help!!!!

[katfitz007]

I have just found my 2year old hen on the floor of the coop eyes closed and laboured breathing and dirty butt. When I lifted her her eyes opened and she began gagging.I cant feel anything unusual. She appeared fine yesterday. What should I do?

 

[Eggcessive]

It's hard to say exactly what is wrong without looking at many different things. How does her crop feel--is it full and hard, squishy, or empty? If her vent is dirty, she is probably having diarrhea. Has she been wormed recently? Worms can make them lethargic, weak, and even kill them if there is a load. Check her for mites and lice. Has she been laying eggs? Internal laying or egg yolk peritonitis can strike at this age with some of her symptoms. If you can get some vitamin/electrolyte solution into her it may bring her around. Has she lost weight from feeling her breast bone, or does she have a swollen lower abdomen? Is there a way to get a necropsy performed on her if she dies? Have you lost any other chickens recently?

 

[katfitz007]

Thanks for your reply eggcessive. Sorry to report she passed away shortly after my post this morning. She was in fine form until today. No weight loss, she was still laying and her comb was perfect. My girls freerange every day but yesterday was a rare occasion I kept them because I was retuning after dark. I left a cantaloupe in the shed for them to keep them busy and didnt notice anything unusual until this am.I havent lost any birds recently.im just guessing she ate something poisonous. I live in rural west cork ireland and i have yet to find a vet who really cares about chickens, so I dont know who I could take her body to. I usually find better advice here. She was my youngest bird and will be sorely missed. Thanks again for your reply.
Rip freckle...

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. Botulism could have been a cause if she would have gotten into something such as an animal or fish carcass, or rotting vegetation the day before. I might have a look around for anything, and dispose of her body very deeply or very far away, or incinerate it. Here is a link about botulism: http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/19/botulism