Help!!!!! Sick Lethargic Chicken! Maybe egg bound!

[Egg Yolk]

I need help immediately! My chicken Brownie is sick. I found her on her perch at 7:30 this morning. Thats VERY late for her. She's usually the first one to get down. I picked her up and placed her on the ground and she just layed there. Not normal at all! Her comb is almost white. Its usually bright red. I picked her up and noticed white creamy stuff coming out of her butt. Im not sure... Ive had chickens for 4 years and never had anything like this. She is my favorite chicken. She is 3 years old. Normally lays 4-5 eggs a week. About 4 pounds. I gave her electrolite water and gatorade with bread in it. She isn't eating or drinking. Also when I found her she was panting and its only 60 degrees outside.

Im only 12 and I can't drive to get medicine or anything but I have electrolites and durimycin 10. I am willing to do anything to save my Brownie girl.

 

[BantamLover21]

I need help immediately! My chicken Brownie is sick. I found her on her perch at 7:30 this morning. Thats VERY late for her. She's usually the first one to get down. I picked her up and placed her on the ground and she just layed there. Not normal at all! Her comb is almost white. Its usually bright red. I picked her up and noticed white creamy stuff coming out of her butt. Im not sure... Ive had chickens for 4 years and never had anything like this. She is my favorite chicken. She is 3 years old. Normally lays 4-5 eggs a week. About 4 pounds. I gave her electrolite water and gatorade with bread in it. She isn't eating or drinking. Also when I found her she was panting and its only 60 degrees outside.

Im only 12 and I can't drive to get medicine or anything but I have electrolites and durimycin 10. I am willing to do anything to save my Brownie girl.

It sounds like your hen is either egg bound with a broken egg inside of her, has Vent Gleet (a fungal infection), or (though this would be relatively obvious, so I think you would have noticed) has prolapsed vent. I would first soak her for 15-30 minutes in 90-95 degree F. water. If she is egg bound, this will relax her muscles and help the egg pass, and it will also clean her up so you can see the problem better. After the soaking, take her out, dry her the best you can with a towel, and then let her rest.

If it is Vent Gleet, you will see white sores around the vent. There may also be a bad smell. If you don't see/smell any of that, then it is not Vent Gleet. If red tissue appears to be protruding out of the vent, then she has a prolapsed vent. If you don't see any of those problems, then she is most likely egg bound, or has some sort of oviduct infection. In that case, isolate her in a warm, clean place. Give her some calcium (in the form of egg shell, oyster shell, or a human calcium pill/supplement) to strengthen the oviduct muscles. If you want, add some vitamins/electrolytes to her water.

If after giving calcium, soaking, and resting for 24+ hours your hen is still the same, then I would suspect some sort of infection. You can try the Duramycin-10, or (perhaps with the help of your parents, since you can't drive) purchase a stronger antibiotic, such as Tylan50 or Tylan200.

Hope I've helped and that Brownie recovers! Please keep us updated.

 

[bantyhen]

It's so sad when chickens get sick. A few months ago, my hen, Goldy was having the same symptoms. I think Brownie is probably egg bound. Please tell us what happens to Brownie. I feel so sorry for you and her.

 

[Egg Yolk]

Ok Ill soak her butt. Ive been giving her electrolites already and ill give her some calcium also. Thanks so much!

 

[Haunted55]

I need help immediately! My chicken Brownie is sick. I found her on her perch at 7:30 this morning. Thats VERY late for her. She's usually the first one to get down. I picked her up and placed her on the ground and she just layed there. Not normal at all! Her comb is almost white. Its usually bright red. I picked her up and noticed white creamy stuff coming out of her butt. Im not sure... Ive had chickens for 4 years and never had anything like this. She is my favorite chicken. She is 3 years old. Normally lays 4-5 eggs a week. About 4 pounds. I gave her electrolite water and gatorade with bread in it. She isn't eating or drinking. Also when I found her she was panting and its only 60 degrees outside.

Im only 12 and I can't drive to get medicine or anything but I have electrolites and durimycin 10. I am willing to do anything to save my Brownie girl.

Egg Yolk, could you give a bit more information here please? As BantamLover21 has said it could be a couple of things going on so you'll have to be the eyes and ears for us.

