I'm stumped on diagnosing my sleepy hen!

[Jillylam]

Hi everyone. I've held off for 4 days on posting a call for help but I'm really at a loss and getting worried. 4 days ago my hen began staying off by herself and napping a lot. She has also stopped laying completely. She'll roam around with the other 6 for a few minutes and then just stop close her eyes and go to sleep standing right there. She's barely eating. I've been giving her Pedialyte. Yesterday she ate 2 worms in the yard but it takes her a little while since she picks at it so most of the time the others come finish what she's trying to eat. Today I got her to eat some water soaked bread. I also got a bit of yogurt in her along with the pedialyte via an eyedropper. She won't eat the layer crumbles even when I put cooked oatmeal in it and make it soupy. She did also nibble a tiny bit of broccoli today. But for the most part she doesn't even come over when I bring out treats. Her eyes look clear. She's not yet losing any weight that I can see, I can't feel bones - still a meaty breast. I looked into her beak today - everything looked fine. No injury, fungus, or gape worm (although I had ruled this out since she's not trying to get anything out of her throat at all). She just does nothing. No coughing, wheezing, sneezing. Her poop looked ok although I am waiting for my microscope to arrive tomorrow to further analyze it. Vent area is fine although she has had some poops stuck to her feathers a little bit - not much. I tried to feel for an egg stuck inside but being new at this and not sure how to root around I only went in about an inch to feel for it. Is this not far enough? Her abdomen doesn't feel hard. The more I read the more frustrated I get because I just can't pin this down. I now have a notebook completely filled with everything I have read and printed out. I haven't seen enough yet to know what's going on. Does anyone have any idea? Thanks so much for your help.
Jill

3/26/07
I brought Suzie in today . She now won't eat on her own at all. I'm doing warm compresses and have her on a heating pad. I also finally found a vet about an hour away that will see us in the morning.

 

[steffpeck]

I don't know anything about this, we are just getting into the hobby of chickens, but I just wanted to say that I hope she is ok. Please keep us updated. Good Luck!!

 

[Wes in Tx]

Worm her ASAP as it sounds like she has worms.

 

[annp]

I hate to be negative, but be careful with that vet business. I spent all day trying to find a vet to see my beloved cockeral last week. The vet put a gas mask on my Orlando and within minuutes , he killed my Boy Boy (while I helped hold him down). I would try my nearest extension service before I would try an inexperienced vet again. I think my cockeral would have lived getting the care at home that your bird is getting.

Edited to say: There may be local sources more experienced with birds than cat/dog vets may be. Check out your university agriculture and any local aviaries.

 

[hencackle]

Any news on Suzie?
Stephanie

 

[Llysse]

How is her crop?

 

[Jillylam]

Thanks for the replies. The vet I took Suzie to does see chickens. He's also the main cattle vet in the area. The extension service was of no help when I went there even before buying my chickens. They had no information to give me and nowhere to direct me. All they did was give me the name of someone in our local chapter of the APA which was in PA and I live in NJ. This vet is as stumped as I am. Crop seems fine, no egg stuck that he could see or feel. He took xrays and didn't see anything unusual but he said some plant material stuck in the crop doesn't always show up on xrays since it blends in with muscle.
Wes, thank you, I actually thought about that and wormed her and all the others yesterday - just in case. I brought in the teeny-tiny amount of white dropping for him to test but I guess it wasn't enough. I'll have to ask him about that again tomorrow.
Annp - I'm sorry to hear about your Orlando and thank you for the warning.
The vet took a culture to see if it could be some kind of fungus or yeast or something like that. She's staying there overnight tonight and I'm picking her up tomorrow. Someone is going to show me how to tube her in case I have to feed her that way but I'm hoping I can keep getting enough down using the eyedropper. It takes a bit longer but I have the patience to wait while she slurps at it. I also bought the baby rice cereal.
I miss her tonight and I hope she's not too lonely away from home. Thanks for all your replies. I'll let you know how she does tomorrow.
Jill

 

[CarriBrown]

Has Suzie had trouble walking, like her legs are made of Jell-O? This sounds like the hen I had that died of a calcium deficency (I had a necropsy done).

 

[Llysse]

The poor baby! She's so lucky to have someone like you to care for her.

 

[keljonma]

Quote:
Jill,
The white is the urates (urine), not the poo needed for fecal sample.

It's so hard when they're sick.

Good luck!
regards,
keljonma