Lethargic hen- will not sit on roost, just stands with eyes closed and will not eat/drink.

Hennyhoneys

In the Brooder
Dec 26, 2022
20
8
26
Hi there- looking for advice and appreciate the help!

1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)

Barred Rock- 3 years. Weight appears unchanged. Though she is a large girl and often seems to be slower because of it.

2) What is the behavior, exactly.

She is lethargic. Not eating or drinking much if at all. Stays on the roost or would go out with other birds if lifted off the roost and perhaps she thought it too much trouble to hop back up. Whether on or off roost she only stands and closes her eyes. Is not sitting on roost, only standing, and I think she may have remained that way all night and now continues to do so on her roost in isolation. Her abdomen seems slightly firmer than the other hens but not notable and not necessarily any bigger. Tail is down. Comb is vibrant red. She is puffed up- as they do when they go bed in the cold and it is roughly 35 degrees here but she still seems puffier than the others.
Her vent is always messy- I’ve had to bathe and trim often to keep it clear. Currently her diarrhea shows the mess and it’s hard to know if some white-ish stuff at vent opening is an extra symptom or just dried diarrhea. She does not appear to have any discharge from the vent. No mites or skin concerns upon inspection and we’ve never had anything like that.
Also last night there appeared to be something like a cooked pinto bean in her diarrhea though we have not given those as treats. See pic-

3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
2-3 days

4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
No

5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
No

6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
Nothing to my knowledge. I occasionally, though not often, find a soft egg under the roost and intuition tells me it’s hers but I really can’t be sure. I don’t think she lays regularly but we are just ending winter here in Michigan.

7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
Tried a little water and a few bites of food but does not seem interested at all, even when typical treats of oats or meal worms are given.

8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
Most recently was creamy white liquid. Over night was the same with green added (she had access to carrot greens recently) continues to be very watery though she is not drinking much.

9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
Isolation with food and water

10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
Looking for advice as to what it could be to treat as I am able. Will be calling for a vet appt tomorrow but they can take quite awhile to get in.

IMG_7308.jpeg





IMG_7313.jpeg


IMG_7310.jpeg
IMG_7311.jpeg
IMG_7307.jpeg
IMG_7309.jpeg
 
Update- she is drinking water, I think nearly a cup full in about 5-ish hours during isolation and will take a few bites of food. She finally layed down in her bedding today and then roosted sitting down for the evening. She doesn’t seem to be getting worse but is also not improving.
 
Update- she is drinking water, I think nearly a cup full in about 5-ish hours during isolation and will take a few bites of food. She finally layed down in her bedding today and then roosted sitting down for the evening. She doesn’t seem to be getting worse but is also not improving.
Also her crop was empty today before eating a few bites of food and scrambled eggs.
 
Updating in case it can help anyone! We were able to get into the vet right away and they say it is probably a tumor or maybe she is egg bound (could be both). IMO I think she was having diarrhea so perhaps isn’t egg bound but maybe there is some egg material causing her trouble if it isn’t a tumor. My other barred rock had a tumor and had to be put down. So much for Heritage Breeds! Anyway- There was an option for X-rays to know for sure what was going on and then possibly removal if it was egg material but that was costly and also risk of infection. She was otherwise healthy so we brought her back home with an antibiotic, pain meds, and recommendation for epsom salt baths. If she doesn’t start eating more in a few days and/or looks worse we will have to euthanize.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom