Hen under the weather

[Belden4]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=2023445284354079

Hello Everyone!

Yesterday my husband noticed one of my hen's standing in the middle of the run while everyone else moved anxiously. I went right out to check on her because this is very odd behavior from my ladies, She in fact was standing there sleeping. She wouldn't move unless someone ran into her, otherwise she just stood there eyes closed.

Her comb doesn't seem all that pale compared to some of the other's. I immediately isolated her, and then went to town and bought some medicated feed, probiotic and multivitamin water supplements and apple cider vinegar. Upon arriving home, she wouldn't eat or drink anything but still acted very tired... Wouldn't lay down though. I read some forums here, and there and decided to scramble her a couple of eggs that were pecked at from the other ladies. She wouldn't even eat those unless I caught her beak open and put a tiny piece in there.

As the night progressed, I was getting worried (Were in Michigan and temps do drop a little during the night). She wasn't getting any better, so I seen again on a forum to take a slice of bread and make a mash out of it. I Did so using the probiotic and multi vitamin water I had mixed up from last night. She did eat a couple of bites of that. I also gave her a warm bath and she just basically sat there. I felt of her crop and it didnt seem hard (I could feel the bone obviously).

Her poop was waterish, greenish and yellowish in color. Then she pooped again and it looked of a normal (I've been searching up chicken poop SO much). I didn't see worms but based on what I had googled and googled and googled. It looked more promising towards a Dx of Coccidiosis. I again read on a forum to go to TSC and grab some Corid. I was hoping she made it through the night!

SHE DID!!

Still weak and sleepy. I went to town bright and early this morning got some Corid and made her some water with that (doing the 5 day treatment, let's hope she makes it). Plus on safe measures I mixed enough for the other chickens who aren't in isolation as well, just to be safe. Now We're just over the 24 hour mark of her being like this, and I've been continuing to read forums ALL DAY LONG. Even bought a chicken magazine! Youtubing everything and anything and I'm STILL at a loss.

I've made a mash with the medicated feed, she took a couple of bites of that. I've been giving her some corid water through a syringe, plus the juices from the mash (tried making it so that I could syringe feed if needed). I've given her another warm soak, and checked to see if she was eggbound, but didnt find anything other than a puckering backside. When she opens her eyes when I'm feeding her and she wants away, she will act alert and oriented for about a minute and then go right back to her sleepy ways. I've checked for mites, and didnt see anything either. Their diet consists of grass, scratch, laying feed, fresh water and usually cucumbers, tomato, green beans, green peppers and melons when I have them on hand. (not all at once).

But I'm still at a loss as to what's causing this, and what I can do to fix it and get her feeling better. Please help!

 

[azygous]

I understand how anxious you are to make your hen well, but diagnosing chickens isn't always simple, and trying to do it from a few words on the page of a web site is even more difficult.

Your hen is sick and we can both agree on that, but there are so many things to choose from, all we can do is what you've already started to do. Treating for coccidiosis is a reasonable place to start. Even more common are crop disorders and they can make a chicken just as sick. Here's help in diagnosing a possible crop ailment and how to treat it. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/ It will require a day to verify it.

Another possibility is reproductive issues. Has she ever passed a shell-less egg? She could have a shell-less egg stuck, and they're not easy to detect. This can make a hen feel sick. Often, a tablet of calcium citrate will help a hen expel the egg and feel better.

Third possibility is an infection. When I've ruled out coccidiosis and reproductive and crop issues, I will start treatment for infection with amoxicillin. Very often this makes a hen feel better almost right away if she's actually infected with bacteria.

By the way, medicated feed doesn't really have "medication" in it. It will not cure anything. It's designed to provide a mild dose of amprolium in order to help new chicks build up resistance to coccidia.

 

[Belden4]

I honestly couldn't tell you if she's passed a shell less egg.. My chickens are egg eaters and I have golf balls in there to deter them but to no avail. Need to buy the ceramic or wooden ones apparently. I have Nutri-drench as well that i picked up. Like I said, I never knew I'd need a Chicken first aid kit! I'm new, this is my first issue and it's killing me not knowing how to fix her to feel better right away!!

