Barred Rock very sick, please help!

[chickengirl778]

1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)
She is a Barred Rock, 3 years old, don't know her exact weight, but definitely feels lighter than normal.
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
Extreme lethargy, wings hanging down, comb and wattles dull, possibly molting also?
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
About 1 week.
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
No.
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
Not currently, looks like she may have broken a toe bone a while ago, but she wasn't exhibiting any symptoms previously when the toe was already broken.
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
We have been feeding her tuna, scrambled eggs, and sunflower seeds, and she has eaten nearly every day several times, and was still drinking yesterday. We also gave her some calcium/vitamin D pill.
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
Her poop is runny and there is not much of it, I account this to not eating much.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
Separation from the flock, hand feeding, and vitamin D/calcium pill.
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
I am not prepared to take the bird to the vet, I would like to treat her myself.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use
Large wood shavings for coverage in both house and run. It's raining, but she is in a dry area, and there are dry areas available for the other birds.

 

[featherhead007]

My BR almost died, but she was one of my favorites, so I kept her in the house until after her molt. She survived, and is now healthy and back in the coop with the other birds.

 

[coach723]

Is her crop functioning normally? Best time to check is first thing in the morning before access to food and water, it should be empty then. If it is not that can indicate a problem. If it's soft and squishy, doughy, or very hard, likewise. Feel between her legs and below the vent to see if her abdomen feels bloated at all. Reproductive problems are not uncommon in birds over the age of two particularly.
Molt can sometimes be very hard on them, if you can find any pinfeathers on her anywhere then that may be a contributing factor. Do you know when she last laid, and has her laying always been normal?
Have you ever wormed your birds or had a fecal float test done to check for internal parasites?
What do you feed, including treats, and do they have access to poultry grit all the time?
Pictures of the bird in question and pictures of the droppings might be helpful.
If you have a digital kitchen scale, that works well to get a weight. Is her keep bone very prominent, or is her breast well muscled?

 

[chickengirl778]

I'm glad yours survived! Do you have any suggestions for what do to help her?

 

[featherhead007]

Lots of loving care, and prayer helped my Rocks-Ann get well.

 

[chickengirl778]

I think she is molting as some feathers are brighter white than others.
I'm not sure when she last laid, I just assumed she was molting and stopped laying. She has been a good layer her whole life.
I have not wormed my birds or checked for internal parasites.
I feed Scratch and Peck organic layer feed with oyster shell supplements. I usually give them some grit as well, and they have access to small rocks when they're free-ranging every couple days.
They get some kitchen scraps but I'm normally quite vigilant about making sure what they get is safe for them to eat, most often it's eggs.
She has lost quite a bit of weight, but her keel bone has always been pretty sharp.

 

[coach723]

If you can get a fecal done, that would help eliminate parasites as a possible problem. Parasites can sometimes be a big deal and make them very sick, and one of the easiest things to confirm and treat. Check the crop at the next opportunity, and in the morning, to see if that is normal. And pictures if you can get them. Have you checked her over for lice/mites?

 

[chickengirl778]

Just checked up on her and she's not looking good at all. I do think she's molting, but she also has a full crop and I haven't seen her eat yet today. Her keel bone is jutting out like crazy too, so it's an internal problem or parasites. I did check her for mites (they've had them before) but didn't see any. She's not looking good and I'm afraid she might not make it tonight (It's about 10 in the morning right now).

 

[chickengirl778]

I'm starting to think I should put her out of her misery at this point, it looks like she's pretty far gone.

 

[coach723]

Only you can make the decision on when the time is appropriate. I'm sorry you are at that point.
Consider having her necropsied, or doing an informal one yourself to try to find out what happened for sure. It can bring peace of mind and/or provide useful information for you going forward.