How do I know if it’s time to end it?

[amanda1]

my poor girl started with an infected abscess above her eye in mid July. She wasn’t eating but after removing the infection and treating it, she started eating again. The eye appears to have healed up nicely, but she is still rubbing it and now she’s not eating again. In the morning, her crop feels like a mostly deflated balloon, I can press on it and it goes flat. She free ranges, dust bathes, but often sits quietly with her one eye closed, and she hides when I try to round up the birds to go back in their run. I’ve been letting her stay out during the day, although at night she does go back in. No bugs, no problems inside her mouth, she hasn’t laid since all of this started, she doesn’t seem to have a bloated abdomen, she’s worm free based on a fecal float test I had done last week. Her poop looks like poop from a bird who isn’t eating-dark green bile, and creamy urates. I can only tempt her with melon and worms. She won’t eat chicken food, eggs or other things she used to love. I keep going back and forth about whether or not to put her down. What would you do?

 

[RooandherRooster]

Does she seem miserable, like she wants to keep fighting for life or not? I have a handicapped duck that wants to live and go in the worst way, she is alive 5 months later but she still can't go but you can tell she isnt giving up (knock on wood). I had a egg bound hen who recovered because she wanted to live and be our lone range chicken who purred like a cat, came to the door like a dog, sat on your shoulder like a parrot, and I swear could understand what we said. Even though she was on her last leg, she made it because she chose to. Honestly, let the hen choose...I know it sounds stupid, but its up to them and you can tell. If not, you can make some phone calls to avain vets, I did this once but some won't give you an answer. Either way, if she is eating and drinking, pooping and acting relatively normal soon, I'd let her be. I always let my one free range because its what helped her and neither coop would let her back in. Are you positive its her crop that you're feeling though? It could be a ruptured air sac that deflated a bit, if you look it up it will give you all the information you need to know and you can fix it yourself. I would pslt some but each site has a little bit of something and there is a lot that comes up. There is another backyard chicken forum on it but make sure you specific chicken when you look it up because it breaks it down more.
Good luck and best wishes!

 

[amanda1]

Does she seem miserable, like she wants to keep fighting for life or not? I have a handicapped duck that wants to live and go in the worst way, she is alive 5 months later but she still can't go but you can tell she isnt giving up (knock on wood). I had a egg bound hen who recovered because she wanted to live and be our lone range chicken who purred like a cat, came to the door like a dog, sat on your shoulder like a parrot, and I swear could understand what we said. Even though she was on her last leg, she made it because she chose to. Honestly, let the hen choose...I know it sounds stupid, but its up to them and you can tell. If not, you can make some phone calls to avain vets, I did this once but some won't give you an answer. Either way, if she is eating and drinking, pooping and acting relatively normal soon, I'd let her be. I always let my one free range because its what helped her and neither coop would let her back in. Are you positive its her crop that you're feeling though? It could be a ruptured air sac that deflated a bit, if you look it up it will give you all the information you need to know and you can fix it yourself. I would pslt some but each site has a little bit of something and there is a lot that comes up. There is another backyard chicken forum on it but make sure you specific chicken when you look it up because it breaks it down more.
Good luck and best wishes!

Thank you for the response. I’m torn between letting her be and ending it all for her. She isn’t getting enough to eat. Her poop is tiny deposits of green (bile) and urates. She look like she wants to eat treats of offer, but for some reason can’t. She’d been eating off and on for a while, but now it’s been two weeks of not eating. The only thing I can tempt her with is melon. She is getting slower and slowe. I keep thinking if I could get her to eat, she’d perk up. I’m so clueless about crops, I don’t think I’m mistaking it for an air sac though, but I’ll do some more research. We have a great avian vet at our teaching college, but she can only do so much over the phone and the other vets are so high priced for “exotics”, but still don’t seem to have a lot of knowledge.