URGENT Help for new Chicken Owners; laying hen w/ Drooping wing/eyelid, diarrhea, clumsy, panting... (Pics)

[Bckpkrs]

We're just a few weeks into owning our first chickens. We got three egg-laying hens (36-40 wks old) on April 10. Our Australorp and Cuckoo Maran are doing wonderful. Our Speckled Sussex seems to be having numerous problems. (I'm including a pic from when we first got her.)

Her first week or so with us she was mostly fine, although her first 3 or 4 eggs were very thin-shelled and already broken in the coop. From research it seemed like that might have been the stress from the move. Since then, her eggs have been fine, laying back to back days then a day off and much thicker.

Starting mid-to-late last week we noticed her left wing was drooping. Even though it was our first seasonally warm day, it wasn't a heat issue as it hangs close to her body and is constant. She can't use it to jump onto the coop ramp. When I extend, there doesn't seem to be any pain and she lets me fully manipulate it. When she walks, she'll occasionally give her left leg a high lift like she's trying to adjust her wing using her elbow. She definitely fumbles trying to jump about 10-12" on the coop ramp, but after 3-4 failed tries, she finally gets it. (What she doesn't get is the fact she has an entire ramp - complete with a lower end.)

The next day we noticed some very wet diarrhea droppings (not cecal- I've seen the poo pages.) She doesn't seem lethargic although not super-active and she doesn't hang out with the other two as she did previously. She still has a constant normal "don't try to touch me" pull-away response. She drinks a lot and does eat, but she doesn't hold her tail very high.

Yesterday, I noticed her left eyelid was also drooping (same side as the drooping wing.) The pupil and iris appear normal in color, just not fully open. I also saw her drop a yellow/green foamy cecal that didn't look quite right. (Pic) Her vent was a bit messy throughout the day with a few mucky feathers, but it wasn't horrid or as bad as some photos I've seen.

I felt her crop mid-day yesterday and it felt full of some grasses. Last evening her crop felt a bit like a water balloon - my wife said 'testicle'. We saw her drinking quite a bit, and occasionally she would lift her head, stretch her neck, and open her beak wide like she was either trying to gag something up or swallow something further down. I wound up massaging her crop for about 25 minutes right before bed thinking it might be impacted or sour crop.

There's no nasal discharge, her beak seems clean with no white or red spots. Her breath has a very tiny hint of sweet bread yeast, but it's definitely not sour or foul (fowl) smelling. We did offer her a spoonful of plain yogurt with a tiny bit of probiotic and she gobbled it voraciously.

Her comb has mostly looked normal, though yesterday during the day it seemed about a shade/shade-n-a-half paler than our other two, but by bedtime, it seemed to have regained its normal color.

This morning just when I opened the coop hatch door, I checked her crop and it was empty. Checking on her a few hours later, her comb was back to being pale again. Both eyes are now kind of drooping, whereas yesterday her right eye was still wide and bright. (pic) The other thing I notice and you can see in this the pic is that the tiny feathers around her eyes and beak look a bit worse - ragged, greasy, separated...

Also, I noticed when she was becoming more clumsy/weak -trying to avoid being picked up, she wasn't able to hop up the 8" high rock wall that leads to the coop, flipping and flapping several times before kind of rolling up. After catching and holding/inspecting her for a few moments, I put her back down in front of the rock wall and she hopped up effortlessly. Then I saw her try a bit later and she hesitated and walked the wall for a few minutes before she made a lame hop up, but then a few minutes after that when I threw some scratch by the coop she again hopped up effortlessly.

But she did give us another good egg this morning and a watery poop that looked like her chicken feed. She's now panting heavily laying down in the shade by herself. When the other chickens came by, the Australorpe seemed to give the Sussex a few light affectionate pecks on the beak and cheek. (It's only about 80F with a cool breeze under the shade of a redwood tree.)

This is a weird mix of symptoms and I just can't find out any clear cut ideas of what's going on with her. Other than described above with the drooping wing, there's no sign of injury and we have no idea what might have started/caused this.

