HELP! Sick hen diarrhea and crop hadn’t emptied.

[1lilappy]

1) What type of bird chicken (hen) age 32 months (2ys8months)and weight upon discovering she was a similar weight to her flock mates(does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)
2) What is the behavior, exactly. Lethargic and depressed
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms? Noticed she wasn’t getting on roost at night on December 23 after reviewing the coop and nest cameras.
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms? No
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma. .No
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation. Unknown
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all. Recently installed 2 cameras in coop (coop cam and nest cam) and identified a mice infestation. Concerned that she may have ate some mice droppings. Otherwise the chickens get fed k layer feed. I recently put a head of cabbage hanging for them. She had food in crop. I seen her drinking water on cameras.
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny - clear with white streaks (first night she had a tiny green solid stool with a bunch of water) etc.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
First I thought it was an illness from mice droppings (haven’t ruled out yet) then I thought an impacted crop so I gave her olive oil and a dish of grit and some water with electrolytes. Also some bread soaked with water. And 2 blueberrys and a slice of apple.
Today I started treating her for coccidiosis with 3/4 teaspoon mixed in a half gallon container.
Thinking the stool consistency is caused by the Coccidiosis and as a result won’t let her crop empty.

10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet? Treat myself
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help. No injuries
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use wood shavings in the hen house but I do have hay bales in their outdoor run area (another concern for impaction).

More information:
On December 24 checked her crop which had the tightness and size of a hackey sack I put her near the waterer and she drank which made her crop feel like the other hens crops , then I put her on the roost I thought her breathing was shorter and more frequent than the others. I checked her crop the following morning before she left the roost...it was back to hackey sack conditions. I brought her inside and left her in the wash tub that night to watch her and see what her stool was over night. Next morning I saw watery stool and a tiny green solid turd probably from the cabbage.
Set up the hospital (wire dog cage) with shavings and water, perch, grit, wet bread, 2 blueberries, thin slice of apple and olive oil.
Next day removed all shavings and replaced with paper towel.
didn’t want her eating the shavings.

her comb is red still but laying on the side.

Not sure if she wasn’t getting enough grit, they were free ranging all summer and fall. I have grit but it’s in the hen house and not sure she found it.

her breathing appears better.

Questions:
Can mice cause this condition?
Can Coccidiosis result in slow crop?
Should I think about feeding her( I removed all food)?
If she didn’t have enough grit could that have caused the crop issue? If so is it too late for grit to work?


medicine I have on hand Incase it’s needed is: SMZ MED 454, wazzine 17, corid, vetrx. Yogurt and apple cider vinegar.

recent coop changes made:
Removed feeders at night.
Added mice poison in a safe container ‘just one bite’
cat has been allowed in coop for a few hours at night.
Have not seen mice on cameras following the above changes.

 

[azygous]

The cat would do the mice in. I hate poison around chickens. There's a solid rule where chickens are concerned. If you place a dangerous substance nearby, the chickens will find it. It's unlikely mice droppings caused this crop issue.

Yes, other health issues can contribute to slow crop which can turn into impacted crop. It's never too late to supply grit. In fact, always offer chickens grit, especially if they are confined and can't search for it.

This is likely a crop issue. This might supply you with more information to determine this. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Bread is a convenient way to administer meds, but it can contribute to crop disorders by adding bulk and carbs. I'd avoid it. Coconut oil chilled to achieve a solid state is easy to slip into the beak and avoids the danger of aspirating liquid oil.

Whatever you do, do not try to invert the hen to make her vomit. Just this week we warned about this to have the OP do it anyway, and the hen died immediately. The risk is so high, making chickens vomit should be something every chicken keeper should remember to avoid. Even when practically everything on the internet recommends doing it.

 

[1lilappy]

The cat would do the mice in. I hate poison around chickens. There's a solid rule where chickens are concerned. If you place a dangerous substance nearby, the chickens will find it. It's unlikely mice droppings caused this crop issue.

Yes, other health issues can contribute to slow crop which can turn into impacted crop. It's never too late to supply grit. In fact, always offer chickens grit, especially if they are confined and can't search for it.

This is likely a crop issue. This might supply you with more information to determine this. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Bread is a convenient way to administer meds, but it can contribute to crop disorders by adding bulk and carbs. I'd avoid it. Coconut oil chilled to achieve a solid state is easy to slip into the beak and avoids the danger of aspirating liquid oil.

Whatever you do, do not try to invert the hen to make her vomit. Just this week we warned about this to have the OP do it anyway, and the hen died immediately. The risk is so high, making chickens vomit should be something every chicken keeper should remember to avoid. Even when practically everything on the internet recommends doing it.

