Lethargic hen, watery poop, low appetite

[LaFleche]

@LaFleche
Could this be an outcome of IB 2 months+ after onset of symptoms in my flock?

I think that is a possibility as the virus is said to run for about 8 weeks and then egg shells/egg production will return to rather normal.

It will take some time for the infection to develop into full blown nephritis and destroy the renal tubulars.

 

[LaFleche]

Only other update is that her crop really isn't moving and is like a little water balloon. I am massaging regularly and have seen her pass some small amounts of fluids. What is coming out look almost totally clear. No urates and no solids.

How does her lower abdomen look, is it swollen/bloated? Is it hard to the touch or rather wobbly like a water filled balloon?
And how does she srnell?

 

[Winchikn]

How does her lower abdomen look, is it swollen/bloated? Is it hard to the touch or rather wobbly like a water filled balloon?
And how does she srnell?

She smells fine and lower abdomen feels normal based on my 4 years of chicken keeping - but I might be missing something.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

@Wyorp Rock
I have both clotrimazole (1%) and metronidazole (.75%) creams on hand. Which of these would be preferable to treat sour crop? And what dosing? I read the crop article but the dosing seems vague.

She needs to have access to water during waking hours.

If giving a Molasses flush, then administer either several hours before or after giving the dewormer. Make sure she's got water after administering a flush.


Clotrimazole 1% is what I'd use unless you can find 2%.
From the article.
"""The easiest (and cheapest) to obtain yeast treatment, though, is miconazole, found on the women's hygiene shelf in the pharmacy. You can use either the suppositories or the vaginal cream. Measure a quarter inch of suppository or about half an inch of cream and give orally twice a day for seven days. Do not stop treatment before the full seven days are completed or the yeast may return.You may see different strengths of miconazole, 2% or 4%, and wonder which to get. Either strength is fine. I prefer the 2% cream myself for economic reasons. The treatment with either strength is the same, twice and day for a full seven days."""

 

[Winchikn]

A third unhappy ending for my flock this spring/summer. This hen died the day before yesterday. Her crop emptied the night before and I was hopeful that morning, but she was still unwilling to eat anything at all. I got some clotrimazole into her but that intervention seemed to take the very last of her strength. She drank almost nothing that day and was gone by the evening.

I still believe this has been an infectious bronchitis journey that has now gone on for over three months. One hen died quite a while ago and quite suddenly - though she had struggled with parasite load and shell-less egg issues even before the sneezing hit the flock (really, almost since we got her in the fall of 2021). The next one had always been a solid layer and developed reproductive/shell-less egg issues after the sneezing had been present for a couple of weeks, and she hung on despite low appetite for close to 2 weeks.

This last hen, the sweetest of the bunch (called Leia, though she didn't turn out to have the many lives of the princess), seemed okay up until last Sunday - though I think some watery poops had turned up a few days ahead of that. She hasn't been laying for a while so I don't if reproductive issues were part of her demise, but I do wonder she had liver issues as someone contemplated earlier in this thread. Over the course of the 5 days of her acute illness, I tried calcium (in case of egg/shell issues), Safeguard (in case she was dealing with parasites), and clotrimazole (in case of yeast/sour/slow crop). My heart tells me the most likely explanation is side effects of the IB.

I don't think we will get her necropsied, given the rest of my flock has already been exposed to whatever has killed these hens. I have lost 3 out of 4 of my 2 year olds (2 Production Reds and one Rhodebar). My 4-ish year old hens seem to be okay, though there is still the odd sneeze from my Easter Egger roo and the remaining young hen, who is a Buff Chantecler).

Chicken keeping is sure hard on the soft-hearted. Really hoping this is the end of our losses for this year. May the force be with us...

 

[LaFleche]

I am sorry you lost her.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry to hear about Leia

 

[Mason Farm and Ranch]

It sounds like you gave her a great life. Condolences on her passing.

 

[Winchikn]

I am sorry you lost her.

Thank you. It is so valuable to be able to connect with knowledge and compassion through this forum. I really, really appreciate it.