Is there any chance all of this serious-looking stuff could be her going into a moult? She looks like she's going downhill quick.

Since we just shelled out a lot of money for the coop, run, and birds, ($40 ea./layer) - shelling out more cash for vet bills is not high on our list. I've nursed animals before, so am not intimidated by animals who need care, but the lady who we got the bird from has been kind enough to offer to exchange the bird - tho I don't want to ask what they might do to this one if I do bring her back, and of course, my wife has already grown a mother-hen attachment to all of our birds.

Any help, thoughts, ideas, suggestions, etc., all would be extremely appreciated.

PS: for never having had chickens, I feel as if I've spent the last 3-4 days like I was studying for a chicken vet class final exam.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Welcome To BYC

I'm sorry she's not well.
Seems like you have a lot going on.

The first thing that comes to mind with your description of the droopy wing, droopy eye, trouble with balancing is Marek's.
I look at her eyes and it's very hard to tell, but they could be misshaped a bit - sometimes just the angle of a photo can make it look that way though. @Eggcessive may want to give her input as well.

Drinking a lot of water and the neck adjusting - I would monitor the crop for sure. You mention a yeasty smell from the beak - I would look inside the beak just to make sure there's not material in there or canker.

I agree, the poop is not right.

You feel she's in a state of decline. Here's the thing. IF Marek's is the "cause" this can allow many other things to happen as well - basically one thing leads to another.
Some things to consider trying would be treating for Coccidiosis, worm her and monitor crop function. Worming and treating for Coccidiosis I wouldn't consider "cures" but more as supportive care since birds can become overloaded if they have disease. Getting a fecal float to check for these 2 would be a good idea if that's possible.

I would also give vitamins. E and B Complex. Here's the other thing. IF you treat for Coccidiosis, omit B Complex until treatment is finished. I would still give her some E 2-3 times a week though.

It can be very frustrating trying to figure out what's going on with chickens. Even with Vet care it can be a puzzle. Having diagnostics sometimes can help, other times (like anything) you come up with nothing.

Here's some reading about Marek's and crop issues for you. I completely understand not wanting to send her back. If she does have Marek's then the others have been exposed and very likely the breeder has more birds that may or may not ever show signs of illness. Birds can be carriers and be asymptomatic. I know if I bred birds and someone sent one back I would cull it. Sorry, that may sound drastic or mean but personally, I would not bring (back) in a bird that was ill and could potentially spread disease.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[Bckpkrs]

Welcome To BYC

I'm sorry she's not well.
Seems like you have a lot going on.

The first thing that comes to mind with your description of the droopy wing, droopy eye, trouble with balancing is Marek's.
I look at her eyes and it's very hard to tell, but they could be misshaped a bit - sometimes just the angle of a photo can make it look that way though. @Eggcessive may want to give her input as well.

Drinking a lot of water and the neck adjusting - I would monitor the crop for sure. You mention a yeasty smell from the beak - I would look inside the beak just to make sure there's not material in there or canker.

I agree, the poop is not right.

You feel she's in a state of decline. Here's the thing. IF Marek's is the "cause" this can allow many other things to happen as well - basically one thing leads to another.
Some things to consider trying would be treating for Coccidiosis, worm her and monitor crop function. Worming and treating for Coccidiosis I wouldn't consider "cures" but more as supportive care since birds can become overloaded if they have disease. Getting a fecal float to check for these 2 would be a good idea if that's possible.

I would also give vitamins. E and B Complex. Here's the other thing. IF you treat for Coccidiosis, omit B Complex until treatment is finished. I would still give her some E 2-3 times a week though.

It can be very frustrating trying to figure out what's going on with chickens. Even with Vet care it can be a puzzle. Having diagnostics sometimes can help, other times (like anything) you come up with nothing.

