Lethargic but otherwise healthy hen

[zaz13]

Just moved her into the crate and she's ready drinking water.

I will have to run out to the nearby store to get pedialyte to try and get her some electrolytes.

As an alternative - I read that i can mix sugar, salt, and baking soda for a homemade electrolyte mix. Would that be okay?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Not really sure if she has MG - its likely but I haven't gotten the girls tested for it. She barely showed any symptoms when it was an issue. Her other 2 flockmates were worse - one with discharge, bubbly eyes, sneezing; one with sneezing and discharge but not bubbles. This girl really just had a sneeze infrequently without showing many symptoms. The tylosin cleared out their respiratory issues in under 10 days.

Okay so I checked around the vent for mites, and gloved up with some lube. I was able to get about 2" in before i ran out of finger - didn't seem like there was anything blocking or in the way. She did push a little bit of foamy yellow/white poo out:
I'm not sure if she's eating, drinking, pooping. I will separate her into a dog crate, that way I can more closely watch her eating/drinking/pooping habits for the rest of the day.
I will check more thoroughly for mites around dusk tonight.

Symptoms do sound like MG, but like you mention without testing, it would be just a guess.
MG makes birds and those exposed carriers for life regardless of how severe symptoms were.
Tylosin is good for treating symptoms of MG. If it had been a virus, likely treatment would have not cleared it up.

The poop is not normal. If you can take a sample to your vet for a fecal float that would be good. I've seen poop like that in birds that were having reproductive problems. I would still feel her abdomen between her legs below the vent for feeling of fluid or bloat.

You can make your own electrolytes if you wish. I wouldn't give them for more than a day. If she's not drinking well, then make plain fresh water available as well or you may need to syringe fluids into her.

 

[zaz13]

Symptoms do sound like MG, but like you mention without testing, it would be just a guess.
MG makes birds and those exposed carriers for life regardless of how severe symptoms were.
Tylosin is good for treating symptoms of MG. If it had been a virus, likely treatment would have not cleared it up.

The poop is not normal. If you can take a sample to your vet for a fecal float that would be good. I've seen poop like that in birds that were having reproductive problems. I would still feel her abdomen between her legs below the vent for feeling of fluid or bloat.
You can make your own electrolytes if you wish. I wouldn't give them for more than a day. If she's not drinking well, then make plain fresh water available as well or you may need to syringe fluids into her.

That poop in the photo was on my picnic bench - without thinking about it, I rinsed it away with the hose. She hasn't seemed to poop again yet... most likely since she's not eating, there's no poop to be made?

Okay so I inspected her abdomen a bit - she's so fluffy, so I wetted down her but to get a better look.

Her but was a bit dirty/poopy... I have to imagine its probably because she was out standing/laying in the ran ALL DAY yesterday.

It seems kind of rounded? I'm not sure if that's normal though... first time looking this closely at a chicken butt lol

Here are some photos:

From the side

Top down looking at the "rounded" bottom

Top down with the vent as a reference point.

 

[zaz13]

Also, shes currently in a medium size dog crate with food and water. For water i used the unflavored pedialyte with a tiny drop of ACV. Food is a mixed mash of pedialyte for liquid, layer pellets, freeze dry mealworms, and a lightly cooked egg scrambled with a clove of chopped garlic and a few drops of honey.

She's been drinking the pedialyte, and showed a bit of interest in the mashed food - but didn't seem to eat much other then maybe a small bite.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

It's hard to tell with photos, but she may be a bit bloated. Compare her to another hen or two of similar size to gauge that better.

 

[zaz13]

Its hard to tell - she's pretty much my only bird of this size. It seems like maybe its a little bloated.

She pooped once overnight like this:

Called my vet to let them know I was coming in for a fecal float with a sick bird. They are answering from their cell phones because they're closed due to the vet being on a farm call

They advised that I tube feed her... so I mixed pedialyte with non-medicated started and blended it all up with a few drops of VetRX. Used a 60ml irrigation syringe with a catheter tip and a 16" 16 french tip catheter (i guess french is thediameter measurement instead of gauge). I only gave her 30ml of the mix to start - to see how she responds. She's still very lethargic but looks otherwise healthy....

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The poop is not normal. I've seen that in hens with reproductive disorders.

Tubing fluids is a good idea if she's not able to drink on her own. The daily amount needed is in the link below.

