Hen acting strange help! Pics added

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Darkened or purple colored wattles and comb generally indicates a chicken not getting enough oxygen, which can be an indication of a heart condition. There may also be other reasons, so please don't worry prematurely.

That is a teeny amount of poo, which a bit concerning. How is her keel bone? Is she thin? Right now you need to get her to eat, and every bite needs to count. The absolute best thing for her would be baby parrot food, like this: http://www.kaytee.com/products/exact-hand-feeding-baby-bird.php. Mix it into a thick paste and wipe it inside her beak. If you can't get this then mix her chicken food into a mash with warm water and wipe it inside her beak to get her to eat. i wouldn't worm her right now as it might be too much for her. You can take a poo sample to your vet to check for worms. If they find worms, you can deal with it then. But i wouldn't worm as a precaution at this point.

Generally if a chicken is eggbound, you can feel or see the egg inside the vent. if the egg is too far up for you to see or feel it, i don't think a warm bath would help. If a chicken is an internal layer, a bath isn't going to help. Usually when a chicken is sick, they stop laying altogether.

i think getting her inside with some warmth and close attention is the best thing right now. Let us know how you do with getting her to eat.

 

[86121]

Ok, I will try my best to get her to eat. Cross your fingers this will help!
And thank you very much!!!

Darkened or purple colored wattles and comb generally indicates a chicken not getting enough oxygen, which can be an indication of a heart condition. There may also be other reasons, so please don't worry prematurely.

That is a teeny amount of poo, which a bit concerning. How is her keel bone? Is she thin? Right now you need to get her to eat, and every bite needs to count. The absolute best thing for her would be baby parrot food, like this: http://www.kaytee.com/products/exact-hand-feeding-baby-bird.php. Mix it into a thick paste and wipe it inside her beak. If you can't get this then mix her chicken food into a mash with warm water and wipe it inside her beak to get her to eat. i wouldn't worm her right now as it might be too much for her. You can take a poo sample to your vet to check for worms. If they find worms, you can deal with it then. But i wouldn't worm as a precaution at this point.

Generally if a chicken is eggbound, you can feel or see the egg inside the vent. if the egg is too far up for you to see or feel it, i don't think a warm bath would help. If a chicken is an internal layer, a bath isn't going to help. Usually when a chicken is sick, they stop laying altogether.

i think getting her inside with some warmth and close attention is the best thing right now. Let us know how you do with getting her to eat.

 

[86121]

Another update: She is resisting me feeding her, but I am able to put tiny meatballs made from her food and water into her mouth and she is eating them. Should I be feeding her anything else?

 

[86121]

And here is her poop against a yellow towel. JET BLACK. Everything I have been reading and comparing it to says kidney failure, how does that occur? Do you think it could be her food?
She is also a free ranger, so could it have been something she had eaten over the winter?

 

[PoultryPedia]

This was the info from the second link that caught my eye about black stool:

"Diarrhea is when the fecal material is not holding its tubular shape - instead its consistency is that of pudding. Diarrhea can be a sign of disease or stress -- as well as being caused by special food items One of the things to look for is blood in the feces. If the feces is fresh and black in color and there were no blueberries in the diet then this indicates blood in the digestive system (melena). When the blood passes through the lower digestive system, it is digested turning the red blood into a black tarry color, staining the feces black. If you notice black droppings and the color cannot be expained by the food it ate, take your pet to the vet immediately. This is serious and causes death if not treated in a timely manner. If you wait until your bird is weak and fluffed up, its chances are poor."

However, I don't know if this would apply to her poops, since they don't look like diarrhea--just small actual poops.

Also the first poop picture looks a bit like the one at bottom:

"These droppings are very watery, this could be due to either very hot weather and the bird drinking more than she should or it could mean that the bird had Canker or Coccidiosis.. watch for other symptoms"

The same photo is shown at http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0 with this description
Watery

Watery droppings can be produced by hens which are too hot. It can be a way for them to cool down by drinking a lot and losing some of their heat in frequent wet droppings. It can also be a sign that the hens are not eating enough too.​

 

[parkerpeeps7]

Hi,
My girl was also top heavy, not eating or drinking & she ended up pooping out a worm yesterday after having watery, green/yellow poops. Her poops were normal prior to that. Maybe have a fecal done on her. My vet allowed me to just bring a sample in. Atleast that way you could rule out worms if that's not the cause.

 

[86121]

I have a vet apointment for her next tuesday the 31st so im hoping she can hold on till then.
Update: She seems to be drinking however still not eating on her own.
She also keeps holding her right eye shut for some reason. The only thing that seems to be better is her face color, she is pinked right up and looking great!

 

[86121]

This is very usfull thank you!

This was the info from the second link that caught my eye about black stool:

"Diarrhea is when the fecal material is not holding its tubular shape - instead its consistency is that of pudding. Diarrhea can be a sign of disease or stress -- as well as being caused by special food items One of the things to look for is blood in the feces. If the feces is fresh and black in color and there were no blueberries in the diet then this indicates blood in the digestive system (melena). When the blood passes through the lower digestive system, it is digested turning the red blood into a black tarry color, staining the feces black. If you notice black droppings and the color cannot be expained by the food it ate, take your pet to the vet immediately. This is serious and causes death if not treated in a timely manner. If you wait until your bird is weak and fluffed up, its chances are poor."

However, I don't know if this would apply to her poops, since they don't look like diarrhea--just small actual poops.

Also the first poop picture looks a bit like the one at bottom:

"These droppings are very watery, this could be due to either very hot weather and the bird drinking more than she should or it could mean that the bird had Canker or Coccidiosis.. watch for other symptoms"

The same photo is shown at http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0 with this description
Watery

Watery droppings can be produced by hens which are too hot. It can be a way for them to cool down by drinking a lot and losing some of their heat in frequent wet droppings. It can also be a sign that the hens are not eating enough too.​

​

 

[seminolewind]

When any of mine look sick, I do insert a finger and feel for an egg. If not, I treat them for coccidiosis. You don't necessarily need bloody stool. Those are the most frequent reasons.

I had a 2 year old hen act very slow, and her comb and wattles would get dusky when she exerted energy or ate. Are there certain things she does when getting dusky? Or not.

Do her eyes look greyish, or her pupils have an odd shape?

I can't give an opinion on worming. Because opinions are split between not worming in a weakend state, or worming because of a weakend state.

Keep updating!

 

[86121]

Ill have to check her, I know my fiancee will give me an odd look but i do want to make sure there is no egg. She had been laying up to recently.
They are on a medicated feed so I dont know if coccidiosis would be the problem?

When any of mine look sick, I do insert a finger and feel for an egg. If not, I treat them for coccidiosis. You don't necessarily need bloody stool. Those are the most frequent reasons.

I had a 2 year old hen act very slow, and her comb and wattles would get dusky when she exerted energy or ate. Are there certain things she does when getting dusky? Or not.

Do her eyes look greyish, or her pupils have an odd shape?

I can't give an opinion on worming. Because opinions are split between not worming in a weakend state, or worming because of a weakend state.

Keep updating!