Here's some reading about Marek's and crop issues for you. I completely understand not wanting to send her back. If she does have Marek's then the others have been exposed and very likely the breeder has more birds that may or may not ever show signs of illness. Birds can be carriers and be asymptomatic. I know if I bred birds and someone sent one back I would cull it. Sorry, that may sound drastic or mean but personally, I would not bring (back) in a bird that was ill and could potentially spread disease.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[Bckpkrs]

Thank you so much for your very thoughtful and detailed reply. It was very helpful. I will for sure check out the links. If Mareks, well, they all came from the same flock so they probably all had before. I don't think my wife got anything other than a verbal assurance they were vaccinated...

I don't have any false allusions of what "taking her back" is likely to mean. If Mareks which is herpes virus, it's very likely given the timing the stress of the move might have triggered onset of symptoms.

The only things that had kept me from thinking of Mareks is that she has maintained her appetite and hasn't shown any true lethargy - she always tries to move away, and I haven't seen her sprawled out with feet out or inability to grip with feet.

Right now, with the exception of a bit of yogurt and probiotic, we've been in a state of solid observation. Tonight, I didn't get home until about 7:30 when I got her on my lap and gave her a crop massage, which again felt like a water balloon. There was no hint of yeast on her breath. But I can tell she's weak and not feeling well.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry anout your sick hen. I would have to agree that Mareks might be a possibility. In the picture of the right eye, it looks a bit different—small pupil, edges a bit fuzzy. Ocular Mareks does not always happen in all chickens with the disease, but it happens gradually, when the colored iris can fade to grey and cause the pupil to appear irregular. I would be tempted to either have blood taken from her and sent to Vetdna.com for a pcr blood test (they will send sample collectors,) or put her down and send her chilled body to your state vet for a necropsy and testing. Vetdna charges about $20 for testing. That way you could relax or just be aware that the disease might be in the flock. Buying started birds from someone else is always a risk since there are a number of diseases that cause carriers. Here is a list of state poultry vets to contact and ask about necropsy fees, and a link for vetdna:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

http://www.vetdna.com/feedback

 

[mphkim]

We're just a few weeks into owning our first chickens. We got three egg-laying hens (36-40 wks old) on April 10. Our Australorp and Cuckoo Maran are doing wonderful. Our Speckled Sussex seems to be having numerous problems. (I'm including a pic from when we first got her.)

Her first week or so with us she was mostly fine, although her first 3 or 4 eggs were very thin-shelled and already broken in the coop. From research it seemed like that might have been the stress from the move. Since then, her eggs have been fine, laying back to back days then a day off and much thicker.

Starting mid-to-late last week we noticed her left wing was drooping. Even though it was our first seasonally warm day, it wasn't a heat issue as it hangs close to her body and is constant. She can't use it to jump onto the coop ramp. When I extend, there doesn't seem to be any pain and she lets me fully manipulate it. When she walks, she'll occasionally give her left leg a high lift like she's trying to adjust her wing using her elbow. She definitely fumbles trying to jump about 10-12" on the coop ramp, but after 3-4 failed tries, she finally gets it. (What she doesn't get is the fact she has an entire ramp - complete with a lower end.)

The next day we noticed some very wet diarrhea droppings (not cecal- I've seen the poo pages.) She doesn't seem lethargic although not super-active and she doesn't hang out with the other two as she did previously. She still has a constant normal "don't try to touch me" pull-away response. She drinks a lot and does eat, but she doesn't hold her tail very high.

Yesterday, I noticed her left eyelid was also drooping (same side as the drooping wing.) The pupil and iris appear normal in color, just not fully open. I also saw her drop a yellow/green foamy cecal that didn't look quite right. (Pic) Her vent was a bit messy throughout the day with a few mucky feathers, but it wasn't horrid or as bad as some photos I've seen.

I felt her crop mid-day yesterday and it felt full of some grasses. Last evening her crop felt a bit like a water balloon - my wife said 'testicle'. We saw her drinking quite a bit, and occasionally she would lift her head, stretch her neck, and open her beak wide like she was either trying to gag something up or swallow something further down. I wound up massaging her crop for about 25 minutes right before bed thinking it might be impacted or sour crop.

