2 Year Old Hen Puffed up and Lethargic in the Evenings

[boko]

Hi Everyone,

I have a 2-year-old red sex link hen that puffs up and gets lethargic during the evenings. During the mornings and afternoons she seems okay- her stance is normal, she has normal looking poops, and she walks around and is alert and attentive like she would act when she was healthy. But around evenings, she closes her eyes and puffs up like in the picture. When she is puffed up, she is only willing to eat wet mash and drink water, so that is what I have been giving her lately.

A little bit more history on her: Around 2 months ago, for some unknown reason, she suddenly lost a majority of her sight. She also had what seemed like wry neck, which I treated her for by giving her Vitamin E and Selenium. After about a week the wry neck went away, but her vision is still poor to this day. Then, around a month later we had a series of heatwaves, which seemed to give her heat exhaustion as she became lethargic and weak. After keeping her indoors where it was cooler and making sure she was hydrated, she recovered from that as well, until a week after where suddenly she was unable to walk or stand because her left leg below the knee seemed like it was not able to support her, almost like it was paralyzed. I figured that it might have been a vitamin deficiency caused by the heat exhaustion, so I started giving her some Poultry Cell and over the course of about two weeks she is back on her feet and able to walk as normal. Then, she was acting lethargic, puffing up, and preening excessively. I also saw a very small white round bug crawl up my hand after handling her which made me think mites, because she was not able to dust bathe while her leg was paralyzed. After giving her a dust treatment for mites, she seemed better and is not excessively preening anymore.

Which now brings her to her current issue where where she seemingly is fine during the day, but puffs up during evenings as if she is still sick. It's been happening for at least the past three days. I don't think she is eggbound, as she has not laid in a few weeks and also does not do this stance during the day. But I'm running out of ideas as to what could be making her act like this. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Please let me know if you need more information. Thanks.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Around 2 months ago, for some unknown reason, she suddenly lost a majority of her sight. She also had what seemed like wry neck, which I treated her for by giving her Vitamin E and Selenium. After about a week the wry neck went away, but her vision is still poor to this day.

I also saw a very small white round bug crawl up my hand after handling her which made me think mites, because she was not able to dust bathe while her leg was paralyzed. After giving her a dust treatment for mites, she seemed better and is not excessively preening anymore.

Welcome To BYC

Is her crop emptying overnight?

What's her poop like?

With her eye sight loss, has you noticed a color change of the eyes?

What did you use to treat the mites/lice? If those are not gone, then I'd definitely treat her again. Permethrin is a good choice if you have it.

She's not laid an egg in a few weeks, I'd consider getting extra Calcium into her for several days just in case she's struggling with expelling an egg or material.
Work on hydration and getting her to eat her normal feed.

With laying hens, it's often hard to pinpoint the cause of their decline.

With her having difficulties with Wry Neck, paralysis and loss of vision, she may be suffering from Marek's disease. If you happen to lose her, then having a necropsy through your State Lab would give you answers.

 

[boko]

Welcome To BYC

Is her crop emptying overnight?

What's her poop like?

With her eye sight loss, has you noticed a color change of the eyes?

What did you use to treat the mites/lice? If those are not gone, then I'd definitely treat her again. Permethrin is a good choice if you have it.

She's not laid an egg in a few weeks, I'd consider getting extra Calcium into her for several days just in case she's struggling with expelling an egg or material.
Work on hydration and getting her to eat her normal feed.

With laying hens, it's often hard to pinpoint the cause of their decline.

With her having difficulties with Wry Neck, paralysis and loss of vision, she may be suffering from Marek's disease. If you happen to lose her, then having a necropsy through your State Lab would give you answers.

Hello, thank you!

Yes, her crop is emptying overnight.

Her poop is kind of greenish brown with a white cap, with the consistency of...maybe ice cream? I don't have a pic at the moment but I'll see if I can get one tomorrow.

