Chicken sick! help!

[Eggcessive]

Here are some articles about egg binding:
https://www.chickenwhisperermagazin...identify-and-prevent-this-emergency-condition
https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/egg-bound-chicken/

 

[Watson Flock]

see how she's sticking her tongue out and she'll move her head up and down some and she's lethargic and not eating well at all. she will drink and I check her crop for fluids and to see that the fluids are getting past the crop.

she won't get up and if you try to get her up she stumbles. no mucus, she's not sneezing although she does sometimes on days where she's feeling fine. She doesn't have a voice and she's usually a fairly noisy chicken.

Her legs are cool again; really doubt she's overheated; doesn't feel hot at all.

thank you for all your replies and help. These barnvelders are beautiful birds with a shimmer to their feathers and my wife loves them (we lost one already to an illness, about 2 months ago or so, that one had clear signs of mucus and was sick for a few days and we treated her with meds and tried VetRx, etc., and she didn't improve)

 

[Watson Flock]

Her eyes aren't always open; but they are in this pictures. Her eyes seem fine; look normal.

 

[Eggcessive]

I wish I had more suggestions. She is pretty young, and laying. I thought that maybe she was egg bound or having some laying problems, but since you lost another recently that had mucus, I wonder if there is something respiratory going on. What do her poops look like? What is your location, since that can be helpful? Is there any way you can get an antibiotic to treat a respiratory disease? Could a vet help you? It is not good to throw antibiotics at one when you don’t know what is wrong, but I would at this point. Baytril is one that is banned in chickens because of a long egg withdrawal, but is one that can treat respiratory and intestinal bacteria, including E.coli. If you should lose her, I would seriously get a necropsy by the state poultry vet where you live. The body has to be kept cold, wrapped in a clean trash bag, and kept in a cooler on ice. Here is a list of state vets:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

 

[Watson Flock]

wow, i hadn't thought of all that. with the necropsy.


Being that we haven't had issues we felt we could resolve as far as sick chickens goes, we don't know of a Vet, but we could probably locate one on some local chicken pages on social media.

To answer your questions:

What do her poops look like?

Her poop is grainy like the feed and water but does have a smell to it, but since she isn't moving because she'll fall down. she just isn't metabolizing much and we're pretty concerned.

What is your location, since that can be helpful? Round Rock, TX (Austin, TX, area)

Is there any way you can get an antibiotic to treat a respiratory disease? maybe.. we could check with Tractor Supply, but there aren't many other options than them.

Could a vet help you? not sure. i really don't think she'll recover; it's just looking grim for her

 

[Watson Flock]

We were very concerned about the whole flock (was 10 chickens, now 9, might soon be 8) because of the symptoms from the one who died. We were very concerned about it spreading.

We've had one other chicken get sick last year and she made a recovery; we used an antibiotic ointment, i forget the name, in her eye as she really had symptoms there, and she's likely lost sight in that eye, but now she's a healthy, happy, egg laying hen. She made a great recovery.

The two barnvelders have not. one died and now this one is in bad shape.

 

[Watson Flock]

here is a video of her. she's been doing this for about 36 hours

 

[Eggcessive]

That is gasping and labored breathing, probably from a respiratory disease which can be a virus, fungus, or bacterial. Gapeworm might also be a lesser possibility. A vet could do a fecal float to check for all types of worm larvae. If you lose her, I would get a necropsy. Here is a link for TX A&M lab, and I think there are labs in Gonzales and Center TX:
https://tvmdl.tamu.edu/

 

[DaphneTheDuck]

I have one hen who always gets a thin strip of egg stuck half way out her vent and recently she has been puffed up standing on her own. We have bathed her in Epsom salt but there's not much change.

 

[Watson Flock]

Eggcessive,

I want to thank you for your responses. You are active here and I wanted you to know how much it's appreciated!

Our chicken didn't make it, unfortunately. She seemed to have a lot of respiratory distress and I hear that is tough on them and she couldn't get past it.

I did not send her for necropsy. Timing wasn't good for paying for that and all the supplies and whatnot, and no other chickens showed any symptoms like her and still haven't since then. We had kept her quarantined from the flock for her last days.

It's been over a month and everyone is in good shape and healthy.

Joe John