HI all, I have a Leghorn that isn't looking to good and I am wondering what i can do to help her. She has droopy tail feathers and her bottom is quite a mess, her cone is greying and she just sits, when she does try to walk she tends to fall over. She is a rescue hen and I've had her for 2 years so she is quite old. She is still eating and drinking but not doing a lot else. She sits and closes her eyes. There is no evidence of discharge from her eyes or nose or difficulty breathing. What i have done so far is to treat her for mites by dusting her and the rest of the flock, i have also put antibiotic in her water. I am yet to worm her as i did that in Jan. I can't separate her from the flock as i don't have anywhere to put her and we have a dog that would love to eat her....... Any advice or treatments other than the vet as hubby won't allow that and $$$ is an issue I am happy to try as i don't want her to suffer. Hubby has offered to put her out of her misery but i just want to make sure i've given her every chance first. Thanks everyone Kate
Check her for egg binding with a gloved finger inserted an inch or so into her vent. Many older hens can suffer from internal laying or other reproductive problems. Those can cause leg pain, runny droppings, weight loss or fluid collecting in the lower abdomen. Although antibiotics such a Baytril or enrofloxacin may be used to prolong life, there isn't a good prognosis from many of those problems. Here is a list of reproductive illnesses that you may like to read from Merck Manual (just click on each title): Topics in Disorders of the Reproductive System Cystic Right Oviduct in Poultry Defective or Abnormal Eggs in Poultry Egg-Bound or Impacted Oviducts in Poultry Egg Peritonitis in Poultry False Layer (Poultry) Hypocalcemia, Sudden Death, Osteoporosis, or Cage Layer Fatigue (Poultry) Internal Layer (Poultry) Infertility in Poultry Neoplasia of the Reproductive System in Poultry Oophoritis and Ovary Regression in Poultry Prolapse of the Oviduct in Poultry Salpingitis in Poultry Sex Reversal in Poultry
