Hen not fully recovering from unknown illness

[Lifewithchicks]

One thing I don't see you mention is if she is still laying eggs? When was the last egg-are her eggs normal (hard shell/no problems with soft shell)?
Does she have any swelling/bloat or feeling of fluid in the abdomen?
Can you post some photos of the vent - what you think may be vent gleet?
Is her crop emptying overnight?

At 4years old, she may be developing some reproductive problems or she may have been having trouble with a soft shell egg (a lot of time you don't see those if they are deflated/the other chickens will snatch and eat those). Since you notice the others were picking at her vent - have you examine it for any injuries?

What antibiotic did the vet prescribe? It's totally up to you whether or not you want to use them. It sounds like your vet was trying to cover all bases - worms and infection, so if you feel she does not need them, then save those for future use

Thank you so much for all the info.

We had an unusually cold winter here and she has not begun to lay again. She’s always been my worst layer. I think only 2 of my 4 are currently laying.

She’s almost 3, not 4. But still old in chicken years, I know.

Let me go get a picture of her vent. I didn’t see the pecking, my daughter just told me about it. She only saw it happen once. She’s been segregated from the others since Thursday other than a little outside time.

The antibiotic is album susp.

 

[Kiki]

"Not being a good egg layer ever."..that is a good sign that something has been going on with her "egg laying parts."

 

[Lifewithchicks]

I will just point out that chickens can suffer from a variety of illnesses and conditions, and the longer they live, the more of these we can see. I had no sickness in my flock for the first few years, but as they got over 2 or 3, I began to see an occasional death or reproductive problem. I have never seen coccidiosis or Mareks, so I feel lucky. At 5 years I saw my first crop problem. My flock now is 5-7 years old, and I have lost 4 in the last 2 months to various causes during a severe winter. Most have had ascites or suspected internal laying, and another has had a crop problem for several weeks. Doing a necropsy can help you learn a lot.

Some chickens suffer from egg binding, prolapse which I have not seen, but respiratory and intestinal diseases can be common in backyard flocks. Crop problems can occur on their own or can accompany other diseases.

Years ago, most people killed their chickens and ate them at some point, and raised new chicks from their best layers. Today many of us want to treat our backyard flocks until they die of old age, but as they grow older, we will see more problems.

That’s true. My daughter looked up the oldest chicken on records age so she now is hoping ours live until 20!!

This hen has lived through a dog attack, a hurricane and the harshest winter I can remember here- so I’m hoping she’ll pull through this too! Most people would think she’s fine, but as her worried mama I can see she’s not 100% and just want to make sure I do everything right to help her. If I knew she had an infection I would use the antibiotics, for sure. I just don’t want to mess her up anymore.

Thank you for your reply!

 

[Lifewithchicks]

"Not being a good egg layer ever."..that is a good sign that something has been going on with her "egg laying parts."

I guess so. My barred rocks lay better than my buffs though, so I never thought too much of it. She hasn’t even been in a nesting box since before the winter.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you so much for all the info.

We had an unusually cold winter here and she has not begun to lay again. She’s always been my worst layer. I think only 2 of my 4 are currently laying.

She’s almost 3, not 4. But still old in chicken years, I know.

Let me go get a picture of her vent. I didn’t see the pecking, my daughter just told me about it. She only saw it happen once. She’s been segregated from the others since Thursday other than a little outside time.

The antibiotic is album susp.

To me, it sounds like she may have had trouble with a soft shell egg or possibly laid one internally (but the others picking at the vent-I suspect they were trying to get to the egg membrane). That is what I have seen with my Buff girl - had problems last year with soft/broken egg membranes and the girls would follow her to get that. She molted, took the winter off and is now miraculously laying a couple of times a week just fine. She has never laid very well and is of smaller stature/lighter weight than the other BO I had.

I would still worm her as directed, but like you, I would hold off on the antibiotics to see how she does. I am thinking you meant Albon (sulfadimethoxine)? was the antibiotic prescribed? From what I know, it is a pretty good broad spectrum medication for bacterial infections, but Sulfa medications can also be harsh.

What I do with mine is provide her with extra calcium for a couple of days - 1/2tab of Caltrate or 1crushed Tums once a day. I sprinkle that over egg. I also give her a direct dose of Poultry Nutri-Drench (1cc per 3pounds of weight) and see that she is eating/drinking well.

I know you are concerned about her weight. Hopefully the de-worming will help with that. After you finish deworming, then provide her with some probiotics to help rebuild the gut. As for her gaining weight, she did not lose overnight, so you will want to slowly build her back up. You can offer extras like egg, tuna or meat in addition to her normal feed or give her chick starter or flock raiser. Limit treats to no more than 5-10% of daily intake - scratch and sunflower seeds are o.k., but just a little will do it - mine love fresh leafy greens, veggies and fruit.

I'm glad that she is improving. It can take several days for them to bounce back. Please keep us posted.

