Advice needed. Running around like a chicken with...

[katbird554419]

She is in bed with me now. I pray to the heavens that she does not suffer any more. This is so hard.

 

[Ebony Rose]

Okay, your girl is not presenting with obvious signs of illness... with luck, you've caught whatever is troubling her early. What a NICE CLEAN BUTT! You said that now she's breathing hard; can you describe that? Is this while being held or while she's doing whatever she's doing, on the ground? It totally matters. Chickens have 2 lungs and 9 air sacs. They breathe totally different than humans, so making funky or labored breathing sounds while being held is not really a cause for concern, but if they're making a racket while just doing normal chicken things, then it points to something naughty. She's not drooping her tail, her butt doesn't look swollen, prolapsed, water filled, BUT you don't know when her last egg was. If she were my hen, I'd treat her as if she were egg bound; A warm bath in epsom salts (test the warmth on the inside of your wrist, like you'd do a baby bottle, too hot for your wrist would be too hot for your girl). She may resist the bath for the first minute or two, but most hens settle into the spa treatment. Let her soak for about 20 minutes. When you take her out of the soak, gently blot her dry with a towel and with a disposable gloved finger lubed up with something like KY Jelly, insert your finger about 1 or 2 inches into her vent to discover if she's got an egg stuck. After this exam, either blow dry her on low setting, or let her air dry in the house, out of any breezes. Feed her a calcium supplement. Calcium supplement can be what you get from the feed store, or a human calcium supplement tablet crushed up, or a "tums" crushed up, etc. Don't get hung up on the source of the calcium, even a smashed hard boiled egg with the shell fed back to her will provide calcium.

shows another way of lubing her vent but they used olive oil (I prefer something water soluble as it's easier for her to pass out of her system after). This spa treatment and digital examination shouldn't hurt your girl long or short term, so it's worth the time to check it.
Still hoping an expert on illnesses will chime in soon. Do you have your girl totally separated from the flock day and night right now? If so, how many days has this been? Has she laid an egg recently? When is the last egg that you KNOW she laid? Has she ever laid?

 

[Kris5902]

I’m far from an expert, but if it were my girl, I would just allow her to rest on a soft towel near you. She will feel you near. Remember, you need to stay calm & keep your breathing calm. They react to us!!
My Harley had Ascites, an illness in older girls. She was breathing hard. We had several nights like this.... I drained the built up fluid from her abdomen. It helped relieve her for a short time. A couple of days later, she fell asleep in my arms.

I also have a hen with this, I’m glad you were able to give her some relief (I’m at the waiting for my weather to improve enough to drain my girl again stage) I don’t think that is what is going on here, though the rest of your advice is very sound. Calm and supportive, like dealing with a small child with a skinned knee (you show too much worry and they will freak out worse)

@katbird554419 Have you been able to check for egg binding? The warm soak even with just warm water, if you don’t have Epsom salts on hand, can help.

 

[katbird554419]

I also have a hen with this, I’m glad you were able to give her some relief (I’m at the waiting for my weather to improve enough to drain my girl again stage) I don’t think that is what is going on here, though the rest of your advice is very sound. Calm and supportive, like dealing with a small child with a skinned knee (you show too much worry and they will freak out worse)

@katbird554419 Have you been able to check for egg binding? The warm soak even with just warm water, if you don’t have Epsom salts on hand, can help.

I did check her and didn't feel anything in there. Sadly, she passed early this morning. I need to do a lot of research to make sure this isn't going to happen to the others.

 

[Ebony Rose]

I am SO very sorry that your girl passed. Will you be sending her to the lab for a necropsy? She really didn't present as ill, all her pictures were of the picture of health. I recently lost a hen with no visible signs of illness, but knew in my heart of hearts, that she wasn't healthy. My girl passed from salpingitis. She had NEVER laid an egg, and by the time I became worried, it was too late for her. Sadly, reproductive issues are common in breeds that lay LOTS of eggs. It's (reasonably) rare for reproductive issues to go without the classic 'sick chicken' symptoms. I don't think my girl even realized she was sick, and now wondering if yours was that way too... She'd go into the nesting box, come out singing the "I laid an egg" song... but when I'd go in to gather it, there never was one. Took me MONTHS to figure out I had a problem, because her sisters used the same nest and because to look at her, she was healthy. I wish I could have been more helpful to you and your girl, I'm truly sorry that she passed. One thing totally different about your girl and mine... YOURS had a clean behind. I had to bathe mine two or three times a week as she always had urates on her tushy.

 

[BigMoma3]

I'm so so sorry. I know how hard it is. I nursed my sick one for 4 days last week before she passed. I warn you though, research is frustrating. I've done so much the past two weeks that it made me sick from stress. And all the information is conflicting and none of it 100% matched my hen's symptoms. I pray your research will turn up with good news for you though!

 

[Kris5902]

I’m so sorry for your loss
If you can send her in for a necropsy you can learn a lot from it, if there’s anything else that could be a risk to your other chickens. But if you’re not comfortable with that I can understand. I bury my girls that pass, but I usually have a good idea of what was ailing them. Reproductive issues and sudden deaths are just awful to deal with.

 

[katbird554419]

I just got home to bury her and am reading these sweet, helpful post from you all. I didn't think to consider a necropsy and actually had to look that word up. So, I looked at the expected cost(100 to 200 is a stretch for me this week) I think it is something I have to do. She is a blanket(she passed in bed w/me this am), will she be safe and not too late for me to take her to a vet in the am? do they charge more than mailing to a lab? If She needs to be mailed, how do you do that? How does this work? I had a friend tell me she did this years ago and the test was wrong, she kept losing birds. Thank you all for your advice and support.

 

[katbird554419]

I just got home to bury her and am reading these sweet, helpful post from you all. I didn't think to consider a necropsy and actually had to look that word up. So, I looked at the expected cost(100 to 200 is a stretch for me this week) I think it is something I have to do. She is a blanket(she passed in bed w/me this am), will she be safe and not too late for me to take her to a vet in the am? do they charge more than mailing to a lab? If She needs to be mailed, how do you do that? How does this work? I had a friend tell me she did this years ago and the test was wrong, she kept losing birds. Thank you all for your advice and support.

PS, I live in Mississippi, if that helps

 

[Ebony Rose]

http://www.cvm.msstate.edu/labs/prdl-pearl-ms (website of the lab in your state)