Sick chicken - puffy face and lethargic, no visible respiratory symptoms

[762]

I have a Wyandotte about 4 months old. We noticed she had an injury above and back her right eye (about an inch) and treated it a few days ago, but I think it might be a coincidence. The left side of her face is puffier than the right, and that eye is definitely not as open as the right.

She didn't come out this morning so I got her and she's very lethargic. Right now she is standing but dozing...eyes mostly shut. She has been laying down most of the morning. Won't eat or drink...fights the dropper of water but does swallow. She was standing with her beak open for a few minutes but now its closed. Her poop looks normal (she has pooped twice while inside with us).

As I mentioned, there is no runny nose, coughing, sneezing ,etc. When I was treating her wound last night, I hand fed her a little scratch grain and thought she was pretty inaccurate when pecking.

Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Eggcessive]

Is a vet possible? Do you have other poultry or chickens? Could she have been hurt by the other chickens, or could she have been stung by something? Is she low in the pecking order? Have you ever had another chicken with respiratory symptoms or facial swelling? Do you have any antibiotics? She might be harmed by others while she is acting sick, so I would protect her inside a dog crate with food and water. She would probably be more comfortable having her crate inside the coop or run with the others. But she probably should be monitored often, and I would hold up some moistened chicken feed with egg several times a day. At the minimum, I would give her fluids with electrolytes or sugar water. Also look inside her right ear for any gunk, mite dirt or bad odor.

 

[762]

Is a vet possible? Do you have other poultry or chickens? Could she have been hurt by the other chickens, or could she have been stung by something? Is she low in the pecking order? Have you ever had another chicken with respiratory symptoms or facial swelling? Do you have any antibiotics? She might be harmed by others while she is acting sick, so I would protect her inside a dog crate with food and water. She would probably be more comfortable having her crate inside the coop or run with the others. But she probably should be monitored often, and I would hold up some moistened chicken feed with egg several times a day. At the minimum, I would give her fluids with electrolytes or sugar water. Also look inside her right ear for any gunk, mite dirt or bad odor.

I don’t think we have a vet in the area that sees chickens. No bad smell. Nothing in her ears.

We have other chickens. Obviously when one has blood they all peck at it as they see it, so we always get them blue coated right away. I’m not saying there is no pecking order…there are a couple at the top, but generally they all get along and none are really singled out and picked on.

She’s now laying on her side. Been that way for almost an hour. Occasionally picks head up and tries to straighten out. She has shuddered several times..like I thought she was giving up the ghost. I think I may need to dispatch her. Hard because I don’t want her to suffer but I also want to give her a chance. I hate this part of raising animals.

None of the other chickens are sick, have puffy face etc.

 

[762]

 

[762]

She passed

 

[Tookie]

She passed

I am so sorry she passed.

 

[Farm Dream]

She passed

 

[Eggcessive]

So sorry for your loss. I am just now seeing this. If you lose another bird some day, your state vet can do a necropsy to look for a cause or a disease.

 

[762]

So sorry for your loss. I am just now seeing this. If you lose another bird some day, your state vet can do a necropsy to look for a cause or a disease.

Thank you. I had another chicken get sick…seemed possibly neurological. The next day after quarantine, it was much worse, so I knew I had to put it down. In cases or euthanasia, can they still do this? Not to be graphic, but I’m not into doing the neck breaking technique or really anything where I have to put any fear into the animal by the way I grasp it before I “do the deed”, I shoot it in the head so it has no clue. Needless to say there is no head left to examine.

Anyway, this last one was bizarre. It was hesitant to come out of the coop, but when it did it ran to be with the others but fell several times. It got picked on pretty badly right away, so I put it in the old chick brooder. It had plenty of appetite and drank plenty, seemed to stand well but would face pant when it walked around. I thought maybe broken leg or something. But it also would quiver here and there. It seemed fine in the evening, and clearly wanted to leave the brooder. Still eating and drinking.

The next morning it wasn’t moving. It only moved when I picked it up and fought against me weakly. But yeah, that’s when I took it away from the flock and laid it in the grass before euthanizing. It seemed at peace as much as possible. But I had no idea how true the expression, “chicken with head cut off” is. Freaked me the heck out made me think I missed and I felt terrible. It was a spectacle the poor thing flew up in the air like 3 feet twice and flopped all around. Crazy. No idea how to prevent that and still achieve my goal of not alarming the bird whatsoever.

 

[aynesidea]

She passed

So sorry.