Eye swollen shut, feathers falling out and possible fever

[Michael A]

I added a tums to her morning feed which consisted of 55 ml warm water and 1 scoop of Exact

I lubricated my finger and inserted it 1 1/2 to 2" but did not feel an egg. I did get pooped on though

then I gave her a warm 20 minute Epsom salt bath which she did not mind and fell asleep

I towel dried her and put her in her favorite nesting box.

That was 15 minutes ago and she is sound asleep now

She is so weak i will be surprised if she lives. However, she does not seem to be in any pain so I am going to keep trying. Her next feeding is at 1pm.

I don't know what else I can do, any suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks
Mike

Good Morning Wyorp Rock,

Thank you so much for replying.

It has been three weeks since she laid an egg but her crop is empty this morning

Her eggs initially got smaller then she stopped all together. That is what alerted me that something was wrong and we found the mite infection and took care of it.

For two days after the mite infection was taken care of she seemed ok but reduced appetite. But for the last 3-4 days she has been wobbly and not walking much.

Yesterday I also noticed she was pumping her tail feathers. That should have alerted me but I am not as smart as I wish I was.

After seeing your question on egg laying I checked her hind end and it is swollen and caused her pain when I felt the area. I did not feel any eggs. The are is very firm the size of half an apple.

I quickly looked up treatments for egg binding. What I have seen is:

1.feeding her a crushing up a tums
2.lubing her chute with vegetable oil
3. an epsom salt bath now with very gently massage
4. dry and put in a dark place. I'm thinking her nesting box.

She has been on Tylosin for 5 days. I think it may be best to stop.

Any suggestions are appreciated

 

[Michael A]

UPDATE: My local vet checked her stool and she was clear of worms and Coccidiosis. Once those were ruled out, I took her to see the vet and he could not tell me what was wrong but thought she would not recover. So i put her to sleep.

I am sending her body off for an autopsy. I'll update this thread with the results.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi Mike,
I'm very sorry to hear about your hen

In the last photo you posted, the poor dear was not feeling well was she. I think you did what you could for her. With her being older and stopped laying eggs a little while back along with the swelling you felt, I would suspect she had some type of reproductive problem. Which one is hard to know. It's good that you are sending the body for necropsy. Please do let us know what you find out.

 

[Michael A]

Hi Mike,
I'm very sorry to hear about your hen

In the last photo you posted, the poor dear was not feeling well was she. I think you did what you could for her. With her being older and stopped laying eggs a little while back along with the swelling you felt, I would suspect she had some type of reproductive problem. Which one is hard to know. It's good that you are sending the body for necropsy. Please do let us know what you find out.

I got the results back from the Necropsy already.

Egg Yolk Peritonitis is what killed her, other than that she was healthy.

Cause.? Not sure but I did make a change to the coop a couple of months ago, I added a small solar light after one of my hens fell off the perch and beat herself to death trying to jump back up in the dark.

I read an article that said " Treatment for Egg Yolk Peritonitis : There is no real home treatment for this... however, if you are using light in the coop, cease. "

Apparently, a lit coop, even dimly lit can really throw them. It turns mites had nothing to do with it.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I got the results back from the Necropsy already.

Egg Yolk Peritonitis is what killed her, other than that she was healthy.

Cause.? Not sure but I did make a change to the coop a couple of months ago, I added a small solar light after one of my hens fell off the perch and beat herself to death trying to jump back up in the dark.

I read an article that said " Treatment for Egg Yolk Peritonitis : There is no real home treatment for this... however, if you are using light in the coop, cease. "

Apparently, a lit coop, even dimly lit can really throw them. It turns mites had nothing to do with it.

I'm sorry about your hen Mike, it's good you were able to find out why she was declining.
Sadly, Egg Yolk Peritonitis can be common in laying hens along with other reproductive disorders.
Possibly lighting can throw them, but I use no extra lighting in my coop and have had hens die from reproductive issues. I really do believe genetics plays a role as well.
Sometimes all you can do is provide fresh nutritionally balanced feed, fresh water and enjoy them while you have them. It's the pits when they suddenly don't feel well like that and I have yet to find anything that helps them overcome the condition. While I have had a few feel better for several months, they eventually take a turn for the worse and I put them out of their misery.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ions-my-youtube-video-graphic-photos.1201052/

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...is a common cause,It is diagnosed at necropsy.

