3 year old Americauna hen, acting strange

[ssouthe8]

Hello!

I am very concerned, I have 6 laying hens and only one is acting weird. It has been on and off for the past month, I separated her a couple weeks ago and she was better so I put her back with her flock. She is now worse again and I separated her two days ago, she only seems to be getting worse.

Symptoms:
1. Cannot walk or stand well
2. Lost a lot of weight
3. Lays down mostly and does not forage
4. Occationally has a weird movement in her head and neck that looks very strange.

She is still eating but not laying and she is not even getting up now. She has access to clean water, food, grit and probiotics feed. What should I do?

Thanks!

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. How does her crop feel—empty, full, firm, puffy? Does it empty by the next morning before she eats? What you describe could be from a crop disorder or from a reproductive disorder such as internal laying, egg yolk peritonitis, cancer, or ascites. Sometimes hens with repro disorders can also have crop problems. Here is some info that might help understand some of these problems:
http://www.theveterinaryexpert.com/backyard-poultry/egg-yolk-peritonitis/

http://www.regenbiocorps.com/index.php/poultry-diseases/17-disorders-of-reproductive-systems

 

[ssouthe8]

Thank you for the response! The EYC sounds about right, her crop and breast tissue are very thin and she is very sluggish. What antibiotics can I give her? I do not have a local vet that will treat a chicken.

 

[Eggcessive]

Some use baytril or amoxicillin. Amoxicillin dosage for a 5 pound hen is 250 mg given orally every day. I would split the dose into 2 doses of 125 mg every 12 hours given in some food, such as egg or canned cat food pate.
https://www.chewy.com/thomas-labs-f...VFozICh1jfQ0AEAkYASABEgK9H_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[ssouthe8]

If she dies from EYP, is it painful? She has been laying down for the entire day and I don't think there is time to get the medicine to her.

 

[ssouthe8]

I ordered the fish mox you recommended, have you used it on a chicken before? It seems strange.

 

[Eggcessive]

Antibiotics are sometimes used to extend life, but won’t cure reproductive problems. Fish mox is amoxicillin, the same medication, just for use in fish. I wouldn’t use it for humans, but it is used by many people on their chickens and other animals. It is up to you whether or not to use—I haven’t used it, but others do. You cannot get amoxicillin without a prescription. Baytril is another animal antibiotic, banned in the US for poultry, but still prescribed by some vets for infections. It is similar to human cipro. She may not survive, but if you get her eating some wet feed, soft egg, she might perk up. I would put her down if she appears to be suffering.

 

[ssouthe8]

Well she did not survive, she went quietly and did not seem to suffer. I kept a close eye on her and she had a good life! My next question, is it safe to merge her flock in with my other flock? None of them seem sick and she has been acting strange for a month now but then got worse over the past week.

 

[Morrigan]

If you can bear to do it, performing a simple autopsy may well tell you the cause of death, as reproductive disorders can be very self evident.

If it is a reproductive disorder (my guess) it is not a sickness that can be passed to other hens.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. You could get a necrospy on her to get a proper diagnosis, just in case it could have been Mareks. The body should be refrigerated and sent on ice packs in a foam cooler. But if the two flocks have been in close proximity, and since Mareks is spread in the dust and dander, might not matter. It more than likey was an internal laying problem. Here is some info about contacting your state vet for a necropsy:

http://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm