Hen not acting normal, wet poop, not hanging with the rest of the girls

[bizzyeemojo]

I drink raw milk every day (3 years +). I have not had any problems and I get the milk from a NYS certified farm.

I will quote the radiologist because he did not specifically say lead. When I searched on metal opacities lead was the metal mentioned and one of the vets said "lead".

"The crop is distended with a large volume of gas, fluid, granular mineral and questionable small metal opacities."

I am not sure how much "questionable" means and we are still waiting on some blood tests.

We are going for a follow up in 3 to 5 days. I have to call to make sure the head avian vet will be there.
I will ask specifically what that means.

Harriet is on 1.5 ml of Trimethoprim (antibiotic) every 12 hrs and .9 ml of Reglan (Pro-motility) every 8 hrs.

After her initial homecoming I did separate her from the flock so I could monitor her. She did throw up once and had a very wet poop (yellow and white) but her second poop, although wet, was much more solid and brown. I go out and check on her every 15 min. to 1/2 hr. Her eyes are bright and clear but she is not eating much. I gave her a small amount of mealworms and she gobbled them up. She also pecked at the ground eggshells.

The Veterinary hospital I go to is a 24 hr emergency and specialty hospital.

I hope I answered all the questions. Is there anything else I should be asking the vet?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Sorry for all the questions.
Just gathering information that may be helpful in the future should someone else have a similar problem/illness. I usually ask LOTS of questions, for me it just a process of elimination sometimes.
I try to keep a list of threads and articles that I come across, so I can easily pass it on.
Interesting about the metal. I know mine love to pick at anything shiny/odd/buried, I dropped a large staple in the run once and thought I would never get it away from them (they played keep away with it). I periodically sweep the run with a magnet just in case old metal parts come to surface - an old building used to be where their run and coop are and I initially found some nuts and bolts when tilling the soil, but haven't found anything lately.
I am so glad she is doing much better and you have a specialty vet available.

 

[bizzyeemojo]

I am appreciative of the questions. I makes me think and most importantly, learn.
Harriet was a bit feisty at midnight when I gave her her meds. She has not vomited again (yeah!) And this morning she is much more active, wanting to be with the others. I am going to keep her separated until I see her poop.
She did not lay yet. I am anxious to see if her eggs have a hard(er) shell. But I won't worry about this unless she doesn't lay again tomorrow.
Her crop was full this morning. I am assuming she ate as she was up and walking around when I let her out. I'll keep an eye on this.
I never thought about using a magnet, great idea! When I built their coop I accounted for every nail and staple but it is amazing what I periodically find that they have dug up in the backyard: a golf ball, a child's play helicopter, and a large U bolt. I don't golf and have no children.
Their run was a garden turned into a dog pen. I haven't found anything unusual there in the year that I have been a chicken mom. But I rake it out every day and scope around for any signs of intruders. My Chesapeake loves them and will poop every night around their coops to ward off any animals that might want to hurt them. He's a different kind of bird dog
Again, if you can think of anything I should be asking the vet it would be helpful.
Thanks!

 

[aart]

Might be a good idea to confine her separated at night with no food,
so you can tell if her crop has fully emptied in the mornings,
and get a look at her night poops.
Remember the meds may give her non-normal poops.

 

[bizzyeemojo]

Will do. I checked her crop last night and it was pretty empty.
All the poops in the henhouse were solid but she did do two wet ones since I got her up. No vomit! Otherwise she is acting like a normal chicken, pecking and scratching and following me around. Still no egg.
I put one of her sisters in with her last night because it gets cold at night. There were two distinct piles of poop this morning under the perch. I really do hate to assume but I am pretty sure one was hers, the other Bette's.
Tonight's low temp will be 40 degrees, I think she will be ok alone but tomorrow it will be below freezing. Will she be warm enough by herself?

 

[aart]

Will do. I checked her crop last night and it was pretty empty.
All the poops in the henhouse were solid but she did do two wet ones since I got her up. No vomit! Otherwise she is acting like a normal chicken, pecking and scratching and following me around. Still no egg.
I put one of her sisters in with her last night because it gets cold at night. There were two distinct piles of poop this morning under the perch. I really do hate to assume but I am pretty sure one was hers, the other Bette's.
Tonight's low temp will be 40 degrees, I think she will be ok alone but tomorrow it will be below freezing. Will she be warm enough by herself?

Most birds go to bed with a full crop and it empties overnight...but she's been thru the mill so 'normal' is different for her now.
Important thing is to watch the crop to make sure it's functioning.
Might be good for her to have a buddy in her isolation, just no food in there at night so you can watch crop.
Maybe give them something to eat before lights out, then remove it after they go to roost, then check crops in morning.

 

[bizzyeemojo]

Harriet has been alone for the last 3 hrs just so I can check her poop. She pooped 2 nearly solid poops since, no wet ones, no vomiting.
She is very active and talking up a storm! I am going to let her out after I give the others their morning treats. The vet said not to give her anything but pellets and few worms for a few days.
I have added a very small amount of organic apple cider vinegar to her water.

 

[aart]

Harriet has been alone for the last 3 hrs just so I can check her poop. She pooped 2 nearly solid poops since, no wet ones, no vomiting.
She is very active and talking up a storm! I am going to let her out after I give the others their morning treats. The vet said not to give her anything but pellets and few worms for a few days.
I have added a very small amount of organic apple cider vinegar to her water.

I'd not add the vinegar, could interfere with the meds.

 

[bizzyeemojo]

I did ask the vet if I could do this, she said it was fine. I am only adding 1/4 tsp to a gallon, half the recommended amount.
As for Harriet, she is so much better. There have been no watery poops since early this morning and she is acting as normal perky chick. Right now she is taking a dirt bath with Bette.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm so glad to hear this!
Sounds like she's on the road to recovery.
Just remember even if she does lay there is generally a throw away period for antibiotic use. Usually 10-14days, but the vet will be able to tell you how long.
Thank you for keeping us updated!