Lethargic hen, hasn't laid in months

[seminolewind]

I hope it goes well.

 

[farminbigs]

Ok. So it's been a few days since giving the wormer and the antibacterial solution. My next option is probably antibiotics. Is there a way to acquire them without visiting the vet? She is definitely not feeling well. She wants to be with her friends and actually ran away from me today when I tried to bring her back inside, and she's still eating and drinking somewhat, but her butt is mucky- which could be from being confined, or from whatever is getting her. Any antibiotic suggestions?

 

[seminolewind]

Yes. Some places, like Jeffer's can send antibiotics. Sometimes I end up at the pigeon website shops. Tractor Supply may have antibiotics. You do not need a vet to get them.

 

[farminbigs]

Ok thanks. I am trying everything I can right now. She pecks at her food, but she isn't pooping as much. Although it is still grassy looking. I'm going to give her some hard boiled egg in the morning. She'll eat those like no ones business. But her poo is noticeably stinky.

 

[farminbigs]

My girl is still alive, though still not well. She is still eating, though is now refusing her feed, just wants hard boiled eggs, yogurt and bread. I have been giving her electrolytes with a syringe as well as giving her some water with a syringe since I don't see her drink often. I've tried everything I can think of and she is just not getting better. I am beginning to believe she must have a reproductive issue. If I retrace the last six months, it feels like it has to be something like that. She has lost so much eight, she is super bony. Really only has a lot of meat left on her legs. I just saw necropsy photos of a bird with peritonitis, and now that I can see where the build up goes, I think I can feel some masses that I thought were maybe joints might actually be yolks. It just seems to make the most sense based on the timing- like she must have gone into her molt, then when she came out of it, her eggs didn't form properly. I have been reading it is most common between 1 1/2 and 3 years of age?? Well, she is 1 1/2 and I am pretty sure she was a hatchery hen. I didn't notice she had lost so much weight because her plumage has always been so thick and beautiful. When she went through her molt, it was very slow (barely noticeable) so I initially figured she was a hen that was a slow moulter. Poor girl. She still doesn't appear to have a swollen belly and she is pooping less frequently (though still pretty normal looking poops, just stink and green, but still solid.) I haven't seen any evidence of parasites, and giving her antibacterial and antibiotic solutions just seems to give her runnier poop. If anyone is catching anything I am not, please chime in.

 

[casportpony]

When I suspect a serious infection in one of mine I treat it with Baytril orally or by injection. Other powerful antibiotics that you could try are Cipro or Augmentin.

-Kathy

 

[MamaJillian]

I had a chicken like yours earlier this year. She did not look good! It went on for months. At her worst point, she barely moved during the day, and would spend all her time hunched up with her eyes closed. She didn't lay eggs for months and her feathers looked awful. Finally I wormed her (wazine and Rooster Booster), and that seemed to help a little bit, but what really helped was something so simple - I fed her a handful of grit. My girls free-range and we have a gravel driveway, so I assumed they got enough grit. Apparently this hen needed a little more! After she ate the grit her crop was full for two days and I thought I had really done her in, but after that she looked great! She molted and her new feathers are silky, she is laying again, and her poop is totally normal. She is back to sleeping on the roost too.

Good luck with your hen.

 

[seminolewind]

With the reproduction issue,, the way I figured it out was if I compared the area behind her legs underneath, kinda feels like a torpedo, and you feel hers, is hers a lot bigger or harder than the other hens' ?

 

[farminbigs]

Thanks for all of the suggestions.. I have been giving her plenty of grit, and she is still having issues. I have been massaging her crop, everything. Just when I think she must be on death's bed, she perks up for her favorite food. I will have to try comparing her to the other hens tomorrow and see about this torpedo business. Thank you!

 

[farminbigs]

So, I couldn't tell if there were any differences between my girls when looking for a "torpedo" thing. She's still alive and seems to be gaining some weight back. She was pretty perky yesterday so I let her go outside with the other hens since it seems to me that she doesn't appear to have anything contagious. She was really happy to be out and about all day yesterday and spent the day foraging and napping in the sun with her bestie. She still seems to be napping more than would seem normal, but seeing her foraging was a nice change. I let her sleep in the coop with the others last night and she was happily perched with everyone else. This morning, though, she didn't really want to come out of the coop. I filled the feeder and she stayed in there eating, but it is really cold this morning, so I don't know if it's just too cold for her with all the weight she had lost, so I brought her back into her quarantine box. She seemed rather happy to be back in the box- ate some food, drank some water and went back to napping. I don't know what the heck is wrong with her, but I guess I will just keep trying to fatten her up and see if she just slowly snaps out of it?