Green liquid diarrhea, can't stand, very lethargic

[Wyorp Rock]

I live in Memphis TN. How am I going to understand if crop is emptying? It feels soft and squishy. Her mouth is open and has a difficulty to breathe.

You would check the crop first thing in the morning before you give her anything to eat/drink.

How long has been having trouble breathing? Anything stuck inside her beak, lesions in the throat?
Any bloat or fluid in the abdomen?

She's in crisis, so you're going to have to access her.
Have you ever had respiratory illness in your flock?
Can you feel an egg inside her vent?

 

[aydogdu1979]

You would check the crop first thing in the morning before you give her anything to eat/drink.

How long has been having trouble breathing? Anything stuck inside her beak, lesions in the throat?
Any bloat or fluid in the abdomen?

She's in crisis, so you're going to have to access her.
Have you ever had respiratory illness in your flock?
Can you feel an egg inside her vent?

has trouble breathing for 4-5 days. Her mouth is open most of the time. The throat seems normal. I have 3 other chickens and they are healthy, no problem with them. I suspected an eggbound (watched a youtube video), put her in warm water for about 10 minutes. The problem is that she does not eat or drink anything, I am afraid she going to die because of hunger and dehydration. Should I feed her with a syringe?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

has trouble breathing for 4-5 days. Her mouth is open most of the time. The throat seems normal. I have 3 other chickens and they are healthy, no problem with them. I suspected an eggbound (watched a youtube video), put her in warm water for about 10 minutes. The problem is that she does not eat or drink anything, I am afraid she going to die because of hunger and dehydration. Should I feed her with a syringe?

I would say she's dehydrated if she's been like this for 4-5 days.
Have you actually felt inside the vent for any egg? Lubricate a gloved finger and feel inside about 1-1/2" for an egg or obstruction.
She's pooping some, so likely there's not an egg low enough to be blocking the vent.

Is she coughing any? Slinging her head?
Can you get a video of what she sounds like? Upload video to youtube and provide a link.

You can try syringing or tubing fluids into her, but if she's in such distress with her breathing, she may fight you very hard.

Crop is empty? Nothing inside her beak ?


https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/crop-feeding.75454/

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Thread 'Severe diarrhea that does not heal for 5 days' https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/severe-diarrhea-that-does-not-heal-for-5-days.1513387/

 

[aydogdu1979]

I would say she's dehydrated if she's been like this for 4-5 days.
Have you actually felt inside the vent for any egg? Lubricate a gloved finger and feel inside about 1-1/2" for an egg or obstruction.
She's pooping some, so likely there's not an egg low enough to be blocking the vent.

Is she coughing any? Slinging her head?
Can you get a video of what she sounds like? Upload video to youtube and provide a link.

You can try syringing or tubing fluids into her, but if she's in such distress with her breathing, she may fight you very hard.

Crop is empty? Nothing inside her beak ?


https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/crop-feeding.75454/

No coughs or sound. inside the beak is normal. I will check the vent

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thread 'Severe diarrhea that does not heal for 5 days' https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/severe-diarrhea-that-does-not-heal-for-5-days.1513387/

Thanks!

 

[Lizzy733]

4-5 days and she will have started losing condition. Check her breast and feel for the 'keel' bone. She should feel meaty with some or little bone protruding - as I've said before, check a healthy bird for a good comparison, but orpington should be in the 'meatier' side with less bone than most other breeds. If the breast is thin and the bone very prominent, then she is wasting away.

Tube feeding, if you have the right equipment, can be relatively straightforward, but you did mention her crop is not empty?

An empty crop should be able to hold 60-80ml of food. - too full and they run the risk of regurgitation and asphyxiation. When tube feeding, I aim to give around 50ml and use thicker or thinner solutions depending on their condition. Also, a rather long tube (oiled with olive oil), which can reach most of the way down the throat, but not so far as to enter the crop - you really just want to get past the windpipe (which is the hole at the base if the tongue).

