Droopy comb, runny poop, drooping tail, 4yo hen, sick

[Johnny5ish]

We have a 4 year old hen. We just lost one chicken that slowly lost weight and eventually stopped eating all together and I had to put her down. We tried everything short of the vet to save her... Cleaning coop, moving coop, changing food, draining for sour crop (which she had before and recovered from), probiotics in water and feed, yogurt and oatmeal, electrolytes, diatomaceous earth in food and around coop, and nothing worked this time. Now her coop mate seems to suffering something similar. This one (named Mahi) is 4yo and used to lay eggs. She has not had an easy life. Two of her sisters were eaten by wild animals and 2 by dogs. That left the two we had until just recently. From the original 6 we just have poor Mahi we recently got 2 new hens and 2 ducks (only Mahi is in the coop and they are all separated). Mahi is slightly lethargic, but still eating and scratching. She feels very heavy but still seems to be losing muscle and instead is very bloated. Her comb and tail are droopy, and she sleeps more than normal. Her comb started drooping about 2 weeks ago, and she slowly seems to be getting worse. I'm not sure of the breed anymore but maybe someone can tell by the picture. No sign of injury or broken bones. Her poop is runny, but not completely watery and no blood. With her we have tried diatomaceous earth in food, given probiotics in oatmeal and yogurt, tried a little apple cider vinegar in her water with access to regular water. We built a very nice and dry 3 x 7.5 coop with 3 nesting boxes a very nice roosting perch, and a chicken run underneath. She gets to free range a lot when we get home from work, usually about 3 or 4 hours. (now all day under quarantine work from home). But we've also tried keeping her in the coop to see if she improves. We use sand or hay as a substrate. Under the coop there is bare earth. We would like to treat ourselves. Vets are very expensive. Any advice would be great. Thanks!

 

[Eggcessive]

Unfortunately she appears to be standing more upright, and tail held down. That is usually a sign of internal laying or egg yolk peritonitis, which is very common in older hens. Cancer is also common. Ascites or water belly is something that can accompany those reproductive disorders, and can cause an enlarged and tight lower belly. Crop problems can sometimes accompany repro disorders. I would probably let her do as much as she wants or feels like doing. Offer some chicken feed mixed with water into a mash, and scrambled egg is good. If she gets to the point that she is suffering, I would think about putting her down. When I lose one this way, I usually do a home necropsy to look for a cause of death. If you do one, take pictures of the abdominal contents and organs, and post here for any help. Sorry about your hen.

 

[Johnny5ish]

Thank you so much for the information. What you are describing sounds pretty spot on for water belly. So it sounds like there isn't much chance she pulls through? Is a 4 yo hen old? Is there anything we could do different to prevent this in future birds? We buy the largest feed bag possible for the economic, maybe we should try smaller bags so it always fresher? We haven't super clear signs it's gone bad, but maybe it's just stale? We keep it in a metal trash can. Occasionally I would find a large amount of maggots in the compost and let the chickens eat all they wanted (maybe 2 or 3 times per year) over the last 3 years. Is that bad?