Advice on Deteriorating 10 month Chicken

[mritti]

I could really use some advice - I just spent $400 dollars at an emergency vet who basically just looked at the bird (after waiting hours and hours) to say I would have to spend a lot more to do testing - and they clearly had no real avian expertise and I was already fed up with the ridiculous charges to do literally nothing. Here's the story.

My 10 month old Barred Rock (she is my absolute favorite - follows me everywhere in the garden, hops up on lap, coos - JUST THE SWEETEST) was always doing great - she was laying brown eggs daily and happy and healthy. She did lay a VERY LARGE DOUBLE egg once that I couldn't believe she pushed out, but all was fine. About 2 months ago, she was losing weight, not eating as much as the other 4 in the flock and stopped laying eggs. I thought it was the time change but she started to squat and look like she was pushing out an egg but nothing. I thought she was eggbound so I gave her a epsom salt bath, yogurt and followed all of those directions. She seemed better and was happy to be back with the flock. She continues to lose weight and not eat very much. This week she is much slower than everyone and I am finding poops that look a bit like egg yolk. They are bright green and very very watery.

They ladies free range in a fenced hillside everyday, eat organic laying crumble and lots of greens from my garden and berries and other treats.

ANY ADVICE on what this could be? I have a home apothecary and am thinking of adding some herbs that may help fight whatever is going on, just not sure where to start.

THANK YOU!!

 

[Aunt Angus]

Oh, I'm so sorry! She does not look well...

I had a hen with similar issues, but chickens can present similarly with all sorts of different illnesses. I hope others chime in because I am no expert, but I'd expect reproductive disorders. No weird eggs other than the double yolk? I'd be tempted to give antibiotics...

Let's see what others say...

 

[ChicNmom]

I'm so sorry to hear about your girl. I'm sorry to say it may be a reproductive disease.
I lost one young bird,1yo last may with green poop and foamy yellow poop that stopped eating and laying. The just lost another last week that also had the watery green poop, passed what looked like unshelled eggs and stopped eating. She also was getting sour crop.

Previously I had only had that happen in older hens so those two were a sad learning experience.

You can try to get some calcium in her to see if that solves the egg material coming out but she may already have a secondary infection. I would try it. If her insides are all clogged up there may not be anything you can do. I tried with both my girls. After getting the necropsy report on the most recent one I told my husband we will be having any future girls diagnosed with reproductive disease put down. Otherwise it's a slow miserable death. She was full of beige looking tumors and was only 8 months old.

If someone has cured a hen of a reproductive issue that has gone on for a few weeks I would love to hear what you did.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your sick hen. Reproductive problems, cancer, and crop problems can be common in chickens. How does her crop feel—empty and flat, full, hard, doughy, or puffy? Is her lower belly enlarged between her legs at all? The spinach looking droppings appear to be from not eating enough. Can you try to get her drinking some fluids, and give her either Poultry NutriDrench or electrolytes? Gatorade and Pedialyte are fine to use. My sick hens will usually eat some bits of scrambled egg. Some may try an antibiotic such as amoxicillin (Fish Mox) which sometimes can be found at some feed stores.

 

[BrickCoop15]

I would try an antibiotic as others mentioned. I think it would be worth trying. Several years ago I had a pullet that acted sick and lost weight. I put her on an antiobiotic in a desperate attempt to try to save her. She not only fully recovered, but I still have her today. Best of luck!

 

[micstrachan]

Can you verify the laying status of this girl? How long ago did she stop? Have you seen any soft eggs from her? I would start with calcium. I have one who has trouble making shells sometimes and manganese (provided naturally with shredded zucchini, which she loves) also seems to help. Have you felt her fluffy area below the vent and between the legs to see if it feels like a water balloon?

Also, one of the poops looks pretty undigested. Do you provide granite grit, or do thry have access to small sharp rocks while free ranging? Can you offer the crumble as a warm mash and see if she’ll eat some? It seems she might be starving herself due to not feeling well.

 

[ChicNmom]

I want to apologize if I sounded negative. Both my girls were diagnosed by an avian vet as having a reproductive disease. And their poop looked more like egg than your girl. Both times I tired antibiotics and anti-inflammatory meds even though they advised me it probably wouldn't work.

I have had other chickens stop eating for unknown reasons. Sometimes you just need to find something really good to jumpstart the eating again.

 

[mritti]

Thank you - I didn't take your message as negative, the situation isn't good and I appreciate any experiences or feedback as I navigate it. I never in my life thought I'd care about a chicken this much so I'm hoping she pulls through.

 

[mritti]

Can you verify the laying status of this girl? How long ago did she stop? Have you seen any soft eggs from her? I would start with calcium. I have one who has trouble making shells sometimes and manganese (provided naturally with shredded zucchini, which she loves) also seems to help. Have you felt her fluffy area below the vent and between the legs to see if it feels like a water balloon?

Also, one of the poops looks pretty undigested. Do you provide granite grit, or do thry have access to small sharp rocks while free ranging? Can you offer the crumble as a warm mash and see if she’ll eat some? It seems she might be starving herself due to not feeling well.

 

[mritti]

She stopped laying eggs about 5 weeks ago. I haven't seen any soft eggs - but it looked like there was egg yolk in her poop and smelled eggy too. She isn't ballooned and is starting to eat a bit more - nothing like the others though. I'll get her some more grit!! Thank you