Help! Sick duccle hen

[Sivory]

Hello,
I am a little lost as to what could be wrong with my duccle hen, she’s the sweetest thing and I’m very worried for her.
She’s fluffed up her feathers and isn’t too interested in moving. She will walk but when I let them out to free range this morning she was standing but not in a rush to come out of the yard like the others.

She has run poos but I don’t think she’s egg bound, her vent is moving but she’s not hard at all, I can’t feel an egg in there.

She’s got her beak open but she’s not panting.

She’s just unwell and I’m struggling to figure out how to help her. Her crop is hard and full, but she had access to some oats this morning so I’m not sure if she’s eaten this morning or not.

I’ve given her some electrolytes and broad spectrum antibiotics and put her in a warm cage inside .

Any suggestions?

 

[azygous]

Treat for egg binding even though you feel no egg. It could be stuck in the oviduct where it can't be felt. Give her a calcium tablet, calcium citrate or Tums, at least 600mg. The open beak means she is experiencing stress.

 

[Sivory]

Treat for egg binding even though you feel no egg. It could be stuck in the oviduct where it can't be felt. Give her a calcium tablet, calcium citrate or Tums, at least 600mg. The open beak means she is experiencing stress.

Thanks, I’ll give her calcium and a warm bath. Her crop isn’t emptying from this morning, if anything it’s still full. I’ve massaged it every hour or so, what else can I do?

 

[azygous]

A crop issue is common with an obstruction. You've done what you can for now. This may take over night to resolve if it's going to. Be warned that not all obstructions are eggs. A tumor may be in the oviduct and you will know soon enough if that's the case as this will not resolve.

 

[Sivory]

A crop issue is common with an obstruction. You've done what you can for now. This may take over night to resolve if it's going to. Be warned that not all obstructions are eggs. A tumor may be in the oviduct and you will know soon enough if that's the case as this will not resolve.

Hi @azygous, this morning Pip has not laid an egg so I’m leaning away from being egg bound.
Yesterday I gave her a very small amount of coconut oil every hour or so and massaged her crop, it felt like there was grains and grass in there.
This morning it has definitely gone down but is not completely empty, the lump is very firm but I can push it and it almost moulds to my finger like tough play dough. It feels like grass and maybe a little stone or big grain.
Yesterday she was pooing green watery stools, today she’s trying to poop but nothing is really coming out.
She is fluffed her feathers up, and looks unwell but she makes a speak noise to acknowledge me like she always does and although I fasted her yesterday to check the crop, I have given her Greek yoghurt this morning which she ate.

What else can I do for her? I love her dearly, she’s the sweetest little thing. If this needs to be a vet visit I can’t get her there for at least 3 days and we don’t have any avian vets where I live, I’m sure I could get our usual vet to check her over though.

 

[azygous]

Perhaps impacted crop has been her problem. The treatment is oil, lots of it, given each half hour with massage to break up the crop contents. It's hard work, and you need to dedicate a day to it until the crop empties.

Then give a probiotic each day for a while and be sure she has access to suitable grit.

 

[Sivory]

Perhaps impacted crop has been her problem. The treatment is oil, lots of it, given each half hour with massage to break up the crop contents. It's hard work, and you need to dedicate a day to it until the crop empties.

Then give a probiotic each day for a while and be sure she has access to suitable grit.

Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it.
I’ve kept up this protocol however unfortunately she just died. I walked into the kitchen to get her some egg and I looked up and she was seizing. She seized and died in an awful position, like her neck was outstretched and she had clear fluid coming from her mouth.
I had another one die a little over a week ago, who I thought was egg bound and within 5 hours of me finding her and bringing her to treat her the exact same thing happened.
I initially believed they had entirely different issues, and up until now I’ve hardly had any chicken health issues but I now believe they had the same issue given they’ve died the same way, do you have any idea what it could be?

Their coop and run is always clean, they always have fresh water, I worm them and give them electrolytes during hot weather. They are the most loved and looked after chickens, I’m not sure what could cause this, they are in the run at night and free range during the day.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

[azygous]

The symptoms could be from coccidiosis, especially since two chickens have died. Knowing your location could help in solving this. Also their age. It would be a good idea to treat any other chickens you have just in case this is what killed these two. I'm sorry about the deaths, especially the trauma of witnessing it. This is usually the manner in which a chicken dies. The "seizures" are really death throes and occur following the heart stopping. What you witnessed was the nervous system shutting down after the heart stopped pumping blood to the nerves and muscles. It's an unpleasant thing to witness.

Get some liquid Corid and mix two teaspoon into a gallon of water each day for five days. Stop for a week and do another five days. This is a vitanin B-1 blocker, not an antibiotic. This is safe even if you're treating strictly on a hunch.

Meanwhile, go over the food and bedding and any compost the chickens may dig in to see if you detect the presence of mold. Some molds are quite deadly. Another related possibility is botulism toxin if the chickens have been digging in wet, dank compost at an anaerobic level. Eating insects contaminated with this toxin can be deadly. If you think this is a possibility, block off or get rid of the compost or turn it and aerate it so sunlight and oxygen can kill the toxin. Also, have some amoxycillin on hand if you suspect this. Treated at the first sign of a chicken becoming lethargic with white mucous poop can save their life. Valleyvet.com has the Aquamox 250mg freshly restocked. Dose is one cap per day for ten days.

 

[Sivory]

The symptoms could be from coccidiosis, especially since two chickens have died. Knowing your location could help in solving this. Also their age. It would be a good idea to treat any other chickens you have just in case this is what killed these two. I'm sorry about the deaths, especially the trauma of witnessing it. This is usually the manner in which a chicken dies. The "seizures" are really death throes and occur following the heart stopping. What you witnessed was the nervous system shutting down after the heart stopped pumping blood to the nerves and muscles. It's an unpleasant thing to witness.

Get some liquid Corid and mix two teaspoon into a gallon of water each day for five days. Stop for a week and do another five days. This is a vitanin B-1 blocker, not an antibiotic. This is safe even if you're treating strictly on a hunch.

Meanwhile, go over the food and bedding and any compost the chickens may dig in to see if you detect the presence of mold. Some molds are quite deadly. Another related possibility is botulism toxin if the chickens have been digging in wet, dank compost at an anaerobic level. Eating insects contaminated with this toxin can be deadly. If you think this is a possibility, block off or get rid of the compost or turn it and aerate it so sunlight and oxygen can kill the toxin. Also, have some amoxycillin on hand if you suspect this. Treated at the first sign of a chicken becoming lethargic with white mucous poop can save their life. Valleyvet.com has the Aquamox 250mg freshly restocked. Dose is one cap per day for ten days.

Thank you so much. We are located in Queensland, Australia.
I will treat the entire flock for coccidiosis and I’ll go over their bedding again and I’ll buy some of the Aquamox to have on hand if we need it.

Thank you again, it is so helpful to be pointed in the right direction