Smell? Any at all? If it's Gleet it'll be nasty, yeasty, almost make you gag smell. Have you checked to see if she is bound? The way i do this is to place the bird in very warm water, not hot, up over her vent and once she's relaxed, I take my fingers and gently pull them from the front of her stomach back to her vent. Slowly and gently! Too fast and you could miss something, too hard and you could break an egg. If you don't feel anything, lumps or anything, you'll need to wash her up really good. See if you can get her bottom cleaned completely, then you'll need to check inside her vent next. I use a personal lubricant or vaseline, coat my fingers or glove and gently insert a finger to see if I can feel anything inside. Broken shell is my first worry. If you don't have either the lubricant or vaseline, olive oil could be used but wash her up well after. If you do find a broken shell inside, you will have to get it out very, very carefully. You do not want to just yank and pull. This will cut her and most probably lead to infection. If this is what you need to do, follow this with 1 tbls. white vinegar to 1 cup warm water and using a syringe without a needle gently squirt this into her vent. Do it until all of the water is gone. The white vinegar will help keep any possibility of infection down. Don't use ACV, this has some sugars in it and will encourage growth of bacteria and or yeasts.

Do you have any human vitamins? How about a Super B Complex? Even a regular vitamin will work. Need to know what you have before I can give the dosing. Until you know if there is any broken shell inside, I wouldn't give the calcium just yet. Keep her hydrated with water with the electrolites, poultry vitamins if you have them and check her for eggs.

 

[Egg Yolk]

Ok I have given her 3 warm baths already... Nothing. But this morning he looks way better but not what she normally is. So should I keep her in the dog crate all today or put her in the coop. My worries are if I am to put her in the coop she will get beat up and even more sick. And I can't supervise because I have to go to school.

Egg Yolk, could you give a bit more information here please?  As BantamLover21 has said it could be a couple of things going on so you'll have to be the eyes and ears for us.

Smell?  Any at all?  If it's Gleet it'll be nasty, yeasty, almost make you gag smell.  Have you checked to see if she is bound?  The way i do this is to place the bird in very warm water, not hot, up over her vent and once she's relaxed, I take my fingers and gently pull them from the front of her stomach back to her vent.  Slowly and gently!  Too fast and you could miss something, too hard and you could break an egg.  If you don't feel anything, lumps or anything, you'll need to wash her up really good.  See if you can get her bottom cleaned completely, then you'll need to check inside her vent next.  I use a personal lubricant or vaseline, coat my fingers or glove and gently insert a finger to see if I can feel anything inside.  Broken shell is my first worry.  If you don't have either the lubricant or vaseline, olive oil could be used but wash her up well after.  If you do find a broken shell inside, you will have to get it out very, very carefully.  You do not want to just yank and pull.  This will cut her and most probably lead to infection.  If this is what you need to do, follow this with 1 tbls. white vinegar to 1 cup warm water and using a syringe without a needle gently squirt this into her vent.  Do it until all of the water is gone.  The white vinegar will help keep any possibility of infection down.  Don't use ACV, this has some sugars in it and will encourage growth of bacteria and or yeasts. 

Do you have any human vitamins?  How about a Super B Complex?  Even a regular vitamin will work.  Need to know what you have before I can give the dosing.  Until you know if there is any broken shell inside, I wouldn't give the calcium just yet.  Keep her hydrated with water with the electrolites, poultry vitamins if you have them and check her for eggs. 

Brownie doesn't stink at all. Her butt is normal now... I have no idea what the white stuff was yesterday.

She is eating very well now. Not sure if she is drinking though. But it seems if she has.
Any ideas anyone?

 

[BantamLover21]

I'd keep her in the dog crate. I honestly don't know exactly what is wrong with your hen, but it is good that she seems to be improving!

 

[Egg Yolk]

Yes I kept her in her crate. Hope she is ok!

 

[Haunted55]

Did you check her for any lump? I too would keep her in the crate and see if she does lay in the next couple of days.

 

[Egg Yolk]

No lump but she is getting better... Im just so clueless though!

...

Did you check her for any lump?  I too would keep her in the crate and see if she does lay in the next couple of days.