Her eye color has not changed since her vision loss. It her pupils haven't changed shape either, and there is no discharge around her eyes. Her pupils also shrink and dilate in response to light if that means anything.

We didn't have any options when it came to treating the mites. She was in quite a lot of discomfort so we ended up using Sevin dust by sprinkling a very small amount under her wings at night. I know it's not a good option but it was the only one we had at the time to bring her a little bit of relief. I'm trying to order a better treatment online and I'm definitely looking at Permethrin.

I've been mixing extra Calcium into her feed so hopefully that is working. She is thankfully still willing to eat and drink.

I thought of Marek's as well when she lost her eyesight but none of the blindness symptoms lined up with it. But taking a step back and looking at all she's gone through since then...idk. Her paralysis and wry neck are gone now. Only symptom that remains is the vision loss.

 

[boko]

Here is a picture of her poop that she did today:

She's still puffed up, not as willing to eat and drink today.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The poop doesn't look too bad.

I would try to get some fluids into her. Once hydrated, then see if she will eat some soupy feed.

I have no issues with using Sevin or Permethrin on my birds, so no judgement here. If she still has mites, then re-dust her. I put some of the powder/dust in a sock, then use it like a powder puff to dust the bird all over, make sure to get underneath, around the vent, the wings, etc. Work the dust through the feathers all the way to the skin.
If there's mites, they will suck the life out of the bird. Re-dust in 5-7 days intervals to break the cycle and kill off any that hatch.

She may benefit from getting some vitamins into her like Poultry Cell or even just some extra protein like egg or beef liver.

Very possible since she's not been laying, she may have a reproductive problem as well.

I'm sorry she's not improving.

 

[boko]

Since the afternoon her poop has fluctuated between looking like the picture, to a liquid dark green with white, and clear liquid with white. Maybe it is because she has not eaten as much today?

Using a sock is a good idea! I might have to try it next time if I can't get my hands on any other methods.

I guess there's not much I can do if there's a reproductive problem going on.

I'll try to feed her some eggs and Poultry Cell and water in the morning.

Thank you, I appreciate the advice!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Green poop can be bile from not eating well.

Is she doing any better?

 

[boko]

I made some scrambled eggs for her but she wasn't really interested in eating or drinking water today.

I noticed that there's a sweetish starch-like smell coming from her mouth now, so I'm thinking she developed sour crop, but her crop also feels pretty small and not that squishy. I'm really hesitant on withholding food from her as treatment because she is already getting weak again from lack of food. And I'm not sure if inducing vomiting will work if her crop already feels small.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I made some scrambled eggs for her but she wasn't really interested in eating or drinking water today.

I noticed that there's a sweetish starch-like smell coming from her mouth now, so I'm thinking she developed sour crop, but her crop also feels pretty small and not that squishy. I'm really hesitant on withholding food from her as treatment because she is already getting weak again from lack of food. And I'm not sure if inducing vomiting will work if her crop already feels small.

If you are noticing an odor, then treating her would be a good idea.

I would not try to vomit her, you risk aspiration.

When I treat crop issues, I leave the bird with their flock unless they are getting picked on. They have access to free choice feed and water during waking hours. If for some reason it's necessary for separation, they still have access to food/water during waking hours.

Some folks do withhold food for a day, that's up to you, but she needs water available.


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

 

[boko]

I had to end up separating her because not only would she get bullied by the alpha hen, but out rooster would also try to mate with her which would be very stressful for her

She didn't eat much yesterday, but we gave her a bit of copper sulfate and her crop seemed empty this morning so I'm hoping it resolved itself. But she is still weak to the point where she has trouble standing, so now I'm focusing on feeding and giving water to her to get her strength back. She seems to want to eat but gets tired after a few pecks. Is there any way to help her eat more? I mixed water with her feed to make it mushy and easier to eat.

I've heard some chicken keepers just pry the beak open and put food in the back of their mouths, but that sounds very stressful for the bird. Is that a recommended practice?