Sick Hen!! please help

[uraqt292]

I'm in my first year of having hens. Rhode Island Reds. One has yellow runny poop and holding its tail feathers down. She won't come out of the run and hides in the corner. What do I do?

 

[rebrascora]

Hi

I would bring her indoors, give her a good soak in a warm Epsom salt bath(20 mins) and get her vent cleaned up, so that you can have a good look and possible a gentle internal examination with a gloved finger. If you place a dark cover over the trug or large bucket you bath her in it will help to keep her calm but make sure not to leave her unsupervised, so that she doesn't drown. Obviously ensure there is sufficient air flow so that she doesn't suffocate.
Use a lubricant to gently ease your finger into her vent an inch or so and see if you can feel an egg. If she is egg bound you need to help her get it out. The warmth of the bath can sometimes help to relax the muscles and I believe a calcium supplement like Tums may help with the muscle contractions to expel it.

Is there any abdominal swelling between her legs....compare to a healthy hen. If there is swelling then it is most likely ascites (water belly) or internal laying. These are longer term problems rather than egg binding which is an emergency which will kill her within a couple of days. You won't generally see any abdominal swelling if she is egg bound.

Make sure you dry her thoroughly after her bath (a hair drier works well) unless you are in a hot climate and keep her in a box in the house to keep her warm and so that you can observe her more easily. Ensuring that she has access to water and I would recommend giving her sloppy feed rather than dry crumble or pellets.

Report back with your findings and we will try to guide you from there.

Good luck with her

Regards

Barbara

 

[rebrascora]

Well done for getting her cleaned up a bit.

The pecking at her feet may be to do with the egg putting pressure on the sciatic nerves, similar to how we can get pain in the back of the knee and heel from a trapped nerve in our back. It's worth checking the soles of her feet to make sure she hasn't got bumble foot though, which is a swelling of the foot pad usually topped off with a small black scab, caused by an infection.

That abdomen looks quite swollen to me. Compare it to one of your other chickens. I'm talking about the area 3-4 inches below her vent, between her legs. It's difficult to tell from a photo, but if you feel another hen and then her, there should be a noticeable difference if I am right, but it could just be the camera angle.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi

Welcome To BYC

Can you take her to a vet?
When was the last time she laid and egg?
Can you post some photos of your hen and the poop?
Any swelling of the abdomen - feeling of bloat, hard, etc.?

Try to get her hydrated. Offer water with some poultry vitamins if you have them.

Yellow poop can be a number of things. To speculate, with the symptoms you are describing, the first thing that comes to mind is an internal laying/reproductive disorder like Egg Yolk Peritonitis, Ascites, Salpingitis, cancer or tumors.

Let us know how she is doing.
Peritonitis and internal egg laying issues:
http://www.chickenvet.co.uk/health-and-common-diseases/egg-laying-issues/index.aspx
http://scoopfromthecoop.nutrenaworld.com/tag/laying-issues/
http://www.hobbyfarms.com/livestock-and-pets/6-causes-of-chicken-swollen-abdomen.aspx
http://www.theveterinaryexpert.com/backyard-poultry/egg-yolk-peritonitis/

 

[uraqt292]

 

[uraqt292]

She came out of the run today and is walking around. But lack of a better description....is walking like she has something up her rear end.

 

[uraqt292]

She keeps pecking at her toes too. She isn't eating. Not even her favorite meal worms. I don't know when she laid last. I was out of town and my husband and daughter were taking care of them. They don't pay that close of attention.

 

[uraqt292]

Thanks I will.

 

[uraqt292]

Do you know why she would constantly be biting her toes?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi

I would bring her indoors, give her a good soak in a warm Epsom salt bath(20 mins) and get her vent cleaned up, so that you can have a good look and possible a gentle internal examination with a gloved finger. If you place a dark cover over the trug or large bucket you bath her in it will help to keep her calm but make sure not to leave her unsupervised, so that she doesn't drown. Obviously ensure there is sufficient air flow so that she doesn't suffocate.
Use a lubricant to gently ease your finger into her vent an inch or so and see if you can feel an egg. If she is egg bound you need to help her get it out. The warmth of the bath can sometimes help to relax the muscles and I believe a calcium supplement like Tums may help with the muscle contractions to expel it.

Is there any abdominal swelling between her legs....compare to a healthy hen. If there is swelling then it is most likely ascites (water belly) or internal laying. These are longer term problems rather than egg binding which is an emergency which will kill her within a couple of days. You won't generally see any abdominal swelling if she is egg bound.

Make sure you dry her thoroughly after her bath (a hair drier works well) unless you are in a hot climate and keep her in a box in the house to keep her warm and so that you can observe her more easily. Ensuring that she has access to water and I would recommend giving her sloppy feed rather than dry crumble or pellets.

Report back with your findings and we will try to guide you from there.

Good luck with her

Regards

Barbara

X2 @rebrascora has given you good instructions.

The only thing I would add it to make sure she is drinking well. Add some poultry vitamins to her water if you have them and give her some extra calcium.

It does look like she has egg/egg matter running down her rear - so she may have tried to lay a soft shell/shell-less egg and is having trouble.

Keep us posted.