Lethargic hen, standing slightly wide (inc poo pictures)

[MandS]

I've been through lots of threads but thought I'd try for some direct help.

Honey is not well again. She has been fine for weeks now after her worm infestation and sour crop. Noticed yesterday she was acting kind of distracted. Felt her abdomen, which is soft around the vent but harder between the legs, and she seems to have a slightly wider gait than her sister.

Did a warm epsom salts bath today, which she seemed happy to do and then inserted my little finger in her vent. Couldn't find an egg. She hasn't laid for abut a week now. She is 3 years old, so she isn't a very regular layer any more. As I did this, she squirted clear liquid and some white stuff (the stuff you see on top of normal poo).

She preened herself and ate and drank (scratch and mash).

She's done a few small poos, which I've included because you might see something I am not recognising. Against the towel, it looks a bit yellow, but the towel is bright white. The poos are not very bg, probably about an inch in length. The yellow/white stuff is not solid - that's the towel being discoloured.

She seems OK. Not in pain. Bit miserable but still interested if you bring food near her. Also, I gave her a calcium tablet ground up on blueberries, which she ate (about 2/4 of the tablet used).

Any advice would be great.

 

[Eggcessive]

It sounds like she may be having some signs of a reproductive disorder, common in older hens. Those (salpingitis, internal laying, egg yolk peritonitis, impacted oviduct, cancer, and ascites,) can cause varying symptoms, such as walking like a duck or penguin, preferring to lie down or sit for long periods, poor appetite, loss of weight, runny poops (sometimes with yellow urates or egg-like material,) and fullness in the lower belly. Not much can be done, except to keep them comfortable, offer nutritious foods they prefer, such as cooked egg, watery chicken feed, tuna or mealworms. Some use antibiotics to help get them through a rough patch or an infection, and if they become very sick or appear to be suffering, put them down. A vet may help in diagnosing if available, but many hens suffer with those problems eventually.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is some reading about reproductive diseases:
http://www.regenbiocorps.com/index.php/poultry-diseases/17-disorders-of-reproductive-systems

http://www.theveterinaryexpert.com/backyard-poultry/egg-yolk-peritonitis/

 

[MandS]

Hi
Thanks for the replies.

She has done a lot of small poos. They look quite like the ones I have uploaded. She seems less wide legged and is certainly eating when food is given (there's always layers pellets there but if you come up with any fresh veg or scratch, she's there and eating with enthusiasm).

I noticed her crop was not empty this morning. It was a slightly smaller than a golf ball hard lump. Been here before......

When she was out the other day, I noticed her going overboard on the grass and although it isn't "long", some of it was about 4 inches, which she was eating whole. So I am guessing an impacted crop.

Last time I gave her water by syringe and massaged her. It cleared after a couple of days. Will do the same again tonight.

Any pearls off wisdom? Do people think the bread soaked in olive oil is useful - or anything else that will help it pass apart from water and massage?

 

[Eggcessive]

Here are some good articles about impacted crop:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...d-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments.67194/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[MandS]

Thanks - I have read these but useful to have them again.

Still more advice needed. I have done everything I have read. I have given water and massaged - but the crop was still solid this morning. I have given scrambled egg with veg oil, which hasn't made any difference so far, and I have kept her off food all day.

However we called the vet.......

The advice was: if she will eat, give her food. She needs food. So we have given her layers pellets, which she has eaten some.

I asked if they would do the removal of the lump from the gizzard and they said yes. What do I need to check? Should I be asking questions about how they do it, stitches (not superglue)etc?

Am thinking of giving her some tuna -or anyhting else that might build up her strength for tomorrow's op.

We are all really nervous of losing her but I am beginning to think that her problems are around something hard in the gizzard that never completely goes. Worried and at a loss as to whether I should trust the vet's advice....

 

[Eggcessive]

If the vet will remove the impaction, let them decide which they prefer, glue or stitches. I would not feed solid food with an impacted crop. Maybe feed some egg and plain yogurt and lots of water—add electrolytes and vitamins if you have them. Is she pooping? I have had poor luck treating crop problems. Many times the crop becomes slow due to another reason. Chickens may survive without feeding with just water for a couple of days. If the food is not miving through, it is not being digested anyway. Keep massaging 3 times a day, and pushing the water.

 

[MandS]

Hi. Thank you for a really quick response.

Yes, she is pooping. Not big ones but about pencil width and about inch-inch and a half long. Quite a number. They look like the photo above still.

She isn't ravenous but she has eaten some pellets. I have given her one egg today with veg oil, is it ok to give another - or tuna, which I was about to do?

I haven't done the water treatment today because she was agitated and wasn't letting us get her beak open. Again, I'll go with any advice given. I just want a successful result and her to be strong enough to make it through the op.

 

[micstrachan]

I would give her some straight nutridrench if you have it in the morning. Please let us know how the operation goes!

 

[MandS]

Hi - and thank you.

The op went well. She is back home and sitting quietly. The vet said that he removed a ball of grass but also there was some plastic or latex (he couldn't work out what it was) that had obviously been in there for a long time. It was smell and very unpleasant. He said the walls of the crop had thickened, which he thought was likely to be the result of a long term infection, so he has flushed the crop, stitched it and given a course of antibiotics.

He said to feed her soft food, which we are giving her layers mash - quite runny, and to avoid any hard food or grit until after the weekend. Annoyingly, a small inch long piece of straw blew into her cage and she ate it before I could stop her. Hope that doesn't complicate things.

We are very relieved and hopeful she will make a full recovery. The plastic/latex whatever, probably explains why this has been a recurring problem for the last 3 months. She gets infected, gets antibiotics and then improves, then goes down again a few weeks later.

I'll post on her progress over the next week. But thank you to all who offered advice and who have shown care.