constipated, liquid out of mouth, swollen?

[n2h20]

Im not really sure whats going on here. I have a Brahma hen that is around 2.5 years old. All of my hens have not laid in close to two months.
this particular lady has been acting different than the rest. Stays in the coop during the day and just recently was outside and would not go back in around dusk.. she would not move even if we gave her a little push. I have noticed she seems to be real heavy and her lower area almost seams to be swollen. Two days ago I separated her from the the rest, she wouldnt move just sat there. As I picked her up she threw up... well liquid came out of her mouth as I was moving her. I set her on the ground in a separate area. She only moved to catch the sun all day. she has been in the garage under a heat lamp for the last two days. She wont move waddles funny if she does and wont drink.
I was thinking a cold, then egg bound, and now I am thinking some kind of internal tumor.

Any ideas as to what it could be?
It has been cold here at night.. in the 30-40's and around 50 during the day, damp too.

Should i let it play itself out, give her some medicine of some sort or put her down?

Thanks!

 

[top of the hill]

Is her crop soft and squishy like a water balloon? If so it may be sour crop.

 

[Chicken_Pauper]

Do use the Search option here... on BYC... type in and search "Sour Crop"... -- you can help her if this is what it is, there is treatment you can do.

I didn't pay attention to where you live, but that is not cold for a chicken, from what I understand. It is freezing at night here, in Southern California, and my hens, not all of them, but many are still laying, I am getting about half as many eggs as during the top producing months... Do you have a light in the coop to extend the daylight for them?
I was a bit worried about my chickens getting cold until I read on here about the people living in places where it gets to -20 and that's when they put on the heat, not before... Chickens are well insulated, they have "down" and feathers to keep them warm. As long as they have a coop, can get out of the weather and wind, can huddle together on the roosts, the cold (the temps you are saying you have) should not be any problem for them at all.

Are all of your hens her age? You say you checked her for eggbound?

And, do you worm the flock on a regular schedule? Now and then? Recently?

You can search and find out about "Sour Crop", "Eggbound", "Worming", etc.... much more help than I can be (sorry).

Best of luck... (you can also search things like "cold temperatures", "heating the coop", etc. for more info on when people worry about the cold and how they heat and cool the coop for the chickens).

 

[BamaSilkies]

Could be pneumonia might want to check that out as well.

 

[n2h20]

Thanks for the replies.

I live near Pasadena In So-Cal, I do not have a light on in the coop but they are out "free ranging" all day. Four of them are the same age... about 2.5 years and 4 are a year old.
I dewormed them about a month ago... added the deworming liquid to their water.. I also heard pumpkins are a natural dewormer and they have been munching on them since October.

I quickly searched a few post last night before making my own. Wasnt really sure what to search for, you have given me some things to look for and i will do that. Thanks.

 

[n2h20]

i googled crop and it appears to be in the neck area. this larger area is between her legs. her rump.

 

[n2h20]

not sure why but when i search egg bound, or egg binding.. it gives me a list of the states. nothing about the topic.

 

[Chicken_Pauper]

I found but didn't check this... try these links... this is someone else's reply to an eggbound question in the Search --


Here's an old thread with good advice:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=221035&p=1
and another:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=26414&p=1


I would go ahead and "treat her" as if she were eggbound... even if you are not sure... it can't hurt... it is warm baths, massaging her... and using your little finger, oiled to gently reach inside and feel around and thereby also stimulate her to poop and lay.. (watchout)....

I would separate her from the flock and pay close attention to whether she is eating and drinking... if she is not or stops eating and drinking, you can easily lose her.

Go to the feed store and get some water soluable antibiotics... in a packet.. Duramycin 10 -- Tetracycline.. add 1 to 1.5 tsp per gallon of water -- give her some laying mash in a bowl and the water... in her "cage".. where you put her to separate her.

As for worming... If you used Wazine.. you did not kill all the worms.. you also do not know which chickens got how much medicine if you put it into their water. Wazine, I believe only kills roundworms and chickens get many kinds of worms. Can have several at once or just a different kind than roundworms.

Valbazen is a safe wormer.. . works gradually and must be given orally to each chicken one at a time... you should search for posts by dawg53 on Worming with Valbazen, dosages of Valbazen, egg withholding with Valbazen... giving oral medications ( you have to be careful when giving meds or water by mouth that you do not get it into that hole you see behind the tongue.. the windpipe, the airway.. it is a hole right behind the tongue and you will see it when you open a beak.. you have to use a syringe or child's medicine dropper with ml / cc markings on it.. syringes you can get at the feed store and they should, should have Valbazen as well... Valbazen is a bit expensive...

I would get the Valbazen and worm everyone, have someone help you.. I assume you lock them in at night.. in the morning, don't let them out.. have someone help you catch one at a time.. open the beak, give the Valbazen (1/2 cc/ml per standard chicken -- 1/4 cc/ml per bantam) -- give it by syringe (no needle)... or dropper.. down and to the side of the throat, don't get it in the airway hole.. then, let that chicken go... (free range)... catch the next, repeat... one at a time so you know that each and every one got their medicine, no one was missed ... do the sick girl first...

Repeat in ten days on all of them.. watch their poops from worming until time to repeat and then again for ten days... if you see any worms or tapeworm segments, you may have to repeat a third time....
Mine stopped laying when they had worms... they will start again when they are well.. worms can make them very sick and even cause death. I am no expert, I only speak from my experience.. my one hen stopped laying in June.. . she just started again two weeks ago.. after I wormed them very well.

I would treat your sick girl as if she is eggbound.. . do the "Eggbound treatment" ... "Eggbound baths"... massage her -- Her crop is on her chest.. it is the thing that gets big after they eat.... after they eat it is full and they look lopesided on their chest... that is the crop. Check it, feel it, massage it.. let her throw up if she needs to...
I would start her on the water antibiotics and keep her separate, treat her crop massage.... treat her for eggbound ... and worm her and all the flock with Valbazen, starting that process immediately, today. And, you have to withhold, throw away all eggs from the time you give the Valbazen.. until the 15th day after the last treatment... no eggs for the duration (if they lay any).... Give Valbazen.... withhold eggs for the ten days... give Valbazen again.. withhold eggs for 14days... if you do not see a need to dose with Valbazen again, eggs are safe to eat on 15th day after second treatment or 25th day after starting worming.

It is up to you and I suggest you search here and look to dawg53 for the worming advice.. he helped me a lot with my flock and worms.

Good luck. I hope she gets well -- Oh.. Pumpkins, WormGuard, DE, none of the "natural things" actually prevent worms.. or treat them.. these things are "nice" and can help with health and all.. but, they are not wormers. Free ranging chickens get worms -- if they eat bugs, they have worms.. and most likely more than one type.

Best of luck..

 

[gallusdomesticus]

It sounds like she has an obstruction in her digestive system which is keeping her crop from emptying. The water that runs out of her mouth when she is tilted indicates that. You need to feel her crop to see if it empties, best time is in the morning but if she isn't eating, it should be empty. If it is not a crop impaction issue then she may have a blockage further downstream in her stomach or intestines. Unfortunately, chickens don't have an innate sense of what it edible and what is not and can eat things not good for them. I lost my favorite hen last year due to her eating some staples and lodging in her gut. I hope this is not the case with your bird. If you can afford it, you may want to take her to the vet to get x-rayed.

 

[top of the hill]

Quote:
Just wanting to mention that when my girl had sour crop it hung down pretty far. If its more in the abdomen, definetly check to see if she is swollen from being egg bound. Some good advice from Chicken Pauper above.