Lethargic Chicken, Crust on Beak

mikebinkley

Hatching
Oct 29, 2020
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A few days ago we noticed our 3 year old Issa Brown had her head pulled into the rest of her body. She wasn't walking much but she could walk. As of today, she is listless, not eating, falling over when she tries to walk. We have separated her from the rest of the flock with a heat lamp, food, water with some apple cider vinegar, yogurt and fresh fruit. Any idea what could be wrong with her? I saw her poop yesterday - haven't today, but I just got done with work and haven't been on poop watch.
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Is the crust on her beak from food or eye/nasal secretions? Could you get a close up pic of her face? Her posture looks like a very sick chicken with her puffed up tail down posture. Has she been laying eggs recently? I would get her taking some sips of water held up to her beak, and something like Poultry NutriDrench 2 ml daily would work as a boost. Feel of her crop in early morning, and tell us it is empty, full, hard, or puffy.
 
Not sure, but her eyes do seem sunken. I honestly can't tell which hen has laid eggs or not. I will look for this NutriDench tomorrow.

Is the crust on her beak from food or eye/nasal secretions? Could you get a close up pic of her face? Her posture looks like a very sick chicken with her puffed up tail down posture. Has she been laying eggs recently? I would get her taking some sips of water held up to her beak, and something like Poultry NutriDrench 2 ml daily would work as a boost. Feel of her crop in early morning, and tell us it is empty, full, hard, or puffy.
 
I will check that tomorrow and get back to you. I have 9 chickens and don't keep track of who is laying what. I appreciate the advice. Trying to make her comfortable.

Inspect her for lice/mites especially around her vent area and worm her with Valbazen. When was the last time she laid an egg?
 
Not sure, but her eyes do seem sunken. I honestly can't tell which hen has laid eggs or not. I will look for this NutriDench tomorrow.
The sunken eye could be a sign of a respiratory disease, such as MG. Have any had respiratory symptoms before, and have you ever seen bubbles in her eye?
 
It would be good to know if she is laying and what her droppings look like. She looks poorly and is probably not eating and drinking. Get some fluids into her. ISA browns are very good layers, and they can suffer from egg laying problems, such as infections, egg yolk peritonitis, and others. Check her crop early in the morning to make sure that her crop is empty, and she isn’t having a crop disorder. Go ahead and worm her since worms can make her feel bad as well. The Valbazen is very good to use. Let us know if she is any better once you worm her and get some fluids into her. Watery chicken feed and scrambled bits of egg would be good to offer her.
 
Very sorry for your loss. After I lost a few of my birds, I started wondering what some had died from. You can get a necropsy by most of the state poultry vets, but you can also find some things out by doing a simple necropsy at home. Especially with reproductive infections, egg yolk peritonitis, salpingitis and lash eggs, cancer, ascites, and even fatty liver disease is fairly easy to spot. If you ever want a necropsy, keep the body cold, and contact your state vet from this list:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm
 

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