HELP...... I am not sure whats wrong with Gigi, but it doesn't look good I am afraid

[MagicMarcy66]

My Americana hen, Gigi would not go into the coop last night to roost. My son found her under the hen house in the corner. When we put her in the hen house we noticed right away she was not steady on her feet, her right wing was hanging low, but she does pull it up when she takes steps, her crop was empty and tail lowered.

We brought her in the house immediately and we gave her water and some mash and scratch. She drank about 8oz of water from her bowl and ate like she hadn't eaten all day. Unfortunately I was gone for the day so I am not sure how she was yesterday.

Now this morning Gigi is panting or breathing heavy like she is hot with her beak open. Its 68 degrees in the house this morning. She is laying in the kennel almost on her left side and her right leg out to the side and toward the back. I have never had a chicken do this before. She is going to be 3 in September.

Her comb is pink and she is alert and oriented and looking around. She does get up from time to time and she pooped when I let her walk out of the kennel this morning. She was taking steps with a limp. The poop was on the soft side, but still had form. She is preening her self too and does her chicken talk from time to time.

I don't want to have to make her vomit if she doesn't have sour crop, I think it would only stress her out. Her crop is on the full side this morning.

I just want to cry, she is one of my favorites and loves to come in the house to visit.

I do have 2 very active 3 year old Labs and sometimes the chickens do cross their paths when Odie and Coco Bean are running in our yard and our roo sustained a ankle sprain from a rolling tumble when he and Odie collided a year ago.

I think I have covered all of her symptoms. She is pecking at the leftover scratch and mash in the kennel on the towel. I am going to give her some save a chick in her water.

Thank you for any help or advice, we really do appreciate it.

 

[realsis]

can you please post a picture of her with her legs in that position? what comes to mind is Marek's disease but I'm not sure. let's take a look at her picture and I'm sure it would be helpful in her diagnosis.

 

[MagicMarcy66]

ok I will take a picture and post of her. She is not sitting in that position constantly. I just saw it happen a while ago, and yes Mareks came to my mind and when I looked up the pictures and symptoms I believe that's what she has.

I am so sad and I have a hen that hatched last August and the lady at the feed store said don't vaccinate. I believed her and to the best of my knowledge all of my other hens with the exception of Goldie has been vaccinated as well as my rooster.

 

[MagicMarcy66]

I hope these uploaded ok. In the upper picture you can see her foot and she seems to be listing to the left now. My son seems to think that she might have been trying to "sun" herself earlier this morning when she was in her kennel. The sun was shinning in on her. We have had her out of the kennel and she is now walking steady but still breathing rapidly like she is fatigued and she seems like she is in pain. Her tail is still hanging low and my son seems to think she hasn't laid for a few days. I am going to check her to see if she is egg bound as well.

My poor Gigi, I hope this isn't Mareks and is something fixable.

Thank you for your help.

 

[MagicMarcy66]

Here are a couple more pictures. The left leg out and left wing is down. When she stands up she has both wings dropped down like they do when they are hot and trying to cool them selves.

Hope these help. She is still panting and not drinking anymore or eating.

 

[casportpony]

Can you take her to a vet? Are you willing to tube feed?

 

[muscovylove]

Tail hanging low, possible egg bound- or an infection up high where the eggs are made? Is she bloated under her feathers- and can you get access to antibiotics? My first instinct is that she's fighting an infection, and if you are comfortable tube feeding (easier than it sounds actually)- you can get the meds right into her crop. You can also use tube feeding to keep her hydrated with the Save a Chick- a chicken can go without food for several days, but not water.

 

[casportpony]

Tail hanging low, possible egg bound- or an infection up high where the eggs are made?  Is she bloated under her feathers- and can you get access to antibiotics?  My first instinct is that she's fighting an infection, and if you are comfortable tube feeding (easier than it sounds actually)- you can get the meds right into her crop.  You can also use tube feeding to keep her hydrated with the Save a Chick- a chicken can go without food for several days, but not water.

 

Good post!

 

[MagicMarcy66]

I agree I think it is an infection of some type. I have injectible Pen G and Keflex and Amoxil drops. Tube feeding is not a problem just need directions on how to. At this point I just want her to recover. I checked her to see if she was egg bound and I couldn't feel an egg in side of her and I also gave her the warm bath to maybe relax her as well.

 

[fiddlebanshee]

You're almost describing how my hen was that was an internal layer. Unsteady on her feet, tail down, gasping sometimes.

When she stands, does she have a "penguin-like" stance (ie very erect, balancing on the tail that is down?

Feel if you can feel a mass or fluid in her abdominal cavity. Mine went downhill very rapidly and I put her down on Tuesday. Found an avocado sized egg mass inside her with quite a bit of fluid around it.

Edited to add: I don't think it is Marek's. I thought so too at first with my hen since she didn't stand at all when I discovered she was sick. It is my understanding that it is very rare for chickens to contract it after they are older than 1 year.