Hen going downhill fast

[Ryguy3684]

One of my 1 year old, Buff Orpington hens, has been lethargic for 3 days now. She barely moves, hasn't eaten more than a couple bites from my hand in three days. Since she was first laying, she's has problems with soft shelled eggs and becoming egg bound. Usually once a month, we have to help her get an egg out. On Sunday, she hadn't laid in a few days, so that was our first thought. We lubed up and got the shell less egg out, like normal. Unlike other times, she didn't perk back up right after. We've been giving her poultry cell and nutri drench, just to try and give her some nutrients. She also has had calcium supplements. Her comb and wattles look normal, she doesn't have lice, mites, and she's been wormed, so I'm leaning towards her having a second egg backed up. She spent the day in the nest, trying to lay, and sleeping. We believe she has a defect in her ovarian system. If there is a shell less egg that's bound up farther in her system than we can reach, is there anything else we can do to help her expel it? Or, any other suggestions as to what's wrong? I've got a feeling she won't make it another day.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You can try giving her Calcium to see if that helps her expel an egg. Caltrate is good to give or you can give TUMS in a pinch.

She may have an egg higher up in the oviduct or it could have reversed and dropped into the abdomen which would make her feel really bad. If she's laid internally, there's really nothing you can do. Sometimes they can perk up, but with her having a history of difficulties she may have more going on.

I don't mean to sound discouraging, I do hope she will perk up for you. Sounds like you are doing all you can for her.

If you happen to lose her, you may want to perform an informal necropsy just to see if you can find out more - if you are up to it. A formal necropsy by your state lab would give much more information.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Your assessment is good, it is likely a defect. However I don't think it is stuck further up the oviduct.
The uterus (shell gland) is the last part of the oviduct before the vagina. It is just four inches long and the egg normally spends about 20 hours there. I think that is where the problem is. For some reason she isn't packing calcium carbonate over the membranes during those 20 hours.
What I need to know is what made up the entire diet prior to this problem occurring.

 

[Ryguy3684]

You can try giving her Calcium to see if that helps her expel an egg. Caltrate is good to give or you can give TUMS in a pinch.

She may have an egg higher up in the oviduct or it could have reversed and dropped into the abdomen which would make her feel really bad. If she's laid internally, there's really nothing you can do. Sometimes they can perk up, but with her having a history of difficulties she may have more going on.

I don't mean to sound discouraging, I do hope she will perk up for you. Sounds like you are doing all you can for her.

If you happen to lose her, you may want to perform an informal necropsy just to see if you can find out more - if you are up to it. A formal necropsy by your state lab would give much more information.

Thanks. I figured I was doing as much as possible, but it never hurts to get a second opinion. I'll definitely be doing a necropsy if she doesn't recover, just so I know.

 

[Ryguy3684]

Your assessment is good, it is likely a defect. However I don't think it is stuck further up the oviduct.
The uterus (shell gland) is the last part of the oviduct before the vagina. It is just four inches long and the egg normally spends about 20 hours there. I think that is where the problem is. For some reason she isn't packing calcium over the membranes during those 20 hours.
What I need to know is what made up the entire diet prior to this problem occurring.

Thanks. I was pretty confident, but it never hurts to have a second opinion. I try to do anything I can, within reason, to help them out.
The whole flock is fed Purina Flock Raiser, with oyster shell & crushed egg shell on the side. Treats are minimal. Leftover veggies, scratch grains, and mealworms are given occasionally, as a treat. On really hot days, I'll cut up a few cold watermelon slices. They free range 3-4 hours a day, so whatever grass, bugs they come across. When she started this problem, months ago, we started giving calcium supplements, but they didn't seem to make much of a difference. Unfortunately, it seems more like a defective system.

 

[Ryguy3684]

New symptom? Attached is a graphic picture of what just came out of her. My wife's hand is there for scale. I was gently massaging her abdomen, under her vent, and this came out. There's much more black stool that ended up on my pants, not pictured, because I ran up to wash up. I brought her inside this morning in a dog crate with a nest to lay in. Is something else possibly going on with her? I've never seen chicken poo like this. Any help is appreciated.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Any way you can take a sample to your vet for testing to see if worms might be an issue?

I forgot to ask, but is her crop emptying overnight?

 

[Ryguy3684]

Any way you can take a sample to your vet for testing to see if worms might be an issue?

I forgot to ask, but is her crop emptying overnight?

I can try that. We started deworming her 3 days ago just to be safe. We use the safegaurd fenbemdazole, dewormer.
That's the only bowel movement she's had since at least yesterday morning. That's when we put her in the kennel.
In the last 3 days, she hasn't eaten more than a couple pecks, so her crop has stayed empty, unfortunately.
She did drink a bit last night and again this morning, but no better, and no worse.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry to hear that.
Can you see if she will drink if you hold water up to her beak? Try a bit of sugar water.

If she's not eating/drinking at all, that's not good. Some folks tube feed/fluids into birds to see if they will rally.

 

[Ryguy3684]

I'm sorry to hear that.
Can you see if she will drink if you hold water up to her beak? Try a bit of sugar water.

If she's not eating/drinking at all, that's not good. Some folks tube feed/fluids into birds to see if they will rally.

We were syringe feeding rooster Booster and nutridrench to get some energy/vitamins in her. After two horrendous large, black bowel movements, she's doing marginally better. She ate quite a bit from my hand last night, and was eating from the dish this morning. She's still pretty weak, and sleepy, but that's to be expected since she's gone 3-4 days without food. I'm hoping since she's started eating, that she'll start to perk back up.
I have a question, though. If it was, by chance an illness, why are her comb and wattles still a nice bright color? The one symptom all illnesses have in common is a pale comb/wattles. Is that not the case?