HELP!!! Clear fluid running out of broody hens beak???

[jen1]

I noticed her in the run (door to run open to outside for free range). She has been sitting on her clutch of eggs in the coop. I did see an egg about a foot away from where she was laying...thought she was laying on another egg??? I came close to her but she seemed to react (fluff up and start quietly chatting...so I left her). What a mistake. Came back a few hours later; she was near the door to the run (wet from a few rain drops) just laying as before. I decided to try to pick her up. As I grabbed her, fluid came flowing out of her beak, a cloudy, watery fluid. She did not fight my picking her up @ all. I immediately took her indoors, covered her with a towel and put her in a small carrier. I felt for what might be an egg (never done this before so not exactly sure what I was feeling for), but I did not feel what might have been an egg. I looked online and saw a few postings on the crop. I extended her beak upward and massaged her neck area a few times. Even tried to give her electrolyte water in an eye dropper ( kept her neck extended while I did this), but she died within 15 min. or so. I took the clutch of eggs (which she had not been sitting on all day) and put them in the incubator. Don't know what will happen with those. I am concerned about my other birds. I have 10. I will sanitize the coop tomorrow as best as I can....has anyone had this happen???

 

[jen1]

Oh, this is a guinea hen...not a chicken.

 

[lizzybaxter]

I had the exact thing happen with an older hen I have. When I squeezed on her crop it made her throw up a lot of liquid. She had a poopy bottom so I washed her off, couldn't feel an egg in there. She hasn't laid in quite some time, as she is older. I gave her an antibiotic injection but it didn't help.

I don't know......

I had another young hen die too, a few weeks later-- no throwing up just looking awful and then boom! Don't think they were related.

So frustrating. This site is very helpful for many, many ailments but when one gets sick unless you see a pretty obvious cause, it's just a crap shoot.

I'm sorry about your bird. I am very attached to all of mine.

 

[jen1]

Thanks...I know what you mean.... frustrating is an understatement. Do you have guineas or chickens?
I was a little upset...just wish I would have known what to do. Of course, she was laying a fair amount of the eggs. Luckily, I have 4-5 more females left (out of the 10). Do you keep an antibiotic on hand for them? Wonder if I should have something. I am fairly new with guineas. They are just a yr. in June. I am also having a problem with the hens pulling off feathers, Not sure if it is a mating thing or if it is aggression. Have you experienced this with your hens?

 

[lizzybaxter]

Thanks...I know what you mean.... frustrating is an understatement. Do you have guineas or chickens?
I was a little upset...just wish I would have known what to do. Of course, she was laying a fair amount of the eggs. Luckily, I have 4-5 more females left (out of the 10). Do you keep an antibiotic on hand for them? Wonder if I should have something. I am fairly new with guineas. They are just a yr. in June. I am also having a problem with the hens pulling off feathers, Not sure if it is a mating thing or if it is aggression. Have you experienced this with your hens?

I have chickens and guineas. I have several antibiotics in the barn, as my vet has given me lots of advice as well as meds. I don't know that I would go out and get some, as it's kind of a last ditch effort, you know? I did have some pain med on hand and gave it to my elderly hen as she was dying; in hindsight, I should have overdosed her and it would have been quicker, poor baby. Are your hens pulling feathers off each other? Roosters obviously will do this to hens as a dominance thing. When I first got guineas I put them in with the chickens and they were pulling out the chickens' feathers and eating them! Turns out, my old ignorant self needed to be giving them greens and oyster shells, and then separating them.
Chickens also, as you know, will establish the pecking order with each other and that sometimes involves a little feather pulling.

 

[jen1]

They are pulling feathers....some of the birds look a little roughed up. I bought a hot spicy spray but have not used it yet. Don't know if it will work. Hope the feathers grow back before late fall. Not sure how long it takes for the feathers to come back.

 

[lizzybaxter]

They are pulling feathers....some of the birds look a little roughed up. I bought a hot spicy spray but have not used it yet. Don't know if it will work. Hope the feathers grow back before late fall. Not sure how long it takes for the feathers to come back.

I wasn't clear on whether these are hens pulling on hens, or roosters pulling on hens-- two very different things. The rooster thing can be a normal part of mating; however, I do "reprimand" my roosters when they do this. The hens doing this to each other is part of establishing the pecking order and it's usually over fairly quickly.

The spicy thing probably won't work because chickens can't "taste" spicy. Hope this helps?