Acting weird and standing upright

[#lovemychickens]

I have a two and a half year old a Rhode Island Red who was almost standing upright but with her bottom low to the ground. She isn’t eating much but is drinking a lot. I wormed them twice with Valbazan and it’s been 14 days since the last worming. She hasn’t laid an egg for at least a month or longer. Her comb is light pink. I brought her in and let her soak in an Epsom salt bath because she had white stuff dried up on her bum feathers.. her crop is medium in size and squishy.. no foul smell from her beak and no drainage or wheezing. I’ve recently lost one to heart failure and do not want to lose another one. Please Help!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have a two and a half year old a Rhode Island Red who was almost standing upright but with her bottom low to the ground. She isn’t eating much but is drinking a lot. She hasn’t laid an egg for at least a month or longer. had white stuff dried up on her bum feathers.. her crop is medium in size and squishy.. n

She does feel swollen a little bit.. I checked and there is no egg that I can feel. I felt her crop and it’s gurgling when you squish it. It sounds like she burps sometimes if that makes sense.

Oh and she isn’t walking much if at all... she just stands upright like a penguin and then lays down.

It feels similar to a water balloon. She did go to the bathroom but it’s all white and liquid but I’m thinking it’s because she has drank a lot of water.?? I put her in a warm dark area so she can rest. She has a medicine like smell to her. Not sour or foul smelling.. almost like a dentist office smell.

I agree with @CluckNDoodle I would treat her for Sour Crop, the gurgling, burping and crop feeling like a water balloon, that's where I would start. Don't massage the crop since it could cause her to aspirate. I would follow the information in @azygous article - I've used it a few times with my hens.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/
Do keep in mind that often there is an underlying condition that's causing the crop symptoms. With a penguin stance, it would be worth feeling inside the vent for an egg. Feel the abdomen for swelling/bloat or fluid - since she's not laid an egg in a while, she may be suffering from a reproductive disorder that is causing inflammation in the body and this is slowing everything down.

Keep us posted on how she's getting along.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Is she standing and walking like a penguin? I think this sounds like being egg bound, egg peritonitis, or some sort of reproductive issue to me. I would have tried an epsom salt bath first as my own approach to this as well, did you feel her abdomen while she was soaking? Did she feel swollen?
Maybe @Eggcessive or @Wyorp Rock can help.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

She does feel swollen a little bit.. I checked and there is no egg that I can feel. I was thinking maybe vent gleet because she had the white stuff dried on her bum feathers ?? I felt her crop and it’s gurgling when you squish it. She doesn’t act like it hurts when you touch it. I just gave her some bread with olive oil and she ate that.. I read somewhere to give that to them but am thinking if she has sour crop I shouldn’t have done that because of the bread and yeast. It sounds like she burps sometimes if that makes sense.

Be careful if you hear gurgling because chickens can aspirate quite easily if she has fluid built up in her crop but did her crop feel squishy like a balloon?
Has she gone to the bathroom since you brought her inside?
I'm hoping that one of the more experienced BYC educators for emergencies will step in with advice for you.

 

[Eggcessive]

An impacted oviduct salpingitis can be possible. They can stop laying for a time and have egg material,sell and membrane back up inside the oviduct. These are common reproductive disorders in hens, and unfortunately cause deaths eventually. Honestly, most times we can’t know what exactly is happening unless vet care is available, or a necropsy is done after death. Here are a couple of articles that may help:
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/oviduct-impaction
https://the-chicken-chick.com/salpingitis-lash-eggs-in-backyard/

 

[#lovemychickens]

I couldn’t let her suffer anymore so I had my son put her down. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I feel so bad but I don’t think she would have gotten better and she was already panting trying to breathe.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

It feels similar to a water balloon. She did go to the bathroom but it’s all white and liquid but I’m thinking it’s because she has drank a lot of water.?? I put her in a warm dark area so she can rest. She has a medicine like smell to her. Not sour or foul smelling.. almost like a dentist office smell.

What you're describing with her crop does sound a lot like sour crop or crop impaction. I've never heard of a hen standing the way you described due to an impaction though so it's possible she's contending with more than one issue.
Sour crop can also lead to vent gleet, they're both yeast infections.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

@casportpony Is another person that has been extremely helpful in emergencies, maybe she's online.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

She’s still alive but I don’t know how much longer she’s going to make it. Her abdomen is very swollen and feels very hot to the touch. She is still drinking a lot of water and can hardly stand. When I have checked to see if she is egg bound it feels like there is a very large mass in there.. much larger than an egg. Is it time for me to put her down?

I'm so so sorry, I almost always say it's worth waiting to see what happens, but in this case it doesn't sound like time or treatment would make a difference. You've done everything to let her know she's loved. You can either try to keep her as comfortable as possible until she passes naturally or you can end any possible suffering. It's whatever you're more comfortable with.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She’s still alive but I don’t know how much longer she’s going to make it. Her abdomen is very swollen and feels very hot to the touch. She is still drinking a lot of water and can hardly stand. When I have checked to see if she is egg bound it feels like there is a very large mass in there.. much larger than an egg. Is it time for me to put her down?

I'm so sorry she's not well
Only you can make the decision whether it's time to let her go, but if you feel she's suffering, it would be a kindness to put her out of her misery.