There's no nasal discharge, her beak seems clean with no white or red spots. Her breath has a very tiny hint of sweet bread yeast, but it's definitely not sour or foul (fowl) smelling. We did offer her a spoonful of plain yogurt with a tiny bit of probiotic and she gobbled it voraciously.

Her comb has mostly looked normal, though yesterday during the day it seemed about a shade/shade-n-a-half paler than our other two, but by bedtime, it seemed to have regained its normal color.

This morning just when I opened the coop hatch door, I checked her crop and it was empty. Checking on her a few hours later, her comb was back to being pale again. Both eyes are now kind of drooping, whereas yesterday her right eye was still wide and bright. (pic) The other thing I notice and you can see in this the pic is that the tiny feathers around her eyes and beak look a bit worse - ragged, greasy, separated...

Also, I noticed when she was becoming more clumsy/weak -trying to avoid being picked up, she wasn't able to hop up the 8" high rock wall that leads to the coop, flipping and flapping several times before kind of rolling up. After catching and holding/inspecting her for a few moments, I put her back down in front of the rock wall and she hopped up effortlessly. Then I saw her try a bit later and she hesitated and walked the wall for a few minutes before she made a lame hop up, but then a few minutes after that when I threw some scratch by the coop she again hopped up effortlessly.

But she did give us another good egg this morning and a watery poop that looked like her chicken feed. She's now panting heavily laying down in the shade by herself. When the other chickens came by, the Australorpe seemed to give the Sussex a few light affectionate pecks on the beak and cheek. (It's only about 80F with a cool breeze under the shade of a redwood tree.)

This is a weird mix of symptoms and I just can't find out any clear cut ideas of what's going on with her. Other than described above with the drooping wing, there's no sign of injury and we have no idea what might have started/caused this.

Is there any chance all of this serious-looking stuff could be her going into a moult? She looks like she's going downhill quick.

Since we just shelled out a lot of money for the coop, run, and birds, ($40 ea./layer) - shelling out more cash for vet bills is not high on our list. I've nursed animals before, so am not intimidated by animals who need care, but the lady who we got the bird from has been kind enough to offer to exchange the bird - tho I don't want to ask what they might do to this one if I do bring her back, and of course, my wife has already grown a mother-hen attachment to all of our birds.

Any help, thoughts, ideas, suggestions, etc., all would be extremely appreciated.

PS: for never having had chickens, I feel as if I've spent the last 3-4 days like I was studying for a chicken vet class final exam.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you so much for your very thoughtful and detailed reply. It was very helpful. I will for sure check out the links. If Mareks, well, they all came from the same flock so they probably all had before. I don't think my wife got anything other than a verbal assurance they were vaccinated...

I don't have any false allusions of what "taking her back" is likely to mean. If Mareks which is herpes virus, it's very likely given the timing the stress of the move might have triggered onset of symptoms.

The only things that had kept me from thinking of Mareks is that she has maintained her appetite and hasn't shown any true lethargy - she always tries to move away, and I haven't seen her sprawled out with feet out or inability to grip with feet.

Right now, with the exception of a bit of yogurt and probiotic, we've been in a state of solid observation. Tonight, I didn't get home until about 7:30 when I got her on my lap and gave her a crop massage, which again felt like a water balloon. There was no hint of yeast on her breath. But I can tell she's weak and not feeling well.

Surprisingly a lot of folks report birds having a very good appetite, even with Marek's. It's a frustrating and complicated disease which seems to present in so many ways.
Sadly the vaccine helps prevent the formation of tumors, but does not prevent infection from the virus, so many times birds still become symptomatic. Not trying to argue, just putting that out there.

I'm sorry that she's weak. A lot of times with supportive care birds can "get better" and do o.k. Later on they may relapse or you may never see symptoms again (Frustrating I know). Times of stress can bring on symptoms - molting, changes within the flock, even weather (storms, etc.).

