7 m/o Hen Heavy Breathing, Fever?

[Sydnicst]

1) Whitings True Blue, 7 months old, 3lbs
2) Behavior: Heavy panting and standing with wings away from body and droopy tail, less active than normal, possible fever? She makes strained/pain noises when defecating. It's not hot here right now, so panting is abnormal. Also has bumblefoot, which I am now treating non-surgically. Really noticed something very wrong when she was not roosting with flockmates, just standing on the poop shelf and panting.
3) How long? I noticed some strange behavior (standing, panting, not eating as much, lost weight) 4 days ago, but she may have been ill prior to that, and I may have thought it was just weather and stress). I thought she was eggbound and got calcium gluconate for her (I know, less calcium than citrate). I saw she pooped, so if it's reproductive it does not seem to be eggbinding.
4) Other birds have issues? No.
5) Known trauma? No known trauma.
6) Cause? Is it possible the bumblefoot infection is doing this?
7) Eating/Drinking? Eating Purina Flockraiser, also some scratch. Has been out to free-range today. Drinking water and water with some Rooster Booster in it.
8) How does the poop look? Poop has looked normal but small because of decreased food intake. She just had diarrhea with loose, watery urates.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far? Calcium gluconate orally and rooster booster in water. Bumblefoot treated with epsom salts, vetericyn, and triple antibiotic, wrapped in gauze and vetwrap.
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? Treat at home, no one within 2 hours takes chickens
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help. Can get video in AM, too dark now.
12) Housing/bedding- coop has plywood floors, roost os a 2x4, wide face up. Chicken yard has areas of sand and dirt. Fenced "free range" area has short weeds (dandelions, henbit, etc.) and fallen tree leaves.

 

[Sydnicst]

Forgot to add, thank you for any help! Her name is Quail and she's super sweet. I would be so happy to have some way to help her.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She makes strained/pain noises when defecating.

How much Calcium did you give?

I'd give her Calcium once daily for a few days to see if she's able to expel an egg or lash material.

Work on hydration, see if she will drink sips of electrolytes or sugar water.

What's her crop feel like?

Photos of her and her poop would be good.

Have you treated for worms?

 

[Sydnicst]

How much Calcium did you give?

I'd give her Calcium once daily for a few days to see if she's able to expel an egg or lash material.

Work on hydration, see if she will drink sips of electrolytes or sugar water.

What's her crop feel like?

Photos of her and her poop would be good.

Have you treated for worms?

0.6ml of 23% cal. gluconate once daily for the past 4 days. Hasn't layed in at least 4 days, but layed 7 or 8 days ago.

She drank quite a bit an hour or so ago. The panting does seem to get in the way of effective drinking.

Crop had been normal, but I just checked and it's doughy. She had some scrambled eggs earlier and I gave her a little All Flock just now to see what her appetite was like. She seems to have a strong appetite, so maybe she's stopped up and food isn't passing through her crop. Her crop has emptied every day so far, so this may or may not be a newer symptom. I will update in the morning whether her crop emptied overnight. She does not have food in the room with her now.

Stance and poop pics attached, will attach video in the morning. She stands and pants, exactly as you see in that picture.

Have not wormed her or others.

 

[Sydnicst]

Update: Still alive this AM, still heavy panting, droopy tail, etc. Crop is half the size it was last night, but not empty. She is drinking.

 

[Sydnicst]

Update 2: Crop has been slowly emptying today. She's eaten some scrambled egg and (edit: very finely chopped) wheatgrass. Poops are green-tinted watery liquid with green chunks. She did have a cecal poop.

 

[CabritaChicks]

Update 2: Crop has been slowly emptying today. She's eaten some scrambled egg and wheat grass. Poops are green-tinted watery liquid with green chunks. She did have a cecal poop.

