Hunched, not eating/drinking well, runny poop

[Jelissa]

Hi everyone,

I have a chocolate Orpington who is just about 6 months old. Wednesday evening she started showing signs of discomfort and was having watery yellow bowl movements. Sometimes there’s some substance to it, sometimes there isn’t. I knew something was up because she is the most ferocious of the bunch especially when it comes to treats and she had zero interest. She is eating and drinking a very small amount, but doesn’t have a lot of interest. I had to mash up their feed in order for her to eat some, she won’t eat dry at all.
She’s been pretty slow going, still pecking around sometimes but she’s often standing around with her neck tucked and she’s isolating a lot more. She isn’t always puffed up and her tail feathers aren’t down. She’s a little paler than usual and at this point it does feel like she’s losing weight. Her crop feels small and hard. Her vent does not look red or swollen and neither is her abdomen.
Her poop has looked very similar to our 6th chicken that was confirmed coccidiosis (she passed away sadly) but the vet won’t do a fecal without seeing her first.
I would like to try and treat at home if possible. I really don’t want to lose another girl so soon

The last couple days I added poultry cell and some probiotics to their water as well hoping it would give a little additional support.

 

[TwoCrows]

Poor dear. The green poop looks like bile as if she's not eating. Is her crop empty at night and in the morning? Has she started laying yet? Have you checked for a stuck egg in the oviduct?

Let me tag some very helpful members.

@Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock @azygous

 

[Jelissa]

Poor dear. The green poop looks like bile as if she's not eating. Is her crop empty at night and in the morning? Has she started laying yet? Have you checked for a stuck egg in the oviduct?

Let me tag some very helpful members.

@Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock @azygous

She definitely isn’t eating much at all.
I felt her crop this morning and from what I can tell it feels like a small hard golf ball.
She lays an egg almost every day.
I tried to feel around her yesterday and I didn’t feel anything alarming.

 

[TwoCrows]

Sounds like an impaction in her crop. Is it really hard or is there some pliability like "silly puddy"?

 

[Jelissa]

Sounds like an impaction in her crop. Is it really hard or is there some pliability like "silly puddy"?

It’s really hard, I grabbed a couple of the other ladies to compare and they feel nothing like she does.

could it be a partial impaction if she passed food? On Friday she ate some cooked corn and Saturday morning there were only two whole kernels in one of her poops (she definitely ate more than that)

Admittedly, and I feel guilty, I didn’t think to check her crop until yesterday. I saw her poop and was so worried about coccidiosis. I was happy to just get something in her and when she went crazy for the corn I was even happier. She’s a jumper who hadn’t been jumping until the corn came out! Now I’m thinking I shouldn’t have given it.

 

[TwoCrows]

Do you free range your birds? Impactions usually happen with stiff vegetation like long grasses and weeds. Water soluable food like corn should pass through eventually. Hopefully she didn't eat something that she shouldn't have.

So you have any Baby Oil? Or plain Doluclax stool softeners? Either of these will help to soften any foliage she may have eaten.

 

[TwoCrows]

And along with trying to dissolve this impaction, you could always run some Corid through her just in case she does have Coccidiosis, it won't hurt her to drink it, it blocks Thiamine absorption for the Coccidia and they die.

 

[TwoCrows]

When did she lay last? If she hasn't laid in a few days, it never hurts to put on a latex glove and insert your index finger gently into her vent to see if an egg is within 1 inch of her vent, possiblely blocking her waste in.

 

[Jelissa]

Do you free range your birds? Impactions usually happen with stiff vegetation like long grasses and weeds. Water soluable food like corn should pass through eventually. Hopefully she didn't eat something that she shouldn't have.

So you have any Baby Oil? Or plain Doluclax stool softeners? Either of these will help to soften any foliage she may have eaten.

They do free range a few hours at least, on most days, and with our supervision. It would make sense if she ate some sort of vegetation that is causing this. Our yard is surrounded by woods and she’ll go off into her own little world foraging all the time.

I don’t have either of those things but I can certainly go grab some asap.

What is the best way to get either of them into her? How much/how often? And should I also massage her crop a little afterwards?
Sorry for all of the additional questions!

 

[Jelissa]

When did she lay last? If she hasn't laid in a few days, it never hurts to put on a latex glove and insert your index finger gently into her vent to see if an egg is within 1 inch of her vent, possiblely blocking her waste in.

I believe her last egg was Friday but the other 4 ladies also just started laying and sometimes it’s hard to keep track of who is who if I’m not home.
I tried to feel around externally and didn’t feel anything but I will try that.
Thank you!