Hen throwing up and lethargic! Please help!

[amelia413]

i have a yellow Orpington hen who as of today starting acting lethargic and began throwing up mucus and food. I tried to drain the crop but I was afraid I’d hurt her. The crop is soft and feels as if there is nothing inside of it yet she is still vomiting? Any ideas as to what this may be or how to fix it?

*will post pictures soon

 

[amelia413]

The pictures of grass show the mucus vomit just in case you were confused

 

[micstrachan]

Please don’t drain her crop. Does the vomit have a stench to it? Was it full this morning?

 

[coach723]

Put her in a crate so you can monitor. Find out what her droppings look like. There appears to be a lot of grass and green fiberous stuff in what came up, so she may be having trouble passing it. Give her water and no food for a while and see if the crop goes down some and what it feels like. You can give fluids and some coconut oil and massage the crop to see if it will help break up whatever is in there so she can pass it. Has she had access to grit? There are a lot of things that can cause crop problems, so getting it narrowed down can take a bit of time. This may help:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/

 

[amelia413]

Please don’t drain her crop. Does the vomit have a stench to it? Was it full this morning?

The vomit had a putrid smell to it, kind of like the smell of rotting vegetables... her crop wasn’t full this morning and she is separated from the flock with a water container but no food. She hasn’t drank anything and is just standing in the corner of the coop panting

 

[amelia413]

SHe is lethargic and rolling on her side

 

[micstrachan]

I’m so sorry. Was her crop completely empty? Is she pooping? If she were mine, I’d probably start treating for sour crop right away, thpugh this may not be the best course of action. @azygous @TwoCrows

 

[azygous]

It sounds as if she could have ingested a toxin. Do you know where she was scratching around earlier? Compost? Any fruit of a questionable plant?

The hen appears to be in extremis. This is likely much more serious than a crop issue. If you suspect she's ingested a toxic substance, give her some activated charcoal and milk of magnesia immediately. Then encourage her to drink plenty of water. Or syringe water into her crop.

Be prepared for this hen not to make it. Once they lie down like that, it's close to the end.

 

[micstrachan]

It sounds as if she could have ingested a toxin. Do you know where she was scratching around earlier? Compost? Any fruit of a questionable plant?

The hen appears to be in extremis. This is likely much more serious than a crop issue. If you suspect she's ingested a toxic substance, give her some activated charcoal and milk of magnesia immediately. Then encourage her to drink plenty of water. Or syringe water into her crop.

Be prepared for this hen not to make it. Once they lie down like that, it's close to the end.

Thanks for saying that. I suspected this was an emergency and she’s in really bad shape, too.

 

[amelia413]

Thank you all for helping me with this problem. She is very lethargic and I do not think she will survive. I was considering culling her but I do not know how I would go about doing so. If there is any way she could survive then I will not do so. Once again, thank you all for everything!