emjones
Hatching
Last night around 7 pm (18 Sept), one of my 7.5 month-old Buff Orpingtons was standing alone, staring off into space, when I went to the run to give everyone their scratch. The other 8 chickens (2 buff orpingtons, 2 rhode island reds, 2 silver laced wynadottes, and 2 easter eggers) were normal, running eagerly for scratch. The chicken in question was also acting normal earlier in the day. When I picked her up to look her over, a stream of yellowish liquid squirted out of her beak. I felt for a bound egg, inserting finger up to second knuckle, and didn't feel anything (though it was my first time inspecting for a bound egg). I isolated her overnight with no food or water. She continued to stand still and stare absently in isolation, but eventually laid down on the wood chips (no roosting bar in the isolation area) and went to sleep. Her crop felt full and squishy last night, but was empty this morning after no food or water overnight (though again, this was my first time inspecting a crop). This morning, she had a runny, liquid, particularly smelly diarrhea poop, but no blood or worms that I could see. Soon after, she had a second poop, also smellier than normal, but smaller, harder, and black-colored (darker than normal). On the positive side, she's looking better this morning: She drank some water and pecked at food, pecked around the wood chips in the isolation area, preened a little, and made some "chirruping" noises to say hi to me. All more or less normal chicken activities, albeit less enthusiastically or energetically than normal (though that could be because she's in a small isolation pen alone and not in the normal run with her flock). After doing these activities for about 1.5 hours, she stood with her eyes closed; looked more like taking a morning nap rather than the listless staring of last night. Then she woke up and started moving around again, eating, etc.
I've spent several hours last night and this morning searching BackYardChickens and other online resources for advice. It seems like a sour or impacted crop is a common reason for the liquid vomiting, but since the crop was emptied overnight, I believe that means it is not a crop issue. The fact that she perked up a little this morning makes me wonder if she just had a little indigestion and is working it out of her system on her own. I am looking for advice in two areas:
(1) Any ideas what happened last night? Is "chicken indigestion" a normal thing that can happen and resolve itself overnight? If she's looking ok today, do I need to do anything else to try to find the root cause, or can I just chalk this up as something that happens occasionally and not worry about it further?
(2) I'd like to keep her isolated at least for the rest of the day today, so I can more easily monitor her symptoms (especially her poop, to see if it returns to normal) and behavior. Should I put an isolation/ hospital cage in the run with the other chickens, so she isn't stressed out by being alone and so she will reintegrate more easily? Or should I keep her in the garage, far away from the other birds, in case she has something communicable?
I feel like this type of question must be common, but I wasn't able to find quite the same situation elsewhere on the forums yet. This is my first time raising chickens and my first experience with someone getting sick. Any advice would be much appreciated!
Thank you!
Elizabeth
1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)
Buff Orpington, female, 7.5 months old, a little bigger than the other two buff orpingtons, but within normal limits as far as I can tell
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
See above for detailed description
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
First noticed staring into space ~ 7pm last night. Was acting normal earlier in the day. Diarrhea this morning at 7 am.
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
No, 8 other chickens all acting normal.
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
No.
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
Nothing out of the ordinary occurred, no changes to habitat/ food etc.
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
No food or water overnight so I could check crop this morning. This morning, she's drinking some water (with apple cider vinegar) and pecking at Nutrena Country Feeds All Flock pellets (normal food, same bag they've been eating from for 2 weeks)
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
One liquid diahrrea poop this morning. A second soon after that was a small, harder black poop. No blood or worms visible.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
No treatment yet.
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?
Treat myself.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
No pictures.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use
In the normal coop, they have pine shavings on the floor. The run is dirt, rocks and mulch. The isolation area is currently a fenced in area of the garage with pine shavings on floor.
I've spent several hours last night and this morning searching BackYardChickens and other online resources for advice. It seems like a sour or impacted crop is a common reason for the liquid vomiting, but since the crop was emptied overnight, I believe that means it is not a crop issue. The fact that she perked up a little this morning makes me wonder if she just had a little indigestion and is working it out of her system on her own. I am looking for advice in two areas:
(1) Any ideas what happened last night? Is "chicken indigestion" a normal thing that can happen and resolve itself overnight? If she's looking ok today, do I need to do anything else to try to find the root cause, or can I just chalk this up as something that happens occasionally and not worry about it further?
(2) I'd like to keep her isolated at least for the rest of the day today, so I can more easily monitor her symptoms (especially her poop, to see if it returns to normal) and behavior. Should I put an isolation/ hospital cage in the run with the other chickens, so she isn't stressed out by being alone and so she will reintegrate more easily? Or should I keep her in the garage, far away from the other birds, in case she has something communicable?
I feel like this type of question must be common, but I wasn't able to find quite the same situation elsewhere on the forums yet. This is my first time raising chickens and my first experience with someone getting sick. Any advice would be much appreciated!
Thank you!
Elizabeth
1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)
Buff Orpington, female, 7.5 months old, a little bigger than the other two buff orpingtons, but within normal limits as far as I can tell
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
See above for detailed description
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
First noticed staring into space ~ 7pm last night. Was acting normal earlier in the day. Diarrhea this morning at 7 am.
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
No, 8 other chickens all acting normal.
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
No.
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
Nothing out of the ordinary occurred, no changes to habitat/ food etc.
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
No food or water overnight so I could check crop this morning. This morning, she's drinking some water (with apple cider vinegar) and pecking at Nutrena Country Feeds All Flock pellets (normal food, same bag they've been eating from for 2 weeks)
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
One liquid diahrrea poop this morning. A second soon after that was a small, harder black poop. No blood or worms visible.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
No treatment yet.
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?
Treat myself.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
No pictures.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use
In the normal coop, they have pine shavings on the floor. The run is dirt, rocks and mulch. The isolation area is currently a fenced in area of the garage with pine shavings on floor.
