3 1/2 year old buff orpington seems really "off"

[azygous]

Well, it's possible my little patient Ladybug, a Cream Legbar/EE mix, has just laid a normal egg. My "store-bought CL hen, a year older than Ladybug, just laid an egg in the nest where Ladybug had been last seen. Ladybug is the fastest layer in the flock, into the nest, an egg appears a minute later, and Ladybug is off the nest and back to her normal business. There were two blue eggs in the nest, one for sure being from the older hen, and the other one was the size Ladybug lays.

Ladybug is now behaving pretty much normally, so it's possible her problem has resolved, although I haven't found evidence of an expelled egg shell or even a membrane. If she continues into tomorrow behaving normally, I'll consider her to be cured, at least for the time being.

The very first thing I do when I find a hen with suspected egg issues is to administer calcium. Very often the calcium alone will help resolve the problem. If the problem continues after the first day, then I usually start an antibiotic to head off infection from possible inflammation caused by a stuck egg. By the third day, if there's no improvement, I give warm water via tubing, and often I'll set up a heating pad for the patient in a nest box. That would have been my next step if Ladybug continued to act sick.

 

[dalasgalas]

She's such a beautiful Buff Orpington. I'm hoping she pulls through.

 

[TheLaboratoryBF]

erzulieoo, you've already gotten some very good advice and more than I could offer, so I will just say I'm pulling for your girl to make a full recovery from whatever may be ailing her.

The very first thing I do when I find a hen with suspected egg issues is to administer calcium. Very often the calcium alone will help resolve the problem. If the problem continues after the first day, then I usually start an antibiotic to head off infection from possible inflammation caused by a stuck egg. By the third day, if there's no improvement, I give warm water via tubing, and often I'll set up a heating pad for the patient in a nest box. That would have been my next step if Ladybug continued to act sick.

azygous, do you have a liquid calcium brand you can recommend? I am actually in the process as we speak of putting together a chicken first-aid kit of sorts and liquid calcium is on my list since it's so beneficial for reproductive/egg binding issues.

 

[azygous]

I've never come across liquid calcium. I use people calcium citrate from the pharmacy in the Walmart store, easy to find as well as inexpensive. They have a "petite" size tablet that is around 450mg and a perfect size to pop into the beak of my patient.

 

[azygous]

By the way, it's inconclusive whether or not the castor oil I gave Ladybug had anything to do with her improvement, but I will try it again in the future. It can't hurt.

 

[erzulieloo]

She's such a beautiful Buff Orpington. I'm hoping she pulls through.

she's a babe and i've loved her since the beginning. thank you so much!

 

[erzulieloo]

erzulieoo, you've already gotten some very good advice and more than I could offer, so I will just say I'm pulling for your girl to make a full recovery from whatever may be ailing her.


azygous, do you have a liquid calcium brand you can recommend? I am actually in the process as we speak of putting together a chicken first-aid kit of sorts and liquid calcium is on my list since it's so beneficial for reproductive/egg binding issues.

thank you so much! i'm always amazed at how kind and helpful people at this site are. i feel grateful and humbled.

 

[erzulieloo]

Hi.

So this morning I checked my hen's crop and it's very large and very squishy and when i picked her up, she vomited some fluid AND now she sounds a bit rattly. The vomit smelled sour. I'm trying to get her into see a vet but I'm not feeling like that will work. Is there anything I can do at this point? The rattle is making me very nervous and I'm afraid she aspirated some of her fluid as she was being jostled while I carried her.

 

[azygous]

Your hen probably has sour crop. But an impaction also may be present. What I recommend is to start immediately to treat the yeast in her crop with miconazole or, if you are able to get your vet to prescribe it, Nystatin. Read through this article for more information on treating crop disorders. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Once the liquid in the crop begins to go down after a couple days on the med, if you feel a solid mass in the crop, you may need to treat her with oil to get the mass to break up. The gurgling sound is normal for a crop full of liquid. Be careful not to cause her to vomit.

 

[erzulieloo]

Your hen probably has sour crop. But an impaction also may be present. What I recommend is to start immediately to treat the yeast in her crop with miconazole or, if you are able to get your vet to prescribe it, Nystatin. Read through this article for more information on treating crop disorders. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Once the liquid in the crop begins to go down after a couple days on the med, if you feel a solid mass in the crop, you may need to treat her with oil to get the mass to break up. The gurgling sound is normal for a crop full of liquid. Be careful not to cause her to vomit.

very much appreciate your reply - i can't even tell you. there is an ER nearby that happens to have chicken people on staff and they are there today, so i'm taking her in. i told my husband we'll call the fee my christmas present. thankyou, thankyou.