I do agree getting testing is a good idea. If that's not possible, then offering her supportive would be the only thing I can suggest. She's eating so see that she's eating mostly her normal feed, a bit of extra protein like egg, fish, meat. B Vitamins, E vitamin for neurological health (you can overdo E so watch out for that). I've never dealt with Marek's thankfully, but I like to use a poultry vitamin that has "most" (LOL) So Poultry Cell is what I choose to keep for my birds. Looking at the ingredient list may help you see what's out there and help you find a product that is right for you.

Since she is "new" to your property - I would be inclined to treat for Coccidiosis. Corid can be found in the cattle section of Tractor Supply.
While I don't think the Corid will make the balance/drooping wing improve, like I mentioned previously, if a bird has something else going on, the stress of being ill from one thing can allow another condition to flourish.

I wish I had more answers for you.

 

[mphkim]

WOW, sounds like chicken is very unwell. Keep in mind that chickens are prey animals and hide symptoms of illness/injury. If you are noticing, chicken has had symptoms before you noticed. She needs to be evaluated by vet for injury/ illness or euthanized so she does not suffer as she is slowly dying which is not a good way to go for any living creature: animal, bird or human. She will not get better "on her own" and since you and I are not vets- she needs to be evaluated. Keep in mind a euthanized death is much kinder than "nature taking it's course"

 

[Bckpkrs]

Sorry anout your sick hen. I would have to agree that Mareks might be a possibility. In the picture of the right eye, it looks a bit different—small pupil, edges a bit fuzzy. Ocular Mareks does not always happen in all chickens with the disease, but it happens gradually, when the colored iris can fade to grey and cause the pupil to appear irregular. I would be tempted to either have blood taken from her and sent to Vetdna.com for a pcr blood test (they will send sample collectors,) or put her down and send her chilled body to your state vet for a necropsy and testing. Vetdna charges about $20 for testing. That way you could relax or just be aware that the disease might be in the flock. Buying started birds from someone else is always a risk since there are a number of diseases that cause carriers. Here is a list of state poultry vets to contact and ask about necropsy fees, and a link for vetdna:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

http://www.vetdna.com/feedback

Thank you so much for this extra information and links. I will certainly check into the testing. Again, deeply appreciated!

 

[Bckpkrs]

Surprisingly a lot of folks report birds having a very good appetite, even with Marek's. It's a frustrating and complicated disease which seems to present in so many ways.
Sadly the vaccine helps prevent the formation of tumors, but does not prevent infection from the virus, so many times birds still become symptomatic. Not trying to argue, just putting that out there.

I'm sorry that she's weak. A lot of times with supportive care birds can "get better" and do o.k. Later on they may relapse or you may never see symptoms again (Frustrating I know). Times of stress can bring on symptoms - molting, changes within the flock, even weather (storms, etc.).

I do agree getting testing is a good idea. If that's not possible, then offering her supportive would be the only thing I can suggest. She's eating so see that she's eating mostly her normal feed, a bit of extra protein like egg, fish, meat. B Vitamins, E vitamin for neurological health (you can overdo E so watch out for that). I've never dealt with Marek's thankfully, but I like to use a poultry vitamin that has "most" (LOL) So Poultry Cell is what I choose to keep for my birds. Looking at the ingredient list may help you see what's out there and help you find a product that is right for you.

Since she is "new" to your property - I would be inclined to treat for Coccidiosis. Corid can be found in the cattle section of Tractor Supply.
While I don't think the Corid will make the balance/drooping wing improve, like I mentioned previously, if a bird has something else going on, the stress of being ill from one thing can allow another condition to flourish.

I wish I had more answers for you.

Thanks again; those were a lot of great answers. I'll definitely check into the extra supportive actions as well as the coccidiosis. They all came from the same breeder, and if there's one thing I can guarantee, our property was as virgin as it can get. A previous owner of our little suburban lot had an Aviary, but that was 25+ years ago. So if 1 bird has anything viral, I have to assume they all came here with it.