Lethargic hen

[HuevosModesto]

Looking for some help with a lethargic chicken:
We purchased 6 chickens about 3 weeks ago, and this morning one (black sex link?) didn’t come down from the roost when I opened the door. They are all housed in an Eglu Cube, which has plastic roost bars over pine shavings. When I went to investigate, she was head down (head between the slats) and non-responsive. I checked her over for injury, mites, and egg-binding, but I can’t see orr feel any issues. She has always been more standoffish than the others, but the symptoms started this morning. The other birds seem unaffected, and I haven’t noticed any change in her eating or pooping habits. I’m posting this from the waiting room if an emergency vet who doesn’t deal in livestock (Labor day, limited options). The only thing I can think of is that they have been free ranging the yard (fenced) so she may have eaten something she shouldn’t have (mushroom, green tomatos?). Thoughts?

 

[HuevosModesto]

Update: Hen was extremely thin, this may have been going on for awhile. Vet recommended we put her down. I’m going to bleach and pressure wash the coop in case this is viral.

 

[Eggcessive]

How old are the new chickens? Have you inserted a finger into the vent about 1-2 inches to feel for a stuck egg? What do her poops look like? How does her crop in her right chest feel—empty, full, soft, hard, doughy, or puffy? I would be tempted to give her Corid for possible coccidiosis if her crops is empty, and if you don’t feel an egg. Corid dosage is 1.5 tsp of Corid powder, or 2 tsp of Corid liquid per gallon of water. Place in a normal chhicken waterer or bowl as the only source of water for 5-7 days. Until you get the Corid, or if you don’t get it, give her some Poultry NutriDrench a few drops, or add some SaveAChick electrolytes to the water, and get her drinking.

 

[BuffOrpington567]

Have you tried taking them to the vet?

 

[Eggcessive]

Oh, I am sorry. She may have had a reproductive problem, such as internal laying, or egg yolk peritonitis.

 

[HuevosModesto]

I’m back home now, and the vet mentioned that the affected hen was very thin (I wondered about that when I picked her up this morning). Now I’ve handled the remaining hens and, with the exception of one, they are all quite thin. They have access to food and water all day (laying mash), and range the yard looking for forage t least 2 hours every day. Could this be a flock issue? They are all between 10-15 weeks old. We added two new hens last week. Preventative measures? Do hens need to “feel” fat around the breastbone?

 

[rebrascora]

Youngsters' bodies at that age cannot be expected to be fully filled out but if the vet felt she was noticeably thin, then coupled with her age and the circumstances you found her in, and that you have added new birds recently, I might be concerned that it was an outbreak of Marek's disease. It might have been a good idea to enquire about a necropsy on her. Marek's is caused by an extremely common and widespread herpes virus, affects mostly juvenile/adolescent birds, causes muscle wastage and a whole host of symptoms, one of the commoner ones being loss of muscle control, usually causing lameness and imbalance. Finding young birds stuck in odd places in poor body condition is a bit of a red flag for this disease in my experience.
Marek's is spread via dander dust from an infected bird, which is then inhaled to infect new hosts. There is then a minimum 3 week dormancy period before symptoms appear. I understand that the virus is only shed by birds that are symptomatic but can survive for months if not years in buildings etc outside of it's host. To reduce the risk to your remaining flock, I would remove and carefully dispose of all bedding and vacuum the inside of the coop to remove as much dust and debris as possible paying particular attention to the cracks, crevices and roof space and then disinfect with Virkon S which is known to be effective against Marek's. You will not be able to eradicate all of the infected material as it will be in the run and on your clothes and probably in your car and home in the form of tiny dust particles and some of your other flock may already be infected but not yet symptomatic or infected material could easily be trapped in their feathers, but giving the coop a good clean out will definitely help reduce the risk.

Of course it may not be Marek's that she had and without a necropsy we will never know unless you start seeing other symptomatic birds in the coming weeks and months. Keep an eye open for any lameness or birds with a twisted neck or tail or dropped wing or even just unable to keep one eyelid fully open..... no pun intended there!
Hope I am wrong!

 

[HuevosModesto]

Thank you, I’ll look for the Vircon S. I took apart the coop, removed all bedding, pressure washed, bleached (until dry), and pressure washed again before I replaced the bedding and reintroduced the birds. I hope this will at least buy me some time. As far as a necropsy, the vet wasn’t willing or able to run tests for illness, but suggested I take the bird to our state capitol (Sacramento), which is an hour and a half drive. I work during the week (teacher), and that’s not a feasible option. I plan to keep an eye on the remaining flock and try the preventative measure suggested here.