Chicken with swollen eyes/face, not eating or drinking

[Jane1234]

She just died a couple of hours after I posted this thread.

I've been to a bird vet about this. She was unable to diagnose my chickens disease so I thought I'd ask on here if anyone has experienced this with their chicken/s. The vet did say it was a respiratory illness and gave me a course of antibiotics (Baytril). However the antibiotics haven't worked and she seems to be dying but I am unsure.

Symptoms
- Swollen eyes and face
- Very pale comb
- Eyes closed most of time
- Dark green runny poo
- Not eating, not drinking
- Hard for her to breath, at times she opens her mouth but most of the time she just
sleeps and keeps her mouth closed.
- No signs of distress
- No crustiness on face
- No runny nose
- No strange smell
- Checked for worms/mites, none

I've chosen to let her die naturally rather than have her put to sleep. She could survive but it's hard to know. I'm keeping her warm and comfortable and she is just sleeping a lot and doesn't look restless. She is on regular pain medication in case she is in pain and subcutaneous fluids. I'm not sure if it's cruel to be giving the subcutaneous fluids as this could make her live longer. Although she may survive through this so this is where I'm unsure.

What are the definate signs that a chicken is dying?
What could this illness be?


Thanks everyone.

 

[dawg53]

I've been to a bird vet about this. She was unable to diagnose my chickens disease so I thought I'd ask on here if anyone has experienced this with their chicken/s. The vet did say it was a respiratory illness and gave me a course of antibiotics (Baytril). However the antibiotics haven't worked and she seems to be dying but I am unsure.

Symptoms
- Swollen eyes and face
- Very pale comb
- Eyes closed most of time
- Dark green runny poo
- Not eating, not drinking
- Hard for her to breath, at times she opens her mouth but most of the time she just
sleeps and keeps her mouth closed.
- No signs of distress
- No crustiness on face
- No runny nose
- No strange smell
- Checked for worms/mites, none

I've chosen to let her die naturally rather than have her put to sleep. She could survive but it's hard to know. I'm keeping her warm and comfortable and she is just sleeping a lot and doesn't look restless. She is on regular pain medication in case she is in pain and subcutaneous fluids. I'm not sure if it's cruel to be giving the subcutaneous fluids as this could make her live longer. Although she may survive through this so this is where I'm unsure.

What are the definate signs that a chicken is dying?
What could this illness be?


Thanks everyone.

I agree that it's some type of respiratory disease and I highly recommend that you cull her. Baytril is one of the most powerful antibiotics there are to give a chicken and if it's not working, nothing will. Most importantly, respiratory diseases are very contageous and can easily spread to other birds if strict biosecurity protocols arnt adhered to.

 

[Jane1234]

She just died
She was sleeping and softly breathing then suddenly started flapping her wings so I gave her a hug and she died in my arms.

 

[arsenalfun]

Sad to hear that.

Who would say that one chicken could make us sad eh..