 

[Michael A]

I'm sorry about your hen Mike, it's good you were able to find out why she was declining.
Sadly, Egg Yolk Peritonitis can be common in laying hens along with other reproductive disorders.
Possibly lighting can throw them, but I use no extra lighting in my coop and have had hens die from reproductive issues. I really do believe genetics plays a role as well.
Sometimes all you can do is provide fresh nutritionally balanced feed, fresh water and enjoy them while you have them. It's the pits when they suddenly don't feel well like that and I have yet to find anything that helps them overcome the condition. While I have had a few feel better for several months, they eventually take a turn for the worse and I put them out of their misery.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ions-my-youtube-video-graphic-photos.1201052/

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/disorders-of-the-reproductive-system/egg-peritonitis-in-poultry#:~:text=(Egg yolk peritonitis)&text=It is a common cause,It is diagnosed at necropsy.

Thank you for the help and for the links.

At least if it happens again, i'll be able to diagnose it quicker and put the hen down with minimal suffering. Also i think i did overfeed my hens too. I have a new batch coming up and I am cutting out their treats. The one that died was the largest, she looked fat. the rest look pretty lean and muscular

But, I am learning that being nice to my hens is not necessarily healthy for them.

On a different subject, what do you think about the concept of having them help out composting.

They seem to want to scratch and dig all the time anyway. maybe this will keep them busy and help the overall appearance of my run.

The only thing i was concerned with is hygiene. compost piles can get pretty yucky. old food scraps can grow mold plus people clean their coops and throw the droppings into the same compost piles that their chickens are foraging.

https://abundantpermaculture.com/i-cut-my-chicken-feed-bill-100/

Thanks again, Mike

 

[Eggcessive]

So sorry for your loss. As for light in the coop, I think that a skylight would be alright. I have windows on all sides of my coop that let some light in, but it is rather dim. I think some commercial hatcheries keep lights on 24/7 to maximize egg production, which is bad for them. In winter, you may find that the skylight is a great addition on cold days where they cannot get out.

Egg yolk peritonitis and other repro disorders are the most common causes of death in hens. There are several possible bacteria involved in reproductive problems, and those can enter the oviduct from the vent or can enter from the bloodstream via the abdomen.

 

[aart]

I think some commercial hatcheries keep lights on 24/7 to maximize egg production, which is bad for them.

I would think they'd give them a dark period, which is essential for laying too.
Agrees, light not part of the OP's problem.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you for the help and for the links.

At least if it happens again, i'll be able to diagnose it quicker and put the hen down with minimal suffering. Also i think i did overfeed my hens too. I have a new batch coming up and I am cutting out their treats. The one that died was the largest, she looked fat. the rest look pretty lean and muscular

But, I am learning that being nice to my hens is not necessarily healthy for them.

On a different subject, what do you think about the concept of having them help out composting.

They seem to want to scratch and dig all the time anyway. maybe this will keep them busy and help the overall appearance of my run.

The only thing i was concerned with is hygiene. compost piles can get pretty yucky. old food scraps can grow mold plus people clean their coops and throw the droppings into the same compost piles that their chickens are foraging.

https://abundantpermaculture.com/i-cut-my-chicken-feed-bill-100/

Thanks again, Mike

Mike,
I haven't really read much about composting for chickens and I've never tried it, so I don't have a formed opinion either way. Doing some research and asking on the Feeding/Watering your flock forums may get you some answers

 

[Michael A]

I'm sorry about your hen Mike, it's good you were able to find out why she was declining.
Sadly, Egg Yolk Peritonitis can be common in laying hens along with other reproductive disorders.
Possibly lighting can throw them, but I use no extra lighting in my coop and have had hens die from reproductive issues. I really do believe genetics plays a role as well.
Sometimes all you can do is provide fresh nutritionally balanced feed, fresh water and enjoy them while you have them. It's the pits when they suddenly don't feel well like that and I have yet to find anything that helps them overcome the condition. While I have had a few feel better for several months, they eventually take a turn for the worse and I put them out of their misery.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ions-my-youtube-video-graphic-photos.1201052/

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/disorders-of-the-reproductive-system/egg-peritonitis-in-poultry#:~:text=(Egg yolk peritonitis)&text=It is a common cause,It is diagnosed at necropsy.

wyrop and Eggcessive

I got the results back from the Necropsy already.

Egg Yolk Peritonitis is what killed her, other than that she was healthy.

Cause.? Not sure but I did make a change to the coop a couple of months ago, I added a small solar light after one of my hens fell off the perch and beat herself to death trying to jump back up in the dark.

I read an article that said " Treatment for Egg Yolk Peritonitis : There is no real home treatment for this... however, if you are using light in the coop, cease. "

Apparently, a lit coop, even dimly lit can really throw them. It turns mites had nothing to do with it.

When they sent the report, from the Necropsy it turns out "Marek's disease is suspected". (report attached) Which means my whole flock is probably contaminated. That is a shame, especially since I just added 7 new hens before this one died. I must figure out what to do. None of the hens are showing symptoms but the one this original post was about died of respiratory