Help - Seriously Ill Hen

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Dgrif5

Dgrif5

Chirping
Jul 27, 2018
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Sorry for the post, but we are at a loss in this. For the past few days, one of our hens began acting strangely, standing lethargically around instead of wandering around with the other hens, and only half-heartedly going for food/drink. In addition, her feathers on her back looked quite messy as well. She went into the coop at night, so we thought we'd watch and see the next morning. Well the next morning she wouldn't leave the coop, and was just sitting in the one corner by herself. Looking more closely, we could see that her feather were all matted with dirt on the top. In addition, she stopped going for food/drink altogether, even when offered her favourite snacks. after a suggestion from a friend and fellow chicken-keeper, we gave her some cat food which she ate a little bit of, and checked her over, but couldn't find sign of any injuries. she was also still passing feces, so we assumed she wasn't egg-bound, though the feces was an odd yellow colour and quite runny. We placed her into our little broody coop for the night with plenty of bedding and some food/drink. Come today however, she's much worse. barely has her eyes open, wont touch her food/drink, shuddering quite a bit, and the tips of her comb have turned a purple/dark colour... is it worth bringing her inside at this point? we didn't want to do it before as we have many cats and it tends to distress the chickens, but we could clear a room and put her in there. I just hate the idea of distressing her overtly for no reason, especially as she seems so bad already. To be honest, she seems so bad and the moment that I fear there is nothing much that can be done, but I thought it was worth a try. We should probably have done something more drastic earlier, but we've never had an incident like this where some time away, food, and warm bedding hasn't helped out.
Any suggestions would be appreciated, as we have very little experience with chicken illnesses outside of broody hen and chick stresses, and one particularly horrifying incident with one of our hens where there was nothing we could do..

Edit: added image.
 

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the only vet around here won't really deal with chickens, we took one a while ago and the only option they really gave us was to put them down..

Thank you very much for the assistance though, i really appreciate it
 
I am sorry about your hen. It sounds like she might be very sick or dying. How old is she and does she lay eggs? Reproductive disorders and crop problems (sour or impacted crop) are very common. I would bring her inside in a dog crate and keep her warm on a towel. Offer some water up to her beak in a small cup, and if you have electrolytes or warm Gatorade, that would be good as well.

Can you feel of her crop and tell us if it is empty and flat, or if it is full, puffy, hard, or doughy? Poop pictures are always welcome. Look her over for any lice or mites on her skin under her vent and elsewhere. Does her lower belly under the vent look full or enlarged compared to other hens? Scrambled egg and wet chicken feed mixed with a lot of water are usually good for tempting one to eat.
 
right ,well I've taken hen inside now, but when I put her in the carrier she just sat down and let off the most awful smelling feces I've ever smelt, so that's not good. I've tucked in in a quiet room, and given her some water and food she can access. I tried the suggestion of putting water to her beak, but there was no response whatsoever... There doesn't seem to be any discharge from her nose/eyes, so it is most likely mud.
Also as requested, here is the image of the latest... discharge. I hope that it's of some use.

Thanks again for the support and assistance.

Edit: in regards to the mud, i've looked and looked but cant find any injuries underneath. It's bafflign to me as well. I've seen a few other hens with a bit of dirt in the same place, but only a tiny bit (i assume from a grubby cockerel trying to mount). not nearly to the same extent though.
 

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Dgrif5 said:
right ,well I've taken hen inside now, but when I put her in the carrier she just sat down and let off the most awful smelling feces I've ever smelt, so that's not good. I've tucked in in a quiet room, and given her some water and food she can access. I tried the suggestion of putting water to her beak, but there was no response whatsoever... There doesn't seem to be any discharge from her nose/eyes, so it is most likely mud.
Also as requested, here is the image of the latest... discharge. I hope that it's of some use.

Thanks again for the support and assistance.

Edit: in regards to the mud, i've looked and looked but cant find any injuries underneath. It's bafflign to me as well. I've seen a few other hens with a bit of dirt in the same place, but only a tiny bit (i assume from a grubby cockerel trying to mount). not nearly to the same extent though.
Click to expand...
That might be cecal poop and it's the worst smell you've ever experienced and that comes from an RN who used to collet 72 hour poop from patients in a paint can. I know I'm dating myself. VBG BTW cecal poop is normal.
 

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