Is this normal?

[thefluffbutts]

Hello.
Recently (within the past 5 days) one of my hens (unsure of the breed) us come down ill. Im not too sure if its super serious. She is very lethargic; only standing still, keeping her eyes closed. She is barely eating. I have offered her a scrambled egg with vitamins mixed in. She refused to eat that so I gave her some mushy bread in water with vitamins. She ate the smallest amount of that so I have been offering her that every 10 minutes or so with various amounts of interest. she hasn't eaten in the past 20 minutes. I have her separated from the rest of the flock with a heat pad next to her. Its currently spring so is having heat with her not so good?
When she first started coming down ill I weighed and wormed her. She weighed 1.8kgs. Currently (5 days later) she weighs 1.6kgs. Usually she is a healthy weight of 2-2.5kgs.

Recently she did this poo. As it was a different colour to usual I thought id better check. Along with this she has been doing watery poos with a small bit of yellowish stuff in it. Is anyone able to give me some advise on what to do for her/if she's seriously sick. Thankyou

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She is very lethargic; only standing still, keeping her eyes closed. She is barely eating.

Hi @thefluffbutts Welcome To BYC
Do you have any photo of you hen?
How old is she?
When was the last time she laid an egg?

Putting your location in your profile will help us help you better.

From your description, she sounds very ill.
It's hard to know sometimes what is making a chicken sick - unless you have vet care, it's sometimes a process of eliminating some common causes of illness. Check her crop to make sure it's emptying properly and feel her abdomen for any swelling, bloat or feeling of fluid.

Vitamins are always good, but some refuse them - getting her drinking is most important, so if she will only take plain water that is fine. See if she will eat a little chopped egg, tuna or mushy wet feed with a teaspoon of yogurt mixed in.

 

[azygous]

Your observation that your hen feels unwell is enough to tell us all that yes, she's sick. However, you will need to do further examinations in order to figure out what might be the cause. Meanwhile, giving her a little heat is a good idea. You might want to hold off on the food until we figure out what's wrong, but try to keep encouraging her to drink fluids.

Begin your exam with her crop. What does it feel like? Full? Empty? Hard? Soft? Lumpy? Is it full at night? Is it still full in the morning while she is still on the roosting perch? Is there any odor?

Does she free range? Are there any compost piles with rotting food she may have eaten? Are there any mushroom growing in the area where she scratches in? How about mold?

When was the last time she laid an egg? Has she ever had any unusual eggs? Or trouble laying an egg that took hours to get out?

Have you examine her for injuries? Sometimes a small injury that goes unnoticed can get infected. Look for red, swollen skin under her feathers.

It's important to know what's causing her to feel sick so she can be properly treated. We'll help.

 

[ChickNanny13]

You've got two very knowledgable members trying to help, I'm thinking you maybe in Australia?

 

[thefluffbutts]

Your observation that your hen feels unwell is enough to tell us all that yes, she's sick. However, you will need to do further examinations in order to figure out what might be the cause. Meanwhile, giving her a little heat is a good idea. You might want to hold off on the food until we figure out what's wrong, but try to keep encouraging her to drink fluids.

Begin your exam with her crop. What does it feel like? Full? Empty? Hard? Soft? Lumpy? Is it full at night? Is it still full in the morning while she is still on the roosting perch? Is there any odor?

Does she free range? Are there any compost piles with rotting food she may have eaten? Are there any mushroom growing in the area where she scratches in? How about mold?

When was the last time she laid an egg? Has she ever had any unusual eggs? Or trouble laying an egg that took hours to get out?

Have you examine her for injuries? Sometimes a small injury that goes unnoticed can get infected. Look for red, swollen skin under her feathers.

It's important to know what's causing her to feel sick so she can be properly treated. We'll help.

Thanks for the advise so far!
I am in Australia. The weather is currently hot with a temperature of 25-30 degrees Celsius (77-86 F).
I was meant to put her age in the description but forgot She is around a year and a half old. Never been vaccinated as she was hatched here.
Her crop is extremely empty. It feels like a cavity in her chest pretty much. This is why I've been trying to get food into her. Im not sure how it feels at night as I haven't checked. I'd assume it would feel empty. In the morning it was empty also. She doesn't roost normally. She sleeps on the coop floor.
She does free range. She enjoys digging to the middle of the earth in one garden bed. She could have picked up something there? I've never seen mushrooms mould grow there. We do have a current infestation of rhinoceros beetle larva in that garden.
As I'm out of the house most days I'm unsure if she's been regularly laying. I do believe she hasn't laid an egg recently and hasn't had the desire to do so today. She's never had troubles with laying or unusual eggs.
Just felt around her vent area. It does not feel like there is a blockage. It does feel softer than usual. I compared the feeling of hers to her sisters. Her sisters is a lot firmer. She does not appear to have any wounds .
I just checked her then. Im not sure if its her slowly getting up or something else. She was sitting on her legs if that makes sense? Where her leg bends was on the ground. So the equivalent of a human with their knees on the ground kinda thing.
Hope this information helps.
*just a side note. I don't have a vet that will see a chicken and give it adequate treatment in town. They're a last resort*

 

[ChickNanny13]

She's a beautiful girl Do you have Nutri Drench there, it's a vitamin/electrolyte that you add to her water. I hope @Wyorp Rock & @azygous can help you

 

[thefluffbutts]

She's a beautiful girl Do you have Nutri Drench there, it's a vitamin/electrolyte that you add to her water. I hope @Wyorp Rock & @azygous can help you

No I don't have any Nutri Drench. Just did a google search. Looks like that'll be my next purchase I've been giving her a multivitamin for humans called Penta-vite.
I also hope they can help me!!

 

[azygous]

The beetle infestation may be key. They aren't poisonous, but they may be infected with pathogens that can occur in compost, especially wet, warm compost.

This has happened to hens of mine that are also fervent excavators. Your hen may have an infection and an antibiotic such as amoxicillin would be the thing I recommend.

The symptoms are extreme lethargy, standing around in one spot and nodding off to sleep, and no appetite. Depending on the immune system, it can kill quickly or kill slowly, but if this is what your hen has, it will kill.

The best way for you to get an antibiotic probably would be through a vet. You can buy them over the internet for fish. https://www.kvsupply.com/Search.aspx?query=Fish Mox 250Mg 60Ct

 

[thefluffbutts]

The beetle infestation may be key. They aren't poisonous, but they may be infected with pathogens that can occur in compost, especially wet, warm compost.

This has happened to hens of mine that are also fervent excavators. Your hen may have an infection and an antibiotic such as amoxicillin would be the thing I recommend.

The symptoms are extreme lethargy, standing around in one spot and nodding off to sleep, and no appetite. Depending on the immune system, it can kill quickly or kill slowly, but if this is what your hen has, it will kill.

The best way for you to get an antibiotic probably would be through a vet. You can buy them over the internet for fish. https://www.kvsupply.com/Search.aspx?query=Fish Mox 250Mg 60Ct

Thankyou so much for this information!! I'll get her to the vet as soon as possible and make sure none of my hens go anywhere near those grubs! I really do appreciate your help