Lethargic Hen

[Pine9]

So, since this is my first brush with disease since getting chickens, this is kind of scary. One of my ancona hens, Scram, is very lethargic this morning. She stands with her wing drooped, closing her eyes. I knew something had to be wrong when I set down some food and everyone else ran for it, but she remained where she was.

I've picked her up twice, and each time she made an effort to get away, so she's not THAT out of it. The first time was through the coop, after which she seemed to wake up and head for the hen house. I examined her again. The first time she didn't struggle, but this time she rewarded me with a wing slap to the face.

I'm not an expert and I didn't examine her very throughly, but from what I gather her comb is red as normal and her crop is squishy. Vent looks clear. However, her normally high-pitched call sounds hoarse and weak. And her eyes seem kind of glassy. I thought she was in the hen house for a long time yesterday until the other girls seemed to persuade her to walk out.

The coop is filled with sand and the hen house has pine shavings. The chickens usually free-range for about an hour every day in the backyard if it's not raining. None of the other chickens are exibiting symptoms so far. They are all about 6 months old, laying eggs.

 

[TattooedChicks]

How is her breathing, is it labored, raspy, discharge from the eyes, nose or mouth? Hmm, this sounds like a respitory issue to me based on your description.

 

[Pine9]

How is her breathing, is it labored, raspy, discharge from the eyes, nose or mouth? Hmm, this sounds like a respitory issue to me based on your description.

No discharge, no panting, i haven't noticed anything with her breathing.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

stands with her wing drooped, closing her eyes.....her crop is squishy

When was the last time she laid an egg?
Any photos of her and her poop?

Feel her abdomen for any bloat/swelling or feeling of fluid. The crop - it feels squishy - was it full last night when she went to bed? Check the crop to see if it's emptying overnight.

Crop issues can be a symptom of an underlying condition like Coccidiosis, worms or internal laying/reproductive disorders. Sometimes one or a combination of these conditions slows/blocks the digestive system enough to cause sour, doughy or slow crop. Ruling out worms and coccidiosis can be done by having a fecal float performed by your vet.

Do your best to get her hydrated, offer poultry vitamins in her water - if she is having crop problems, eliminate hard to process foods like scratch/corn/grains and give only wet feed for a few days. http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/impacted-slow-and-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments

 

[Pine9]

Hey guys, here with an update. She's laid an egg and emerged from the hen house, but she continues to be listless and droopy. The egg is somewhat small. I've attached some pics. She seems to not know where she's going, walk near the water abd drooping her beak towards it, but not drinking. She's acting like she can't stay awake, nodding off and jerking back up again.

Update: I saw her drinking! But she does it with eyes still closed and very sluggishly.

 

[Pine9]

Hate to double-post but: new development and im on mobile so i cant attach more than one image at once. Comb is turning purple/black at edges

 

[TattooedChicks]

How is she doing? Is her comb still turning colors?

 

[Pine9]

How is she doing? Is her comb still turning colors?

She is in iso (a dog crate), going to the vet soon. Gave her water with some apple cider vinegar in it, but she knocked it over so i just refilled it with regular water. She looked like she wanted to eat i food i set for her but i did not see her eat it. Poop is greenish-yellow and watery. She is sometimes alert when she sees me and did initially make a big deal of being in the crate until she became listless again. I suspect that it's blackhead--they do like digging up earthworms (the carriers of the parasite) in the backyard, which borders a wooded area. I cleaned out the bedding in the hen house to reduce the chances of the rest of the flock catching it from the feces.

Her comb seems to have relatively normal coloration right now, actually. Maybe a little discoloration at the edges if you look closely, but not bad.

UPDATE: According to the vet, she is probably suffering from metal toxicity, must've eaten something she shouldn't have. The options were x-ray/blood work/surgery (expensive), antibiotics (slim chance), or euthanasia. I've decided to give Scram a fighting chance and give her antibiotics, see if she rallies.

 

[Jennifer E Taylor]

I'm having a similar issue with my 3.5 month old roo. He's just not himself. Very slow and not interested in his favorite treats. Isolated and squishy croop. I'm very worried

 

[Farmgal101]

hope she does ok I hear that chicken like to eat warm oatmeal, it also might make her feel better and eat-keep us updated