Help please ! My best girl is under the weather

[cluckinfrazy]

So this is the situation. few days ago I noticed that she was keeping to herself. Her...ack......poop....is sorta loose and dark green and kinda watery around it. her crop is sorta large and mushy, and I don't see her eating much. She seems to have lost weight, but her abdomen is round and hard/firm. I've been treating the flock with an antibiotic from my local feed/farm supply since first noticing the change in her. But she is still moping around, and I haven't seen much if any improvement.......Anybody have any suggestions?

 

[terryg]

You were right to be concerned. However, it doesn't sound to me like a contagious disease. But, once you start the course of antibiotics, you have to finish it for the whole flock or you'll have more problems. For future reference, you might want to see my FAQ about what to do if you hen looks sick
http://www.hencam.com/henblog/diagnosing-a-sick-chicken/
Sadly, hens get many diseases, including cancer. They also get internal infections from egg-laying glitches. Isolate her so you can see if she's eating anything (sometimes they fake it so that they keep their status in the flock.) I'd dose with epsom salts and also put a touch of apple cider vinegar in the water. Those two treatments can help her fight whatever she's dealing with - but it won't fix things if you have a serious ailment. Check my blog archives. I've lots of posts about how to do do those two things.

 

[cluckinfrazy]

Thanks terryg. I will certainly try your suggestions

 

[cluckinfrazy]

Just tucked my flock in for the night and my best girl isn't looking so good. she was kinda just standing in the corner and looking constipated. Tried to put her up to roost but she didn't look comfortable. I Didn't have time to get the kennel ready so I put her in one of the nesting boxes till morning. I don't notice a fowl smell when I massage her crop. She has been shaking her head a bit. Her tummy feels bloated/hard....Egg Bound?