Lethargic chicken, white/yellow liquid poop, trouble walking

[Lyris]

I'm sure it's nothing, but while she was playing her own version of bobbing for apples with her egg I noticed she has a bunch of white stuff around her nose and eye. I'm guessing it's just dry skin, but I thought I'd double check since I'm troubleshooting her.

She's really into her game of bobbing for eggs (she doesn't seem to understand food right now - she's pretty not there in the head) so I snuck some calcium into her water. Fingers crossed it helps.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

It looks like dry skin to me.

I'd give her the Poultry Cell in the water if she like that.

For the Calcium, give it to her directly, right into the beak so you know she's taken it.

 

[Lyris]

Well now she's got congested coughing and sometimes she opens her beak to breathe. She's also not as keen on the water. I think she got water up her nose while drinking (it was incredibly hard to prevent even with a shallow dish) and got sick. I'm guessing this isn't related to her original problem and is something new. I ran out of the doxy. All I have left is the amoxicillin 10% powder. I'm asking around to see if anyone has a stronger antibiotic. She took her calcium okay at least. She still won't eat, but she still loves water. She just won't take as much. What would cause her to be obsessed with water anyway? Her bowl movements are normal. It's not going straight through her link a drink and at doll.

 

[Eggcessive]

Does she have any bubbles or foam in either eye or nasal drainage? Is she swallowing mucus draining from her sinus cavity? Was her crop empty first thing in the morning before she had access to food or water? Could she have choked on the water?

 

[Tookie]

So sorry I haven't checked in here @Lyris, I've been busy the last few days.
You've been given good advice from @Wyorp Rock and @Eggcessive. I hope your girl will be ok!

 

[Lyris]

Does she have any bubbles or foam in either eye or nasal drainage? Is she swallowing mucus draining from her sinus cavity? Was her crop empty first thing in the morning before she had access to food or water? Could she have choked on the water?

I'm positive she got a bit of water in her lungs. She was really going for it and doesn't seem to understand how far to put her beak. I had to switch to a dish that she could only get half her beak into. Even then I had to tilt it when she drank to prevent her from going too far in. I've never seen a chicken so obsessed with water before. The only animal I've seen who wanted water more was my 19 year old cat with kidney failure. She has a bit of nasal drainage I think. I'm not sure if that's from her dunking her face or if it's something else though. Nothing wrong with her eyes. Her crop definitely empties. She fills it up to bulging on water every time I give her some. Her poop absolutely reeks. I have to clean her container often to keep from reeking up the house. I swear it's a contest between her and my old cat for who smells the worst when they pee. She's now pooping green and the smell isn't *as* bad, so that's a plus.

I had to really spray out her container today so she came outside with me. The poor girl just wanted to find the other hens and snuggle against them. We were in a big dog kennel area to keep her safe. While I was in there the chickens just came over and watched her. She's not allowed interacting with them. She really wants to snuggle with my head chicken who has suddenly gone feral and is attacking her. I also don't want her spreading anything she might have.

Still absolutely no interest in food. She won't even try it. Sometimes I can get her to look at the food. For now she's on poultry cell. Sometimes I sneak in crumbled eggs that she sucks up when she's pretending she's a vacuum.

 

[Lyris]

She's taken a downward turn. after walking around a bit and cleaning yesterday she suddenly stopped being able to stand at all. She instantly falls back onto her "knees" with her toes curled. She now has clear mucus in her mouth, is mouth breathing, and is breathing really hard. I'm calling around to find a vet... But I don't know that oral antibiotics would work in time. I don't even know that antibiotics would work at all at this point.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry that she is doing worse. Since she has those yellow urates in her droppings, and is not eating much, she may be dying. You were giving doxycycline before. Did you get more? Amoxicllin was suggested by Wyorp Rock. It can help treat egg yolk peritonitis, but doxy is better for respiratory symptoms. Is her crop empty and flat this am? Is her lower belly enlarged with fluid or solids?

 

[Lyris]

Sorry that she is doing worse. Since she has those yellow urates in her droppings, and is not eating much, she may be dying. You were giving doxycycline before. Did you get more? Amoxicllin was suggested by Wyorp Rock. It can help treat egg yolk peritonitis, but doxy is better for respiratory symptoms. Is her crop empty and flat this am? Is her lower belly enlarged with fluid or solids?

Her belly is empty. I can actually feel her breast bone. It's been suggested that it's mereks, but nobody else has it. According to people I've talked to, it's always mereks, it's a myth that it's always mereks and everyone instantly jumps to that claim when it's just a cold, or it's incredibly common and the idea that everyone jumps to mereks is a myth to dispell how serious it really is. Some say the only way to find out for sure is to send in the body for autopsy while others say you can do a blood test. If it's mereks, I have 13 other chickens who are just sneezing to worry about. I don't want her body to just be thrown away in a lab... I always get little gravestones.

I'm sure she's dying. I had another chicken pass of very similar symptoms last year. Whether it's a chest illness or mereks, I don't know. They sleep on a bookcase type thing and I'm always worried it's my fault they're getting sick. At this point I just don't want her to be in pain. she can't be happy.

 

[Lyris]

Final update: the vet didn't suspect Merek's. They did find mites but it wasn't bad. The respiratory illness was just the final thing that got her. Due to the way she was behaving and how underweight she was it's suspected that she had an underlying problem. In the end they helped her pass and she's now outside waiting to join the others who have crossed the rainbow bridge.

The only lingering concern I have is that I had a different chicken pass of something similar last year. I'm hoping it isn't something in the land that was dormant all winter. The vet doesn't think so since my other chickens are okay, but it could be that those two weren't vaccinated. It's been suggested that I do live chicken testing where they take a few feathers and check. It's supposed to give good results and is mostly affordable.

For now my main concern is making sure my cats or cockatiels don't somehow get the mites. Bunny was inside with me for two days. I didn't know she had mites until the end. Mites isn't something we typically get here so I don't know if they can infect my other animals or not. That's tomorrow's problem though. Today is a day of grieving and then I'll figure everything out.

Thursday I lost my 19 year old cat, Friday I was horribly sick, Saturday Bunny stopped walking, Sunday she was kind of okay and I tripped down the stairs, hurting my knee and ankle. Monday I flunked the pre-test for midterms and had to come home early due to my leg. Tuesday I had to put Bunny down. Friday is my hardest midterm (I think I had another midterm I did Saturday? I don't remember) my other midterm was due last week. And we have to find a place to move this month or risk living the van life for a bit. When it rains it pours I guess. But at least Bunny is at peace. It's always the animals who are the sweetest who end up leaving the soonest.