Hen staggering won’t eat sleeping in nest box

[JemimaP]

hello I have 4 one year old Pekin Bantams who are just coming into lay.
One of them has not yet laid and the last few days seems only to be passing white or pale green diarrhoea (no sign of food passing through). They’re freerange all day in my garden and have access to chicken food and various seeds from our wild bird feeder and any insects in the garden. She’s been looking tired last few days, sleeping under the trampoline or thenest box but when she was out and about she looked like she was eating she was just walking quite slowly.
This morning she got up very late and staggered to the water. She tried to peck some food but she fell and then slowly staggered back to the nest box where she’s stayed all day.
Her belly is soft and small. I can’t feel an egg but I’m not entirely sure what I’m doing.
I’ve offered her water and snacks but she’s not taking anything.
I wondered if she’s egg bound if there’s been no sign of proper poop for a few days?
My friend’s husband is a vet and has offered to come round later to put her to sleep as she looks so miserable I don’t want her to suffer.
But can I save her?

 

[Sue Gremlin]

It's hard to say what is wrong with her, but she sounds critically ill. Can you tell what her body condition is by feeling her breastbone? The green feces indicates she has an empty GI tract and hasn't eaten for a time. The weakness and staggering is a very bad sign, I am afraid. Glad you are getting her seen, but what you describe doesn't give me a lot of good feelings. Please keep us posted.

 

[JemimaP]

Thank you. I was thinking about having her put to sleep this afternoon so your comments are very comforting, that I’m not being too hasty.
She’s been eating lots up until today, at least looking like she’s eating. She stood at the feeder for 10 minutes yesterday when I put fresh feed in. And they’re freerange so they can eat all day so it’s very strange.
Her breast bone is extremely sharp. She feels tiny under her feathers.
I’ve brought her inside in a dog crate with a towel over. I’ve put corn right next to her but she’s not touching it. She can only stagger about one step.

 

[JemimaP]

Was just wondering if it could be sour crop and she’s not been managing to digest anything?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

. She’s been looking tired last few days, sleeping under the trampoline or thenest box but when she was out and about she looked like she was eating she was just walking quite slowly.

This morning she got up very late and staggered to the water. She tried to peck some food but she fell and then slowly staggered back to the nest box where she’s stayed all day.
Her belly is soft and small.

one year old

Was just wondering if it could be sour crop and she’s not been managing to digest anything?

Has she ever laid eggs?
So she has not bloat, fluid or swelling of the abdomen?
You felt inside the vent but didn't feel an egg.

Wondering about sour crop? Have you felt the crop - is it empty, full, air or liquid filled, sour smell on her breath, doughy, squishy?

It's very hard to know to but it would be good to give her a total examination. Feel the crop let us know what that's like. Photos of poop and hen would be good. Look her over for lice/mites and re-feel that abdomen (below the vent, between the legs).

Staggering and falling over is concerning - try to get her hydrated. If you have poultry vitamins that have Vitamin E and B1 that would be good (you are in the UK, look for Nettex Nutri-Drops) you can also use human Vitamin E and B-Complex.

If you vet friend does put her down, see if they would be willing to do a necropsy as well, even a limited one looking in the abdomen, at the internal organs and reproductive system may shed some light to what was going on with her.

 

[JemimaP]

So it turns out she was egg bound but quite high up. I couldn’t feel it but my vet friend could. Said we wouldn’t be likely to get it out and she was already so very poorly so we put her to sleep poor baby. So upset.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

So it turns out she was egg bound but quite high up. I couldn’t feel it but my vet friend could. Said we wouldn’t be likely to get it out and she was already so very poorly so we put her to sleep poor baby. So upset.

I'm so sorry

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. Do you think that you could do a necropsy to find out exactly what was going on? An impacted gizzard, cancer, or lash eggs might have been felt. Looking inside the abdomen has made me a lot more knowledgeable about what happens to my chickens, and why they were acting sick.

 

[JemimaP]

Sorry for your loss. Do you think that you could do a necropsy to find out exactly what was going on? An impacted gizzard, cancer, or lash eggs might have been felt. Looking inside the abdomen has made me a lot more knowledgeable about what happens to my chickens, and why they were acting sick.

I’m not sure I can face that. I do want to know. But I really struggled to even put her body down after she died I just wanted to cuddle her.