With her condition now, and if her crop is not completely empty, I'd stick to very soft watery foods in small amounts. Avian probiotics and vitamins like Polyaid, electrolytes, and apple sauce or lorikeet wet mix would be a good starter slurry. The waterier it is, the thinner tube you can use, and the less obtrusive it is. Maybe start off light, like 25ml 3x a day and keep an eye on her crop speed (or how quickly it is emptying). If it isn't emptying, try massaging the crop to coax it down, but hold off on feeding more until it has emptied.

She may be on her last leg here and digestive system already shutting down if her crop isn't moving.

With soaks and things like crop massages, the longer the better - 10 minutes is quite quick for a therapeutic soak. A person would probably soak for at least 30 mins before they started to properly relax. I'd hold off on any baths (unless cleaning the rump) if her body condition is poor, which it likely is, as frail birds don't fare well with heavy handling.

*I should mention the crop should be emptied by the next feed time, if not, then massage. It shouldn't be expected to empty immediately after a feed. Oh, and any slurry you give her should be warm, but not scalding - like it should not burn the inside of your wrist. Never tube feed a sick bird cold food.

 

[aydogdu1979]

4-5 days and she will have started losing condition. Check her breast and feel for the 'keel' bone. She should feel meaty with some or little bone protruding - as I've said before, check a healthy bird for a good comparison, but orpington should be in the 'meatier' side with less bone than most other breeds. If the breast is thin and the bone very prominent, then she is wasting away.

Tube feeding, if you have the right equipment, can be relatively straightforward, but you did mention her crop is not empty?

An empty crop should be able to hold 60-80ml of food. - too full and they run the risk of regurgitation and asphyxiation. When tube feeding, I aim to give around 50ml and use thicker or thinner solutions depending on their condition. Also, a rather long tube (oiled with olive oil), which can reach most of the way down the throat, but not so far as to enter the crop - you really just want to get past the windpipe (which is the hole at the base if the tongue).

With her condition now, and if her crop is not completely empty, I'd stick to very soft watery foods in small amounts. Avian probiotics and vitamins like Polyaid, electrolytes, and apple sauce or lorikeet wet mix would be a good starter slurry. The waterier it is, the thinner tube you can use, and the less obtrusive it is. Maybe start off light, like 25ml 3x a day and keep an eye on her crop speed (or how quickly it is emptying). If it isn't emptying, try massaging the crop to coax it down, but hold off on feeding more until it has emptied.

She may be on her last leg here and digestive system already shutting down if her crop isn't moving.

With soaks and things like crop massages, the longer the better - 10 minutes is quite quick for a therapeutic soak. A person would probably soak for at least 30 mins before they started to properly relax. I'd hold off on any baths (unless cleaning the rump) if her body condition is poor, which it likely is, as frail birds don't fare well with heavy handling.

*I should mention the crop should be emptied by the next feed time, if not, then massage. It shouldn't be expected to empty immediately after a feed. Oh, and any slurry you give her should be warm, but not scalding - like it should not burn the inside of your wrist. Never tube feed a sick bird cold food.

It has been about 10 days and no improvement in her condition. But I learnt a lot from here and other forums and I can say she has a swollen abdomen. I am sure of that because I checked the other 3 chicks and this one's belly is significantly round and ball shaped and swollen. I believed it is egg bound and got epsom salt and calsium pills, tried twice and it didn't work. I checked the vent but not sure if I did it correctly. Should I look for an egg straight back, up or down when I insert my finger? I believe it should be somewhere 1-2 inches to the vent? What might be if it is not an eggbound? Thank you so much for the responses.

 

[aydogdu1979]

Does her abdomen feel weird? Sort of swollen and overly full?

Does her abdomen feel weird? Sort of swollen and overly full?

It has been about 10 days and no improvement in her condition. But I learnt a lot from here and other forums and I can say she has a swollen abdomen. I am sure of that because I checked the other 3 chicks and this one's belly is significantly round and ball shaped and swollen. I believed it is egg bound and got epsom salt and calsium pills, tried twice and it didn't work. I checked the vent but not sure if I did it correctly. Should I look for an egg straight back, up or down when I insert my finger? I believe it should be somewhere 1-2 inches to the vent? What might be if it is not an eggbound? Thank you so much for the responses.

 

[Lizzy733]

She's quite young, but ascites is another possibility for a swollen abdomen, or internal laying.

Did she have a localized fever which may indicate an infection?