Lethargic Hen - salmonella?

[CircusRing]

I have a hen who is very lethargic and not eating much. We brought her in the house to try to get her to come around. She sleeps most of the day and we have been syringe feeding her water. She will eat a little bit if we coax her. When she does poop it’s pretty green but normal-ish. I’m going to bring a sample to the vets tomorrow but in the mean time I’m wondering if anyone knows if this could be a salmonella infection in her and if so how does one treat a hen with salmonella?

 

[azygous]

The odds are low that she has salmonella, although it could be present in her intestines in tiny amounts. The likelihood of a crop issue, a reproductive disorder, or an E. coli infection are greater.

If she has been laying up until recently, and especially if the latest eggs were thin shell or shell-less, she may have a stuck egg. Give her a calcium supplement tablet directly into her beak right now just in case. It will stimulate contractions to clear the obstruction.

For the crop, check her crop in the morning before you feed her. If it's full, instead of emptying completely over night, she has a crop issue. Here's how to diagnose and treat. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

If you could, get a few photos of your hen showing her sanding posture and her eyes. We might be able to detect something from the photos.

 

[CircusRing]

Thank you! I appreciate your reply. She is sleeping right now but I’ll take some pictures in the morning. She did lay a shell-less egg before she got sick. But she has had poops since so would she still be able to poop if she had a stuck egg?

 

[azygous]

Yes, she would still poop with a stuck egg. It's only when the egg is stuck in the cloaca that it blocks poop. Give her a Tums if that's all you have. A calcium citrate is better as it works faster.

 

[CircusRing]

Yes, she would still poop with a stuck egg. It's only when the egg is stuck in the cloaca that it blocks poop. Give her a Tums if that's all you have. A calcium citrate is better as it works faster. View attachment 3264870

Thank you. I will try that tomorrow.

 

[CircusRing]

A note About her appearance: last year she had coccidiosis and was one of the roos favourites. Her back was already quite bare but after she got sick she has never been able to keep any new feathers that have come in. She hasn’t had a proper moult and I wonder if maybe she is moulting now and we just can’t tell because she is already bare. Anyway here she is this morning. I’ve collected her sample and will be heading to the vets when they open.

 

[azygous]

Get the calcium for her. It's too early in the molting season to tell if she's going to molt or something will prevent it. But illness can delay molt, especially if she carries an avian virus.

There are two tests for poop. One is a fecal float which is inexpensive and the vet can do in less than an hour. This shows worms and coccidia. It's a good test, and she may have both and that's what's making her sick.

The other test is a gram stain for bacteria such as salmonella. That has to be done at a lab so will take longer to get the results.

 

[CircusRing]

An update! We brought her poop to a vet and it was clear. No parasites or anything else. They were able to do the analysis there. And then a vet came to the house to examine her. We have started her on Tylan and an antibiotic. She is already behaving the slightest bit better. She scratched at the ground for the first time in days and even tried to preen a little. She is now sleeping again but I’m feeling better just knowing we’ve had her looked at and that we are doing as much as we can for her. Fingers crossed she turns the corner. Thanks everyone for your replies.