Is my hen dying?

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She hasn't pooped, so I'm not sure what it looks like. Her abdomen doesn't seem abnormal except for her very rear which seems to sag. Her breath doesn't smell horrible. Her crop feels like a water balloon. I have sulfadimethoxine soluble powder I can give her which I normally use for chicks.

Thank you everyone for your help!
 
Chicken Girl1 said:
She hasn't pooped, so I'm not sure what it looks like. Her abdomen doesn't seem abnormal except for her very rear which seems to sag. Her breath doesn't smell horrible. Her crop feels like a water balloon. I have sulfadimethoxine soluble powder I can give her which I normally use for chicks.

Thank you everyone for your help!
Click to expand...
Can you post some pictures of her?
 
When she was sitting on the coop floor she was sitting in poop :sick. So I’m giving her a bath. She seems to like it. Also the noise she made while breathing before has gone down a lot. I’m hoping all my worrying is over dramatic and she isn’t as sick as I think :fl.
 
If her crop feels like a water balloon then that suggests there is a blockage somewhere, as water should filter through her system fairly easily, not stay in the crop. I would hold off giving her antibiotics orally until you know her crop is working, other wise it will just sit in her crop with whatever else is in there and not be absorbed. The fact that she has not pooped also points towards a blockage. That and the breathing difficulty are often linked to a problem with the reproductive system, particularly with an older hen.
When you say her rear sags, do you mean below her vent or between her legs and does it feel loose and saggy or full and hanging or a bulge? Has she been walking strangely recently.... perhaps with her legs wider apart?
How does her breast feel? Is her breast bone sharp under the skin or is it reasonably covered..... compare to one of your other hens of a similar breed, so you have an idea of what healthy feels like.

I would not give her any more fluids until some of those in her crop have filtered down into her system. If you can, give her a heat source as she will be struggling to maintain her body temperature whilst she is unable to eat. A heat pad would be ideal. Sometimes warming a bird up can really revive thme significantly, although it will not cure them, but can give them the strength and will to fight whatever it is.
The chances are she has been sick for some times and has been hiding it, so she may now be low on body stores. Once you have her warmed up, I would sit her on your lap on a towel and gently massage her crop, particularly the lowest part.
If you have some Vet RX or Vick's Vapour Rub, put a little on her comb and wattles and chest, to see if that will help open her airways. I would do that before you massage her. If the massaging distresses her either be more gentle or stop as any agitation will make her breathing problem worse.
Get back to us with any further information you can regarding body condition and that saggy area.

Good luck with her

Barbara
 
rebrascora said:
If her crop feels like a water balloon then that suggests there is a blockage somewhere, as water should filter through her system fairly easily, not stay in the crop. I would hold off giving her antibiotics orally until you know her crop is working, other wise it will just sit in her crop with whatever else is in there and not be absorbed. The fact that she has not pooped also points towards a blockage. That and the breathing difficulty are often linked to a problem with the reproductive system, particularly with an older hen.
When you say her rear sags, do you mean below her vent or between her legs and does it feel loose and saggy or full and hanging or a bulge? Has she been walking strangely recently.... perhaps with her legs wider apart?
How does her breast feel? Is her breast bone sharp under the skin or is it reasonably covered..... compare to one of your other hens of a similar breed, so you have an idea of what healthy feels like.

I would not give her any more fluids until some of those in her crop have filtered down into her system. If you can, give her a heat source as she will be struggling to maintain her body temperature whilst she is unable to eat. A heat pad would be ideal. Sometimes warming a bird up can really revive thme significantly, although it will not cure them, but can give them the strength and will to fight whatever it is.
The chances are she has been sick for some times and has been hiding it, so she may now be low on body stores. Once you have her warmed up, I would sit her on your lap on a towel and gently massage her crop, particularly the lowest part.
If you have some Vet RX or Vick's Vapour Rub, put a little on her comb and wattles and chest, to see if that will help open her airways. I would do that before you massage her. If the massaging distresses her either be more gentle or stop as any agitation will make her breathing problem worse.
Get back to us with any further information you can regarding body condition and that saggy area.

Good luck with her

Barbara
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for your response. I guess I mistook her being "slower" due to age and change in weather while she might have been sick. After clearing away her feathers and the poop her rear looks like it maybe bloated, the part directly underneath the vent, so between her legs. Her breast isn't swelling, I can feel her keel bone. She definitely seems a lot better then when she was outside. If her crop is blocked then should I try and get her to regurgitate what she has in there?
 

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