It seems like your bird may be having a crop-related issue that’s interfering with digestion- and that can cause the panting, the droppings are not a red flag. In that case, it’s best to avoid all grasses—including wheatgrass or any fibrous greens—until the crop is functioning normally again. Those long fibers can slow down movement through the digestive tract and make things worse.

Instead, focus on soft, easily digestible foods that won’t strain the crop. If you have pellets, soak them in warm water until they’re fully softened, then mix in a bit of mashed hard-boiled egg for gentle protein and a bit of apple juice for immediate energy. To help the digestive system along naturally, add a small amount of mashed ripe papaya—its natural enzymes can aid breakdown and improve gut motility.

Keep the mixture fresh, offer smaller, frequent feedings, and monitor the crop closely. The goal is to give the digestive system a break while still keeping your bird nourished and hydrated. You seem to have the right idea- but the fibrous thing may wreck havoc in recovery.

 

[Sydnicst]

It seems like your bird may be having a crop-related issue that’s interfering with digestion- and that can cause the panting, the droppings are not a red flag. In that case, it’s best to avoid all grasses—including wheatgrass or any fibrous greens—until the crop is functioning normally again. Those long fibers can slow down movement through the digestive tract and make things worse.

Instead, focus on soft, easily digestible foods that won’t strain the crop. If you have pellets, soak them in warm water until they’re fully softened, then mix in a bit of mashed hard-boiled egg for gentle protein and a bit of apple juice for immediate energy. To help the digestive system along naturally, add a small amount of mashed ripe papaya—its natural enzymes can aid breakdown and improve gut motility.

Keep the mixture fresh, offer smaller, frequent feedings, and monitor the crop closely. The goal is to give the digestive system a break while still keeping your bird nourished and hydrated. You seem to have the right idea- but the fibrous thing may wreck havoc in recovery.

The wheatgrass was chopped very finely. I've dealt with sour crop before and something that helped that particular chicken was finely chopped greens, but point taken. I appreciate the response and suggestions!

It does seem to be crop-related. Even soaked crumbles seem to keep the crop doughy (at least so far).

 

[CabritaChicks]

The wheatgrass was chopped very finely. I've dealt with sour crop before and something that helped that particular chicken was finely chopped greens, but point taken. I appreciate the response and suggestions!

It does seem to be crop-related. Even soaked crumbles seem to keep the crop doughy (at least so far).

As long as she is eating well, make sure she has grit. But easily digested food with high water content is ideal (you can add a splash of apple cider vinegar). You might need to treat for a sour crop. Do you have medication on hand?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

0.6ml of 23% cal. gluconate once daily for the past 4 days. Hasn't layed in at least 4 days, but layed 7 or 8 days ago.

She drank quite a bit an hour or so ago. The panting does seem to get in the way of effective drinking.

Crop had been normal, but I just checked and it's doughy. She had some scrambled eggs earlier and I gave her a little All Flock just now to see what her appetite was like. She seems to have a strong appetite, so maybe she's stopped up and food isn't passing through her crop. Her crop has emptied every day so far, so this may or may not be a newer symptom. I will update in the morning whether her crop emptied overnight. She does not have food in the room with her now.

Stance and poop pics attached, will attach video in the morning. She stands and pants, exactly as you see in that picture.

Have not wormed her or others.

Update 2: Crop has been slowly emptying today. She's eaten some scrambled egg and (edit: very finely chopped) wheatgrass. Poops are green-tinted watery liquid with green chunks. She did have a cecal poop.

Have you looked inside her beak for any obstruction, canker or lesions?

Have you ever had respiratory illness within your flock?

It's hard to know what's going on with her. If the crop has been emptying for 4days prior, the crop now being slow is a symptom of whatever underlying condition affecting her.

Since she's not laid an egg in the 4days as well, I'd still lean toward something reproductive, but it can be hard to know.

Work on hydration, continue with the calcium. Eating is fine if she's willing.

Any feeling of bloat or fluid in the abdomen below the vent between the legs?
Any lice/mites?
Has she been dewormed?