Chicken lying down with eyes closed.. lots of saliva in her mouth.. please help

[OwO]

First time I have ever dealt with something like this.. not sure what to think. She was completely fine yesterday but then in the evening she became very lethargic and went to bed early just lying on the floor, now this morning she is even worse and can't walk at all... she just wants to lie down in the house the whole day. she has lots of saliva in her mouth. At the moment I am thinking either aspergillosis, sour crop, or botulism.

I am really worried, any help please?

 

[ChickNanny13]

Could she have gotten some poison? It don't sound good, is there a Vet you could take her to? Make her as comfortable as you can, hope someone with more first aid peeps in soon.

 

[rebrascora]

How old is she? Has she started laying yet and if so, do you know when she last laid an egg?
Check her all over for any injury or abnormality, lumps, swellings or bloat.
When you say she can't walk, is she just too weak or is there a problem with her legs?
What does her crop feel like? Try gently but firmly massaging from the bottom of her crop upwards. If fluid is coming up it usually indicates there is a blockage, which may be in the crop or it could be further down her digestive tract, ie her gizzard or beyond.....that may be due to an impaction, a tumour or possibly internal laying or being egg bound.... depending on age of hen and when she last laid an egg.
Is she showing any indication of respiratory distress? I would expect noticeable wheezing with aspergillosis.

 

[OwO]

She laid an egg about 10 minutes ago, which is weird because she hadn't laid one for about 2 weeks otherwise... I am kind of ruling out aspergillosis now because her breathing seems relatively normal apart from the saliva. I got her to drink a little bit of water by putting the bowl below her beak and dipping her beak into it. Her crop is mostly empty but now a bit squishy after she drank water. Almost certainly not egg bound or EYP, but I am just shocked as to how quickly she got ill... it was very sudden.

I am not sure why she can't walk.. it seems like she is too weak however she did wriggle a little bit when I held her a bit earlier, but she is mostly just sitting down with her eyes closed.

 

[rebrascora]

Have you checked her vent? Does it look normal?
You didn't say how old she is?
Was she laying regularly until 2 weeks ago?
I would say that it is too much of a coincidence that she has laid an egg now whilst she is acting sick for it not to be connected in some way.
How does her breast bone feel? Is she a bit thin....breast bone feels sharp?
What does her poop look like?
Chickens can and do pretend to be normal when they are sick up until the point that they are too weak to pretend, so this may have been going on for some time. They are very good at hiding illness.
What makes you think it's not EYP?
It may be she was egg bound (especially if she hasn't laid for a week and getting this egg out will help, but she is physically exhausted..... or there may be other eggs backed up in her system. She might feel heavy or bloated if that were the case. Giving her a warm epsom salts bath might help revive her and you could perhaps do an internal digital exam to feel if there is any other obstruction.
She may benefit from some heat from a heat pad or a lamp. Sick chickens need to be kept warm.

 

[OwO]

Her vent is a bit messy because she has been drinking lots of water and has runny poo but otherwise normal. I don't know how old she is, probably at least 3. She is a good size but she has got a little thinner recently. Don't think its EYP because I've had that twice in the past year and this is different, as well as she laid an egg which EYP chickens tend not to do. Could be right about the egg bound thing, I'll have a look. Her belly is a bit squishy which the vet thought was weird too. To be honest I think she may be struggling with the heat which is why she could be drinking so much water. She only started acting like this after it got hotter this year.

 

[OwO]

Okay update she definitely seems to be recovering. The vet gave her a shot of baytril and she is still separated under some shade, but as soon as we got home she started drinking lots of water on her own. She has also started eating a bit now and will quickly peck corn or mealworms out of my hand. She is no longer having her eyes closed and her head drooped down but she still can't walk properly. She has also not pooped since we have been home and it has been around 4 hours.

btw if you live near Surrey, England, Kriek and Gibson vet is AMAZING for chickens, this is the fourth chicken I have brought to them in the past few years

edit: I took her out of the dog kennel I'm keeping her separated in for now and I put her on the lawn for a bit and she managed to stand up and even walk a few steps! She also did a poo which was a disgusting diarrhoea mess, but I'm just glad she did one at least. I have given her 2tbsp of water with 1tsp of epsom salts as well which she has started to drink so hopefully that helps.

 

[OwO]

It seems as if her crop is getting filled with water or something.. it feels constantly very large and squishy (not the same as if it is filled with food) however there isn't really a bad smell coming from her mouth so I don't think it is sour crop... she is also drinking a LOT of water which might explain it? Anyone had something like this before?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Sometimes crop issues can be a symptom of an underlying condition like Cocci or worm overload or an internal laying/reproductive disorder like EYP, Ascites, cancer or tumors.

Since you do have a vet that will help you, having a fresh poop sample tested for worms and cocci would be a good idea.

Here is one of the best articles I know of that details different crop issues and how to treat them:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/impacted-slow-and-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments

 

[OwO]

I'll try and get into contact with them and see if they will test it for me, her poop is looking relatively normal now I think, maybe still a little runny.

She is doing well again this morning. Her crop felt quite empty and no longer large and squishy, and she has eaten and drank a lot and managed to plod around a little but has to sit down after a few steps because her legs seem weak. She also seems to be curling her toes on her feet sometimes, not sure what's up with that.