I always leave grit for them but we had snow come in November and I moved it to the inside of the coop. They don’t like the snow. But now that the snow melted they are hanging out in the chicken run. Dirt floor with out grit.

I just did the massaging (actually was doing that already). However I noticed her lower abdomen is very hard and compared to the other hens hers is kinda bulged out. I looked at a chicken diagram and I think it’s her intestines. It’s much lower than her vent. Her abdomen is squishy with a hard large part. I checked the other hens and they don’t have that condition.

I don’t think she is egg bound that would be more up. I don’t think she’s laying eggs anymore.

 

[azygous]

Reproductive tract infections can cause the lower abdomen to swell and to be hard, especially if there's internal laying. This is where the hen releases yolks but they spill over into the abdominal cavity instead of making their way down the reproductive tract probably due to obstructions caused by infection.

Age contributes to this condition, and it's not treatable unless you're willing and financially able to shell out the $$ for a vet to perform surgery, then install a hormone implant to stop further ovulation, needing to be repeated at intervals. Not practical for most chicken keepers unless this is a cherished pet you simply can't bear to let go.

 

[Ebony Rose]

Bright green in poop can also occur with digestive issues that limit the amount of food that is digesting, the green is caused by the bile.

 

[1lilappy]

Reproductive tract infections can cause the lower abdomen to swell and to be hard, especially if there's internal laying. This is where the hen releases yolks but they spill over into the abdominal cavity instead of making their way down the reproductive tract probably due to obstructions caused by infection.

Age contributes to this condition, and it's not treatable unless you're willing and financially able to shell out the $$ for a vet to perform surgery, then install a hormone implant to stop further ovulation, needing to be repeated at intervals. Not practical for most chicken keepers unless this is a cherished pet you simply can't bear to let go.

Aw dang. So not much I can do. Should I just return her to her friends in the coop? Or should I continue trying to get her to drink and the oil? Could she have been dehydrated and caused this? Or is it for sure reproductive failure?

 

[BloomBunny]

In addition, if you put out the mouse poison before the 23rd (when you first noticed problems), I would worry about secondary poisoning. Boosting vitamin k would help that. Dark greens, cheese, beef liver have vitamin k.

 

[azygous]

This is the internet. BYC is a terrific resource to help you determine what could be wrong with a sick chicken and to direct you to possible treatments to try. What BYC isn't is a vet clinic.

When I give advice, I suggest things that I would try under the same circumstances, or I tell about my own experiences with similar issues and if what I did worked or not. We can't diagnose, and we can't guarantee what we suggest will work.

In the end, its your call. You need to take into consideration how old your hen is, how sick she is, how long she's been sick, if she's a super favorite pet and you want to try everything you can that might work. Some folks don't have pets in their flocks and don't have time to treat every chicken that gets sick. They will likely elect to euthanize early on. The rest of us look at progress or lack thereof when deciding to continue treatment or to euthanize.

By all means try the oil and massage if you believe an impacted crop could be the main issue, although it can be a secondary issue in cases of a chronic infection so clearing it up won't really make the chicken well. However, none of us can know how long a chicken can live a reasonably good life with a chronic infection, and we choose not to treat but to step in and euthanize when it becomes obvious a chicken is in a good deal of discomfort and not likely to have any more good days. I had just decided to euthanize an eight-year old hen with salpingitis on Christmas when she saved me the anguish by dying during the night.

 

[Criticalicious]

Out of curiosity, what breed is this hen? Is this a hatchery breed like you'd get from Tractor Supply? Because two years old is around the time when hatchery stock can start having reproductive or other issues due to genetics.

Where are you located? Is it excessively hot or cold? Dehydration, stress, heat, the cat maybe, these can put a chicken off eating or scare them away from their food. If they don't eat for a day or two, they get stressed and then you get watery droppings or bright green ones.

For a hen not eating properly or acting droopy, I usually start by offering Nutri Drench (poultry vitamins) and see if it perks her up. If she won't take it or doesn't drink, force feed down the beak (carefully). This video shows how to properly give oral medicines without aspirating the chicken.

 

[1lilappy]

In addition, if you put out the mouse poison before the 23rd (when you first noticed problems), I would worry about secondary poisoning. Boosting vitamin k would help that. Dark greens, cheese, beef liver have vitamin k.

the poison was put out yesterday night. Brought back in before hens left the roost. Don’t worry the mice didn’t even touch it. I checked the bait and the cameras.