Droopy Hen making weird noises

[slmwatts]

My 1.5 year old americauna hen is acting ill. She stand more upright and holds her tail down. She’s eaten and drank today but stayed close to coop and walked around very slowly. She makes a very muted version of her egg-laying noises and did what may have been a sneeze or cough. She opens her beak and pants at the onset of every breath. I’m curious if she’s eggbound but haven’t noticed a bump in abdomen? Also, recently had a rooster die mysteriously, and a month old chick died today. Hoping this hen isn’t next from some mystery illness!??? (Earlier post on sudden death of roo and chick but now this hen is not “suddenly ill” as she’s been off since yesterday)

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Oh, the poor thing. She looks very ill. The best thing you can do is to isolate her and keep her warm until you figure out what is going on. She has most likely been having problems for more than two days. Chickens that are ill do their best to mask any symptoms, so by the time you notice, it is often very late in the disease progression. Her posture does look like she could be egg bound, which can be life threatening. There will be plenty of info here about treatments you can try for that.
Also, observe the rest of your flock very carefully for any subtle signs of anyone else being off. Whatever it is might well be contagious, given that this is the 3rd one to have a problem.
Just in case, you should check to see if your state offers necropsy services for small flocks. In CA, it is free through the state university system. If your hen dies, you will want to know what you are dealing with and how to treat it.

 

[slmwatts]

Vet palpated her and it’s not egg binding. There is a small amount of fluid in the abdomen and her keel bone is very prominent indicating she’s been ill for quite some time. She’s isolated and I’m going to worm the flock. I cleaned everything with bleach. Just going to hope for the best. If I have any more get sick I will send off for necropsy though it costs $$ here in TX.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Sounds like you are doing everything you can. Hope she gets better and good luck with everything.