Lethargic Hen, not eating/drinking, poopy bottom

[aussiemixmom]

we have a small flock (8 hens). The hen that is sick is a 2 year old Polish Hen.
About two days ago I noticed that she was fluffed up and not staying with the flock as usual.
Yesterday as I was ready to leave for work I seen her in the pasture, alone, sitting in the rain.
I brought her in the "baby coop" (inside the regular coop but separated by chicken wire as a separate section that we used when we slowly introduced the baby chicks as they got older to the older flock) and left her with food and water till I came back home.

Today my husband stayed home to check her out see what we can do to help her.

She is fluffed up, does not want to walk only sits, and does not appear to be wanting to eat or drink. She is very light/skinny and her crop is empty. Her butt had caked on poop which smells (to me, not hubby)

The chickens have a large walk in coop that also has a smaller coop within that coop for when we had introduced new/baby chickens. The coop is a lean-to extension from the barn with concrete floors, wood shavings on floor and straw in the nesting bins. In the morning we open the door from the coop to the outside where they have about 1/4 acre fenced in area with a three sided shelter and water.
Food is Purina laying hen pellets and in the evening we give a small amount of scratch for them to eat. Occasionally we give salad greens, bread and pumpkin (seasonal) as treats.

Hubby gave her a "butt soak" today in Epson salt, cleaned up her butt (bless his heart), blow dryed her and put her inside in a enclosure with a heat lamp with food and water. I don't believe she has touched any of it. We have given her a product called "Poultry Nutri-Drench" which is a "rapid, rich nutrition supplement for all classes of poultry".

When I got home hubby gave me the run down and showed me something "he plucked off her butt" while cleaning - well it was floating in the water when he bathed her. He seems concerned about it and thought it would be good to see if anyone has any idea what it might be. Its squishy and I have no idea what it could be.

As of me typing this she still has not eaten or drank and is sitting in one spot.

Any advise/suggestion would be appreciated. I hope we can save her! She has already used up a life when she found a way out of the outside enclosure and walked all the way across our pasture, across a busy street, through a baseball field unto a track and was running around below the bleachers for hours before I found her. I only found her because a face book page I belong to posted that they saw a chicken at the track with a puffy head that was following their voices. Due to her feathers on her head she has low visibility and she will come when called by following my voice. So, when I found her I called for her and she came running from below the bleachers into my arms. She was thirsty but otherwise fine and had quite the adventure. That was last Summer and I would hate to loose her.

 

[peckpeckpeck]

You must be so worried!
I have no idea what the squishy thing is.

I'd try to get her hydrated. Use a syringe to get the Nutri Drench in her.

Well she's a lucky hen that you found her under the bleachers last year! Fingers crossed she'll pull through this time too

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

A picture of the squishy thing found sticking to the hens feathers would be helpful.

If it wasn't a poop, then, it is a possibility that it was a lash egg.

The term lash egg is referring to a substance that looks like an egg, but in fact is a nasty little blob of coagulated pus and other substances from inside the hen's oviduct. It is the body's effort to remove infection from the oviduct. The infection causing this inflammation (salpingitis) is either bacterial or viral. This is a bad infection for hens. Here are some other symptoms to look for: fluffed feathers, abdominal swelling, labored breathing, soft shelled eggs, penguin like stance, thin body condition, excessive thirst, and lash eggs.

Here is a picture of some lash eggs. Have your hubby take a look, to see if they are what he saw.

Most keepers say there is no treatment for this infection. But, others are treating by boosting the chicken's immune system. The addition of Echinacea is an excellent way to do this, there are also immune system boosting foods you can add to the diet, too. Also, treating with an herbal antibiotic may help.

Of course, your hen may not even have this condition. Diagnosis is dependent on identifying that floating squishy thing in the water, that your hubby plucked from the hen's feathers.

That epsom salt bath was brilliant, too! Your hubby did a good thing for that little girl. Epsom salt baths are very healing and soothing for sick hens, roosters too!

So, these are my thoughts on what may, be ailing your girl.

God Bless.