Cream Legbar (1 yr) Has Odd, Non-Contagious Symptoms

[ChickenAJ]

This is Petra and Cammi, my two cream legbars.

Recently, over the past month or two, Petra has been developing some odd symptoms. I hope you can help me figure it out.

First, she was laying down all the time, tail tucked, and we noticed she was not laying eggs. She also had some build up of pasty butt. So we gave a few soak baths with the epsom salt (once a day). (She loved it!)
Second, we noticed her vent may have been a little prolapsed. We continued the soak baths a couple more times. We kept her indoors away from her flock during this time. Eventually, a few days later, we put her back out when she looked stronger and had her tail up. She remained strong when introduced back into the chicken flock, but she was picked on by some flockmates. I defended her for the time I could that evening, but she quickly retreated back to her laying down position and tail tucked (like it sapped her energy to be reintroduced).
Within two days, I think, she started to lay her eggs again.
The next week or so, she continued laying eggs, but also continued laying down in her run. So I just figured she may just prefer to lay down in her life.

About a month passed, and I noticed she isn't moving as quickly. Though she will follow her flockmates, she drifts behind them slowly. This is about the time the picture above was taken. She continues to have her tail tucked, moves slowly, continues to eat and drink... but she is losing weight! In fact, I estimate she is about half the size of Cammi, her sister. I am giving her her own egg to chow down on (I hold her to ensure she is the only one that gets it) and some water with electrolyte/probiotic; plus she eats and drinks with her flock too. She will eat and drink as regular when the egg and electrolyte/probiotic is offered. I don't know when the last time she laid an egg was, but it has been more than a week.

No other flockmates are showing these symptoms.

What are your thoughts? Have you seen this kind of sickness before? Should I try soak baths with epsom salt more or did I overdo it with epsom salt and she is suffering toxic consequences (if that's a thing)? I cannot keep her inside because we have baby chicks right now.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you take a sample of her poop to your vet for a fecal float to rule out worms?

She's laying consistently? Hard shelled eggs?
What's her poop like?

I'd offer supportive care, giving poultry vitamins a couple of times a week. See that her crop is emptying and give her a going over for lice/mites.
She may be starting to suffer from a reproductive disorder (cancer, eyp, salpingitis, etc.) and/or organ failure organ, but hard to know unless you lose her and have further diagnostics.

 

[ChickenAJ]

Though I have never seen Petra lay an egg myself, I only have my best guess by elimination for what egg is hers and I havent seen that egg in a while. (I figure its her egg because her breed lays the prettier blue egg and its only Petra and Cammi for their breed. Petra’s egg I have always assumed had more calcium buildup on one side. Cammi’s had less, I assume.) Anyway, havent seen what I think is Petra’s egg in a week or so.

If it IS worms, is it safe to administer dewormer (fenbendazole)?
If it ISNT worms, is it safe to administer dewormer (fenbendazole)?
Label says “If your bird looks or acts sick do not administer this product.” — but i thought i was supposed to give a dewormer if the chicken may have worms...?

Her droppings are completely watery - im not sure how to collect to take it to vet, but hoping i can try to find a way. Any suggestions would be helpful.

 

[ChickenAJ]

Petra has always been prone to sickness and injuries. Petra means “rock”. I named her that because she seems strong and able to overcome.

 

[McChooky]

Isolating her from the flock to prevent attacks, epsom salt baths and applying hydrocortisone to the vent will decrease swelling ,lower stress and reduce pain.
Pain and stress can cause pasty butt.

 

[ChickenAJ]

Was able to get a fecal sample to a veterinarian today. He saw a “larvae” which means Petra has worms. Such a relief, at least a little. Vet also questioned her having runny diarrhea (its basically 99% watery), so he also prescribed an antibiotic (Baytril) and a vitamin (Lixotinic?).

We are going to continue the three-day dose of dewormer and then again in 10 days to ensure it rids microscopic worm eggs. They also have ACV in their water and we are deworming the rest of the flock as well.

If there isnt a bacterial infection, is it still safe to administer the antiobiotic? I would assume the vet wouldnt prescribe such unless its safe to do so, right? (Vet doesnt normally practice aviary medicine - he was just nice to make a few extra bucks off me probably.)

 

[ChickenAJ]

Update on Petra:

She has been on vitamin and antibiotic for three days now, and is finished with the 3-day streak of dewormer. She perked up Saturday, but after that, went back downhill. I think she laid an egg on Saturday too. She is drinking a lot, but i havent seen her eat. We soaked her butt to get some of the mess off and redignify her. The we noticed what the feathers had been hiding: we knew she was losing weight, but it got bad enough that her breatbone broke through her skin.

Offered her eggs - boiled and scrambled - and she wasnt really interested. Today I figured out - oh! what about offering her the crumbles but softened/soaked in water (i am thinking she may be having a hard time eating). Better yet, let me offer her the chick starter medicated crumbles soaked in water. She loved it! She is now recovering in the garage, where she has her light on, a window open, and a fan blowing. Living it up! I noticed she is switching between drinking and napping like a baby chick would. Also, her comb has much more life to it since eating these watered-down medicated grains.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

For some reason I missed your updates!

I'm glad you were able to see the vet and get medications, hopefully this will get her on the road to recovery.

You mention she's drinking a lot, this could be due to hot weather, but I would check her crop to see that it's emptying overnight too. Sometimes the digestive system slows when there's an underlying condition like reproductive disorders, organ failure, etc.

 

[ChickenAJ]

Petra passed this morning.

Yesterday we spent some time outdoors, listening to her flock, birds, nature, etc. When her flock saw her yesterday, they knew. She had a luxurious setup in the garage: straw bedding in a low-walled box, on a towel, with a fan circulating air.

The last couple of days, i just dont believe she had the strength to recover from whatever she had going on.
This last week, she had an impacted crop (I think because she wasnt moving). I fasted her, to empty the stubborn crop. I think this was a mistake given her condition; she had trouble eating since the fast. She finished antibiotics, 3-day dewormer, and was eating and drinking up til yesterday (last couple of days, she needed help performing all bodily functions except breathing).
On top of that, taking care of Cammi’s bumblefoot, 4 week old chicks, and cleaning the coop/run.... we were staying busy just with chicken matters!!
I learned a lot in this streak, and am now prepared for future chicken care. My partner won’t have the stomach for it, but I was thinking about opening her body up to inspect further and see if I can figure out what it was (there was multiple things going on - worms, breastbone wound, and impacted crop were the only things confirmed - but what was the initial sickness/ underlying cause is my question).

Does anybody have tips for an autopsy?

Oh! And the egg I thought was Petra’s was not. We collected it the other day from the coop. Petra was in the garage.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry to hear about Petra

It would be good to investigate further if you feel that you can. I do my own and am certainly not an expert at it but have found that I can usually learn something each time or at least confirm/rule out some things.

If you wish, post photos of the process and we will try to help you with what you find.

The video below is long, but it's also scrollable and the organs are labeled as well. For a hen I would start at the abdomen and look at the reproductive system, organs (heart and liver) first. Most often these are what are most affected when hens decline like this.