ISA Brown sick

[Chiquita1023]

Hello all, I don’t post much but I am at such a loss right now. My dear Chiquita is a 2.5 year old ISA Brown hen who has been such a sweetheart her whole life. Two nights ago she suddenly lost the ability to move her left leg and has not been able to walk properly. I had her checked out by a vet yesterday and am trying to come to terms with the situation. It appears she has some sort of mass or inflamed organ which is taking up too much space in her body causing her systems to not function properly. She was given some meds and shots to help with any pain she might be feeling but if she does not perk up in the next few days I have to make a very hard decision.

As a result of this, food is getting stuck in her crop and is not following along the normal digestive process. I am afraid if she keeps eating it will only get worse but I also don’t want to starve her either. Has anyone experienced a similar situation? If so, what did you do?

 

[coach723]

I'm very sorry about your hen.
Hens that are bred for prolific laying, ISA Browns being one of them, are not uncommonly stricken with reproductive problems, especially after the age of 2. Those include reproductive cancers and infections. Treatments are limited and usually not very effective. It's pretty common for the internal disruption to slow or stop their digestive tract and cause crop problems. Once they reach that point, it is decision time. I generally leave them with the flock until they go off food or water, are obviously not feeling well, are no longer doing normal chicken things, and then I euthanize. It is usually just a downward progression so I don't see a reason to let them suffer when I can't really do anything to help them. If they cannot digest food they will just slowly starve and get weaker and weaker. I'm very sorry. Since you have a vet to help care for her they can hopefully help you to decide when the time is appropriate if you are not comfortable making that decision on your own.

 

[Chiquita1023]

I'm very sorry about your hen.
Hens that are bred for prolific laying, ISA Browns being one of them, are not uncommonly stricken with reproductive problems, especially after the age of 2. Those include reproductive cancers and infections. Treatments are limited and usually not very effective. It's pretty common for the internal disruption to slow or stop their digestive tract and cause crop problems. Once they reach that point, it is decision time. I generally leave them with the flock until they go off food or water, are obviously not feeling well, are no longer doing normal chicken things, and then I euthanize. It is usually just a downward progression so I don't see a reason to let them suffer when I can't really do anything to help them. If they cannot digest food they will just slowly starve and get weaker and weaker. I'm very sorry. Since you have a vet to help care for her they can hopefully help you to decide when the time is appropriate if you are not comfortable making that decision on your own.

Thank you for this. She is my first and only girl as she was a rescue so she has lived her whole life in the house with myself and the family. I guess you could say we are her flock! I really appreciate your response. No one ever wants to say goodbye but I absolutely do not want her suffering during her final days.

 

[Waves]

How is your sweetie?
Im going to think your hen is suffering by reproductive disorders, like Egg yolk peritonitis, or internal laying. But Have you already checked her for Egg bounding?
How is her poop?
Im very sorry you are dealing with this, i understand you (i had some cases like yours) and i send a big virtual hug.
Im also tagging some people is more expert than me @Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock

 

[Wyorp Rock]

How is your sweetie?
Im going to think your hen is suffering by reproductive disorders, like Egg yolk peritonitis, or internal laying. But Have you already checked her for Egg bounding?
How is her poop?
Im very sorry you are dealing with this, i understand you (i had some cases like yours) and i send a big virtual hug.
Im also tagging some people is more expert than me @Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock

@Chiquita1023 I'm sorry that Chiquita is not well

It's good that you have vet care and they were able to see the mass which seems to be the cause of her systems not working properly.
Sadly, I agree with @coach723 who's post here is spot on as usual. Reproductive issues are heartbreaking and frustrating. It's up to you to make the determination when it's time to let her go. I'm very sorry.

 

[Chiquita1023]

Thank you everyone for your kind words and input! Unfortunately Chiquita is not getting any better. I had her sleep on my lap all night last night and she was so content. This morning she did lay an egg however it was deformed and she looked very stressed out. I will attach a picture. Her poops have been very wet and runny for the last three days. Today I am going to call the vet to bring her back in for euthanasia. Thank you all again for giving me the knowledge and encouragement I needed to get through this.

 

[coach723]

Is that egg larger than normal for her? She may have been having difficulty passing it. I would just confirm that the mass found before is still present, just to make sure that having a hard time passing an egg was not her issue. That in itself can make them feel pretty awful. Just confirm that the egg was not the problem and that she does indeed have something else going on. If the egg was the issue then she should likely perk up in the next 24 hours.

 

[Chiquita1023]

Is that egg larger than normal for her? She may have been having difficulty passing it. I would just confirm that the mass found before is still present, just to make sure that having a hard time passing an egg was not her issue. That in itself can make them feel pretty awful. Just confirm that the egg was not the problem and that she does indeed have something else going on. If the egg was the issue then she should likely perk up in the next 24 hours.

She has been laying like normal all week so I don’t think the egg was the issue. This is the first one that has been abnormal however. I’m going to continue to monitor her and see if anything changes.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would probably take a wait and see approach as well, since that large odd shaped egg may have been responsible for her lameness as well as her crop slowdown. She may perk up after laying that and feel better. It also could become a repeated problem later, but she might be okay. Hens can suffer with reproductive and crop problems, and some quit laying altogether. Some may live fairly normal lives afterward. She will will let you know if she is suffering, and I’m sure you will know what to do.

 

[Waves]

I would probably take a wait and see approach as well, since that large odd shaped egg may have been responsible for her lameness as well as her crop slowdown. She may perk up after laying that and feel better. It also could become a repeated problem later, but she might be okay. Hens can suffer with reproductive and crop problems, and some quit laying altogether. Some may live fairly normal lives afterward. She will will let you know if she is suffering, and I’m sure you will know what to do.

I totally agree. From pictures she doesn't seem so bad..
Is she able to stand on feet?