Coryza? Coccidiosis? Help!

[Abbi]

Hi all,

I'm afraid we're going to lose one of our original hens. This morning, she wouldn't come out of the coop with the rest. She was laying down, legs not working, BEET red eyes (they're usually yellow/orange). We brought her inside and laid her in the bathtub. This is when we noticed that she had gritty diarrhea around her vent that smells HORRIBLE, and a brown mucus coming from her mouth. Breathing with her mouth open. Wont eat or drink. I suspect Coryza or Coccidiosis. Any thoughts??

 

[nuthatched]

Sounds like source crop or an infection.

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

Is her crop empty or full? Are you sure the brown mucus is from her respiratory track and not her crop? Brown phlegm is usually brown from blood.

She sounds very sick.... If you can't get her to a vet to determine what sort of infection she has I think you'll just have to guess/ treat her with whatever you have available. Could be bacterial, fungal, or viral. I think bacterial is most common but treating with antibiotics will make a fungal infection worse. Not much you can do if it's viral.

I'd also wipe any mucus out of her mouth and nostrils to help her breathe and see if you can syringe a little electrolyte water into her to help support her.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi all,

I'm afraid we're going to lose one of our original hens. This morning, she wouldn't come out of the coop with the rest. She was laying down, legs not working, BEET red eyes (they're usually yellow/orange). We brought her inside and laid her in the bathtub. This is when we noticed that she had gritty diarrhea around her vent that smells HORRIBLE, and a brown mucus coming from her mouth. Breathing with her mouth open. Wont eat or drink. I suspect Coryza or Coccidiosis. Any thoughts??

I'm sorry about your hen.

How old is she?
Do you have photos of her, her eyes and poop?

Brown mucous coming from the beak - is it the crop contents you are seeing?

You mention Coccidiosis and Coryza.

Older birds usually have resistance to the strains of Coccidia that's found in their environment, but sometimes if one is not well, they can suffer from an overload (Coccidiosis).

Infectious Coryza is a respiratory disease. Swelling of the facial tissue often with pus, coughing/sneezing/wheezing and mucous from the nostrils are common symptoms.

When was her last egg? Do you note any bloat or fluid in the abdomen?

Check her for lice/mites, see if her crop is emptying. Often if a hen is older, symptoms usually stem from reproductive disorders and/or organ failure.

Hydration is always important, but sadly doesn't sound like you may be able to get fluids into her.

If you lose her, a necropsy would give you answers to the cause of her decline. If that's something you wish to do, then keep the body cold (refrigerated) and send it to your state lab https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html
Some folks do their own informal investigation, if you do it yourself, take photos and we'll try to help you with what you see.