Advice please

[T and R Fox]

Hi. About 5 weeks ago we asked the question about our sick chicken that had been attacked by a Hen Harrier and injured her leg.
Since then she has been making very steady and good progress. So much so that this last week she has been keeping up with our other chicken. Eating normally. Even managing to scratch at the ground using both feet. She seemed totally normal except she has only laid about 6 eggs in that time and each egg was soft shelled and small. The other chicken ran across and ate them. The only visible sign of anything different with her was her very slight limp.
Wednesday night she went to bed as normal, but Thursday morning we had to lift her out of the hutch. Since then she will hardly move, just tries to hide, and has not eaten since then except what my wife can force down her. She is drinking plenty of water though. She just keeps trying to go to sleep. Her dropping have turned overnight from normal to slime, which looks like egg white with yellow slime in it and long dark brown lumps. I have felt up her vent for a stuck egg, but nothing there. We have just started a course of worming liquid in case it is worms. Other than that we have no idea what is wrong. It seems very strange to happen so quickly over night. Could she have eaten something poisonous? She has eaten lizards in the past.
Can anybody please advise us on what to do or on what is wrong with her? We are really worried and thought we had got her through her nightmare.
Thank you.

 

[Adrian Medlicot]

I´m not sure what has happened with her, but have you asked a vet or have you taken her to one?

 

[T and R Fox]

We live in rural France and the vets over here do not look at chickens let alone treat them! We have tried. We have had some antibiotics off the vet, even though she would not see the bird, but was advised to be careful unless it was a bacterial infection. Thanks for your reply and any ideas would be gratefully received.

 

[Adrian Medlicot]

Well maybe she broke something like a bone, maybe you should try and see if she did.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi. About 5 weeks ago we asked the question about our sick chicken that had been attacked by a Hen Harrier and injured her leg.
Since then she has been making very steady and good progress. So much so that this last week she has been keeping up with our other chicken. Eating normally. Even managing to scratch at the ground using both feet. She seemed totally normal except she has only laid about 6 eggs in that time and each egg was soft shelled and small. The other chicken ran across and ate them. The only visible sign of anything different with her was her very slight limp.
Wednesday night she went to bed as normal, but Thursday morning we had to lift her out of the hutch. Since then she will hardly move, just tries to hide, and has not eaten since then except what my wife can force down her. She is drinking plenty of water though. She just keeps trying to go to sleep. Her dropping have turned overnight from normal to slime, which looks like egg white with yellow slime in it and long dark brown lumps. I have felt up her vent for a stuck egg, but nothing there. We have just started a course of worming liquid in case it is worms. Other than that we have no idea what is wrong. It seems very strange to happen so quickly over night. Could she have eaten something poisonous? She has eaten lizards in the past.
Can anybody please advise us on what to do or on what is wrong with her? We are really worried and thought we had got her through her nightmare.
Thank you.

It sound like she may have an internal laying/reproductive disorder, like Peritonitis, cancer, tumors, etc.
The droppings looking like egg white and yellow slime could be egg yolk.
I understand your vet does not treat chickens, but ask if they can perform a fecal float test on a poop sample. They should be able to test for worms, bacterial or fungal infection in the poop.

If she does have Peritonitis, antibiotic treatment may help give supportive care/comfort, but will not cure it. This is where the eggs or parts of the egg have dropped into the abdomen instead of traveling out of the oviduct causing infection.

http://www.chickenvet.co.uk/health-and-common-diseases/egg-laying-issues/index.aspx
http://scoopfromthecoop.nutrenaworld.com/tag/laying-issues/
http://www.hobbyfarms.com/livestock-and-pets/6-causes-of-chicken-swollen-abdomen.aspx

 

[T and R Fox]

Hi, Thanks for that. We're 99.99% she didn't break a bone, but, what we're not sure about is if she has suffered any internal damage. If it was us we could go up the hospital for an x-ray. But unfortunately we can't do that with her.

 

[T and R Fox]

OK. Thanks so much for that. We can collect a poop sample and take it to the vet and see if she is prepared to do the test for us. Fingers crossed all will be good.

 

[Adrian Medlicot]

OK. Thanks so much for that. We can collect a poop sample and take it to the vet and see if she is prepared to do the test for us. Fingers crossed all will be good.

Yes, hope the test goes well.

 

[T and R Fox]

Just to let you all know, we lost our beautiful little guts yesterday. Thanks for all your help and advice.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry for your loss.