Hope your vet is able to speak with you.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/crop-feeding.75454/

 

[zaz13]

The poop is not normal. I've seen that in hens with reproductive disorders.

Tubing fluids is a good idea if she's not able to drink on her own. The daily amount needed is in the link below.

Hope your vet is able to speak with you.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/crop-feeding.75454/

thats not good news. Im curious - I don't have a ton of money to spend on vet work... especially since we spent a lot last month seeing the vet for her head injury.... Is there a possibility that it could be something simple/affordable such as antibiotics? Or is it likely that reproductive disorders means the need for surgery or other expensive methods?

I know that it may sound bad - but I need to weigh my options.




In the mean time - she has been drinking on her own. Im not sure how much she is drinking but I've seen her drink quite a few times over the last 24 hours or so. Thanks for the information about proper tube feeding amounts. Looks like 3 mL of feed per 100g of weight. I was advised to blend the feed with liquid to the consistency of chocolate milk/watery milkshake. Does that sound right?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

thats not good news. Im curious - I don't have a ton of money to spend on vet work... especially since we spent a lot last month seeing the vet for her head injury.... Is there a possibility that it could be something simple/affordable such as antibiotics? Or is it likely that reproductive disorders means the need for surgery or other expensive methods?

I know that it may sound bad - but I need to weigh my options.




In the mean time - she has been drinking on her own. Im not sure how much she is drinking but I've seen her drink quite a few times over the last 24 hours or so. Thanks for the information about proper tube feeding amounts. Looks like 3 mL of feed per 100g of weight. I was advised to blend the feed with liquid to the consistency of chocolate milk/watery milkshake. Does that sound right?

As long as the feed will go through the tube you should be fine.

Even with expensive surgery a lot of times a hen would still decline, it's iffy if they would survive surgery.
An antibiotic may help temporarily with symptoms of inflammation and infection. If there's fluid in the abdomen and it's drained, that can also give relief for a short period of time.

I do offer supportive care for mine - that may include antibiotics, etc. but if they don't rally within a couple of days, I generally put them out of their misery. Everyone does things differently for sure. Treating symptoms and giving them more time to see if there's improvement is what most folks do and something you will have to make a decision on - you are there seeing her first hand.

An general broad spectrum antibiotic like Amoxicillin can be given to see if that helps. Some use Baytril, but it is banned for use in poultry. Either of those can be ordered online or if your vet is willing then get it from them.

If you do lose her, I suggest if possible either get a necropsy through your state lab or if you are up to it, perform an informal one yourself at home. It's not for everyone, but it's an opportunity to learn and hopefully understand more about the symptoms/behavior you are experiencing with her.

 

[zaz13]

As long as the feed will go through the tube you should be fine.

Even with expensive surgery a lot of times a hen would still decline, it's iffy if they would survive surgery.
An antibiotic may help temporarily with symptoms of inflammation and infection. If there's fluid in the abdomen and it's drained, that can also give relief for a short period of time.

I do offer supportive care for mine - that may include antibiotics, etc. but if they don't rally within a couple of days, I generally put them out of their misery. Everyone does things differently for sure. Treating symptoms and giving them more time to see if there's improvement is what most folks do and something you will have to make a decision on - you are there seeing her first hand.

An general broad spectrum antibiotic like Amoxicillin can be given to see if that helps. Some use Baytril, but it is banned for use in poultry. Either of those can be ordered online or if your vet is willing then get it from them.

If you do lose her, I suggest if possible either get a necropsy through your state lab or if you are up to it, perform an informal one yourself at home. It's not for everyone, but it's an opportunity to learn and hopefully understand more about the symptoms/behavior you are experiencing with her.

I appreciate all the wisdom... you're always here to help me!!! I really appreciate it.

I'll continue treating symptoms and keeping a close eye on her. Hoping she will show some signs of recovery. I tube fed her a larger amount after this afternoon and felt around her abdomen for swelling or foreign objects without much success. When I was feeling around the abdomen she let out a few squirts of poo - looking similar to the last two. She seems to be happily accepting the tube feeding without much of a fight. She is still actively drinking the pedialyte. Maybe I will like out and she will kick whatever this is!!

Its crazy because she just laid an egg two days ago and has been laying regularly for the last 2-3 months since she matured.


A photo of today's poop, a bit larger then the others (likely since I tube fed her) but still the same color and consistency. First poop came out as the white stuff and a few seconds later the green stuff came out separately.