 

[Eggcessive]

How old is she? You may want to keep her in a dog crate with food and water for a day or two, where you can monitor her more closely. She can continue on the Corid in there. I would do a complete exam on her, feeling her crop to see if it is empty, full, soft, hard, or puffy like a balloon. Feel of her by lifting her and feeling how prominent her breast bone is, and feel for any enlargement in her lower belly between her legs. Look over the skin under the vent by parting the feathers to search for any small lice or mites. You can also check her for a stuck egg by inserting a finger into her vent for an inch or two. Reproductive problems and crop problems can be very common in grown hens. Hopefully she will feel better soon.

 

[rebrascora]

How old is she?
Can you take a photo of her and post it, particularly showing her posture. Also a photo of her poop. If she is poorly she will benefit from a heat source, ideally a heat pad rather than a light.
What does her vent look like? Is it soiled? Is it pulsing?
Check her abdomen between her legs and below her vent by cupping your hand. What does it feel like? Is there any bloat or swelling? Do the same to your healthy chickens when they are roosting to compare, so you know what is normal.
What does her breast bone feel like? Is it sharp under the skin or reasonably well covered? If she is skin and bone, she will definitely benefit from a heat source unless your temps are very hot.

How much scratch do you feed them? Is that daily and between how many chickens? It sounds like they are getting quite a lot of treats! The more treats they get the less of their formulated feed they will eat, which means that they may not be getting all the essential nutrients they need. If you are having problems with egg eating, that can occur as a result of weak shelled eggs and that can happen because they are not getting enough calcium and maybe not enough protein either. Have you noticed that their shell quality is poor? Dietary imbalance can cause a whole host of quite serious and sometimes fatal issues, so that would be something to reassess.... the majority of us have fallen into the trap of being too generous with treats at one time or another. I had no idea how it could affect them until I started doing necropsies on birds that died!

Anyway, hopefully this is just a shell less egg that she is struggling to pass and she will manage to get it out eventually. Giving her a good dose of a calcium supplement may help. If she is over a year old, she will be coming into moult soon and sometimes their bodies become more depleted of calcium as they get to the end of their laying cycle at this time of year, so soft shelled or shell less eggs are more common in late summer.

 

[Belden4]

Here's photo's of her posture. Her poop looks like the one posted also, but isn't hers, it just looks like this. We got her in March as a chick from TSC, so I'm assuming shes at least 6 months old. She is in a dog crate. Her Vent looks clean actually. It's not pulsing, only when I checked to see if she had an egg in there. I didnt feel any eggs.nTemps have been hot and humid, her breast bone is pointy, I would say.. We buy a 50# scratch bag, plus a 50# layer feed bag and mix them together at the same time. I have 20 chickens (including this one). Their shell quality is really good actually. They just peck at them until they get that. I only give them treats such as vegetables when we have vegetables, and it maybe 2 times a week and sometimes even 1 or none. Usually their treats consist of meal worms, and things of that nature...

 

[rebrascora]

Their diet is rather concerning. How do you provide their scratch/feed mix? Ie scatter a ration on the ground once or twice a day, ferment it and feed it in a pan once or twice a day, provide it in a trough or hanging feeder for them to help themselves whenever they want?

Her lower back is definitely hunched. Unfortunately I can't make out much detail because they will not enlarge. Can you repost and click "full image" instead of "thumbnail"

 

[Belden4]

Day 1

 

[rebrascora]

For your information, scratch should be considered a treat and not fed routinely or ad lib. It is lower in key nutrients like protein and vitamins and calcium and high in carbs that can cause obesity and a whole host of serious ailments. It is designed to be scattered on the ground to encourage birds to forage, but should only be fed in small amounts, not more than 10% of the birds daily intake. The formulated feed provides a balanced diet with everything they need in the right proportion. If you feed them scratch they will eat it in preference to the pellets or crumble. They will also bill out the feed onto the ground to find their favourite bits in the scratch which can result in a lot of waste, dominant birds will get first dibs at the feeder and pick out all the "best bits" which are usually the high carbohydrate corn, so they are more likely to get sick quicker and the spillage encourages rodents, so mixing it with their feed is a bad idea on many counts.

 

[Belden4]

Today