 

[rebrascora]

Being so under weight, I would be surprised if she has been ovulating for some time. Birds need to be in good condition to lay and as others have said, she didn't get skinny in just a few days.
I would agree with using Nutri Drench to give her a boost and probably a probiotic if you are going to hold off on the antibs or perhaps offer fermented feed if you don't already and definitely continue with meaty treats like occasional cat food, a bit of raw liver is always nutritious, a bit of fish and a scrambled egg every now and then to try to build her back up through diet. Is she keen to eat? I don't mind having a sick bird if they will eat well, but picking at food or being disinterested is always a bad sign and if that was the case, I might be inclined to go for the antibiotics as you usually have nothing to lose once they stop eating.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would also hold off on the Albon. It is sulfa antibiotic, good for treatment of coccidiosis, some intestinal bacterial infections, certain bacterial respiratory infections, and ear infections. if her fecal test was clear for cocci and worms, I wouldn't use the Albon. You can see tapeworms in the poop as tiny white spots that move, but tapeworm is pretty rare in chickens. Diarrhea can be caused by many things as diet, too much water, or a temporary upset. Messy vents usually occur with any diarrhea. Vent fleet symptoms are red inflamed skin with white patches around the vent, with a continuous ooze of smelly poo.

 

[Lifewithchicks]

To me, it sounds like she may have had trouble with a soft shell egg or possibly laid one internally (but the others picking at the vent-I suspect they were trying to get to the egg membrane). That is what I have seen with my Buff girl - had problems last year with soft/broken egg membranes and the girls would follow her to get that. She molted, took the winter off and is now miraculously laying a couple of times a week just fine. She has never laid very well and is of smaller stature/lighter weight than the other BO I had.

I would still worm her as directed, but like you, I would hold off on the antibiotics to see how she does. I am thinking you meant Albon (sulfadimethoxine)? was the antibiotic prescribed? From what I know, it is a pretty good broad spectrum medication for bacterial infections, but Sulfa medications can also be harsh.

What I do with mine is provide her with extra calcium for a couple of days - 1/2tab of Caltrate or 1crushed Tums once a day. I sprinkle that over egg. I also give her a direct dose of Poultry Nutri-Drench (1cc per 3pounds of weight) and see that she is eating/drinking well.

I know you are concerned about her weight. Hopefully the de-worming will help with that. After you finish deworming, then provide her with some probiotics to help rebuild the gut. As for her gaining weight, she did not lose overnight, so you will want to slowly build her back up. You can offer extras like egg, tuna or meat in addition to her normal feed or give her chick starter or flock raiser. Limit treats to no more than 5-10% of daily intake - scratch and sunflower seeds are o.k., but just a little will do it - mine love fresh leafy greens, veggies and fruit.

I'm glad that she is improving. It can take several days for them to bounce back. Please keep us posted.

Thank you! This all makes me feel a lot better. Yes, albon. It autocorrected it.

She isn’t eating great. For instance, I gave her a scrambled egg before I had to leave her for a few hours and when I got back she hasn’t eaten it. She will just peck a little here and there, where my other chickens would devour it. She is scratching and pecking at the grass and has eaten some June bugs. I just can’t figure her out!

 

[Lifewithchicks]

I would also hold off on the Albon. It is sulfa antibiotic, good for treatment of coccidiosis, some intestinal bacterial infections, certain bacterial respiratory infections, and ear infections. if her fecal test was clear for cocci and worms, I wouldn't use the Albon. You can see tapeworms in the poop as tiny white spots that move, but tapeworm is pretty rare in chickens. Diarrhea can be caused by many things as diet, too much water, or a temporary upset. Messy vents usually occur with any diarrhea. Vent fleet symptoms are red inflamed skin with white patches around the vent, with a continuous ooze of smelly poo.

Thank you! I’ve never seen worms or anything like that in any of their poop.

 

[Lifewithchicks]

Being so under weight, I would be surprised if she has been ovulating for some time. Birds need to be in good condition to lay and as others have said, she didn't get skinny in just a few days.
I would agree with using Nutri Drench to give her a boost and probably a probiotic if you are going to hold off on the antibs or perhaps offer fermented feed if you don't already and definitely continue with meaty treats like occasional cat food, a bit of raw liver is always nutritious, a bit of fish and a scrambled egg every now and then to try to build her back up through diet. Is she keen to eat? I don't mind having a sick bird if they will eat well, but picking at food or being disinterested is always a bad sign and if that was the case, I might be inclined to go for the antibiotics as you usually have nothing to lose once they stop eating.

She is not keen to eat . Very low appetite. She just picks here and there. She didn’t hardly touch a scrambled egg. She has eaten live June bugs and seems happy pecking around in the grass. She also gets a little excited for dried mealworms. I have syringe fed her some of the cat food. She is drinking well. I will definitely get some nutri drench and try that, thank you for your help!