I put electrolytes in her water, and I tried a warm soak in water in case she's egg bound or blocked up somehow (but couldn't keep her in for more than 5 minutes and I didn't want to stress her more). I can't get her to drink or eat or move much at all. I've done research on her symptoms, but still can't figure this out, and it's so hard to see her suffer and not know how to make it better. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[campingshaws]

I appreciate the help. No, she hasn't laid since this began. It almost likes as if she's trying sometimes, because she seems to be straining..but I haven't felt an egg in her crop...I'm afraid if it is egg binding that I won't be able to help her, as the bath and other things I've tried like putting her in a warm quiet room and giving her calcium, haven't worked :/ unfortunately there is no vets in the area who deal with chickens.

What calcium have you given her?

The best way to feel for an egg is to press your finger into the vent. Wear gloves and use lubricant. You can soak her in warm water with Epsom salt, first. @casportpony has a very good thread about egg binding.

I wouldn't rule out the coccidiosis. I've had many chickens get it and none of them ever had the bloody stools. It's just an overload of "bad" protozoa in the gut, and is treated with corid in the water. If she's not drinking on her own, you may have to use a syringe.

 

[rIrs roost]

Maybe someone with experience can help soon. I'll ask a few questions that I feel like they want to know until someone else's replies. How does her poop look? Have you checked her crop? Best done first thing in the morning before feeding her. It should be empty. What do you feed her? I know there's several more questions that an experienced person will ask but these are a few.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

How old is this chicken? Breed? Where did you get her? Does she lay eggs frequently? How long since you know she laid last?

At first I was suspicious of coccidiosis, but she would probably be having noticeable blood/red stools.

Standing more upright sounds like it could be egg peritonitis, which is an internal mass and eventual infection caused when ova do not make it into the oviduct to go through the egg formation process. Are her legs spread wider than normal? There is no cure for this that i know of. I had a chicken with this problem.

She might also be egg bound, where an egg breaks or somehow gets "stuck" during the egg laying process. If this is the problem, she can be helped, but like you did with the warm water bath, I would not want to put her through something that may not help at all.


I am by no means an expert, so it still might be something else.

 

[campingshaws]

Thank you. I tried to find liquid calcium but went to 5 stores with no luck..so I've been trying to give her oatmeal and yogurt, mixed with crushed shells, but have had little luck getting her to eat them :/

The calcium gluconate at tractor supply works the fastest. If you can't get that, then feed her a crushed up tums.

How long since she's had food or water? You may need to feed her with a tube. It sounds terrifying, but it's very easy and only takes a few minutes.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

When they get this sick, the digestive system can start to shut down. She needs water more than anything. Try the corid tomorrow (or now if you have some). You can find it at the feed store. If coccidiosis is the problem, she will start getting better very quickly.

If she has another problem, and you force feed her, it may hurt more than help. Diagnosing the problem first is important.

Research egg yolk peritonitis and see if you can rule it out as a problem.
Research egg binding to see if it might be that. If you think so, try the calcium glutonate.

Also, if you can post same pictures of her, it might help. Especially showing how she is standing. Can you tell if her legs look spread apart? Is she particularly heavy?

 

[casportpony]

Thank you. I tried to find liquid calcium but went to 5 stores with no luck..so I've been trying to give her oatmeal and yogurt, mixed with crushed shells, but have had little luck getting her to eat them

Go to Tractor Supply and get a bottle of Calcium Gluconate, but only give it to her if you can confirm she has an egg. If you can feel an egg, give 0.2ml per pound orally .

It looks like this:



-Kathy

 

[jamie444]

She's doing great today I haven't seen any irregular behavior...she seems back to her old self! What a relief

 

[rIrs roost]

Also had she been wormed? With what and when?

 

[Aw-Ee Chicken]

I'm not an expert, either, but if the head is tilted towards the back, something could be wrong with the neck? Just hope it works out for you.