Lethargic, molting, limping, and doughy crop

[Keelieawn]

Thread 'Chicken suddenly acting odd....' https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-suddenly-acting-odd.1555210/

I originally posted in another thread about her behavior change.

She is a little over 1yr old silkie/EE mix, behavior change initially noticed was the lethargy and I thought it might be due to molting.

Current issues: doughy crop for a couple of days, lethargic, slight limp has increased to where she puts less weight on leg and can become a little unbalanced. Eats a tiny bit and today is showing lack of interest in drinking.

Not egg bound, no bumblefoot, no other injuries detected.

I have given her 1 baby aspirin, 2ml NutriDrench, 1/3 monistat suppository, mineral oil and massaged crop, and soaked in Epsom salt bath for 15 mins. Behavior started 1 week ago and limp was initially super slight with crop being normal in mornings.

I'm a bit at a loss. Could it be several things at once? I am still new to chicken keeping so I'm willing to accept that I might be overreacting as well.

 

[Keelieawn]

As the day has gone by she has declined tremendously. Can't stay awake, Can't get her to drink water, won't stand. It was recommended that I treat for sour crop. I attempted to vomit her to see if I could get anything possibly dislodged. No luck. I syringed some water into her and will be withholding food for a couple of days but giving her some monistat and I will continue to syringe NutriDrench and water.

I have only dealt with sour crop once and this is a different case entirely. I feel so out of my element.

 

[Keelieawn]

And she passed away in my arms. I am unsure if there was something else going on, if maybe I accidentally aspirated her, I have no idea. She declined significantly today and was my chicken who had stopped laying back in February but seemed happy and healthy otherwise.

I am at an utter loss and feel so incredibly responsible. She was a sweet funny girl and I am heartbroken. I realize this is part of chicken keeping and this is my first death. I'm just so sad but also relieved to not be seeing her suffering.

 

[Mrs J]

I am so sorry for your loss please don’t blame yourself, all we can do is what we think is best for our chickens, I will tag @azygous who might have a little bit of advice in case you come across this problem again, best wishes x

 

[azygous]

Only a year old. That's tragic. Yes, chickens can die of lots of possible causes at any age, but with the younger ones, just as in humans, we do not expect it.

A crop issue that isn't noticed when it begins can slowly starve a chicken. Your little girl was showing symptoms of starvation weakness - imbalance, leg weakness and trouble walking. Those symptoms can also signal shock from an injury or fright, and heat sickness, so these other factors would be involved.

The symptoms also could be from vitamin deficiency. But this wouldn't necessarily cause death.

A crop issue can stem from other underlying health issues such as reproductive problems. In one so young, this is quite often the case.

And she may have been egg bound or internally laying. I had a one-year old die from internal laying.

We can't say what killed her. I doubt it was anything you did. Aspiration usually kills instantly, not hours later unless pneumonia had taken hold, but that would take days or weeks to become fatal.

With unusual deaths, I take the body apart out of curiosity. It's how I found out that one-year old of mine died of internal laying. If you can bring yourself to cut her open, you can learn a lot.

 

[Keelieawn]

Thank you for your insight and words. This past year I have dealt with a lot of things with my 4 girls and it just seems like, at times, I am constantly learning (sour crop with another girl, mites/lice, tapeworm). I do wonder about the reproductive issue with her since she suddenly stopped laying back in February and just always seemed to have runny poo. But, like I said, she appeared happy and healthy and just literally from one day to the next, she fell ill. Crop was emptying and only in the last 2 days did I notice it was doughy. I am honestly relieved that I didn't have to euthanize her and that I was able to hold her and tell her I loved her as she crossed over.

As curious as I am, I don't think I can actually do an autopsy. That might change in the future but for now, it would be difficult.

Thank you again ❤❤

 

[MaeM]

I'm SO sorry for your loss...

But I need to respectfully advise you to find a vet that you can call or visit if there is something wrong with your girls.

Because they are prey animals, chickens are very good at hiding signs of illness. They often show them only when they are so severely ill that they can't hide them anymore. And sometimes, that is too late.

So, in my humble opinion and experience, it's best to take them to the vet as soon as you see any changes in a bird's behavior, poop, etc. (if you can afford it, of course).

Again, I'm really sorry this happened to you.

If you still want to know what happened to her, there are some state labs that perform autopsies for free as far as I know.

 

[Keelieawn]

I'm SO sorry for your loss...

But I need to respectfully advise you to find a vet that you can call or visit if there is something wrong with your girls.

Because they are prey animals, chickens are very good at hiding signs of illness. They often show them only when they are so severely ill that they can't hide them anymore. And sometimes, that is too late.

So, in my humble opinion and experience, it's best to take them to the vet as soon as you see any changes in a bird's behavior, poop, etc. (if you can afford it, of course).

Again, I'm really sorry this happened to you.

If you still want to know what happened to her, there are some state labs that perform autopsies for free as far as I know.

Thank you and I do understand the need to take my pets to vets. Unfortunately, there aren't many in my area that will actually see chickens so this has been challenging. I also can't afford to take a pet in for every single sign that I might perceive as unusual. When she stopped laying and had softer poops, I immediately reached out to people here and in other groups for their thoughts and opinions and I was told repeatedly that it all looked normal, especially if her behavior never changed. As for what happened recently, it happened so fast and I honestly was doing everything I could.

I appreciate your opinion but I do find it a bit of an unfair judgment...or perhaps just an uneeded one at this particular time. This is a site filled with advice and resources on animal husbandry and, from what I can tell, many people here practice that on their own. I clearly understand the importance of vets but vets that will see chickens are not as common.

I don't want to come across as rude but I hope you can understand how your comment, while I'm sure given with good intentions, came off as accusatory. I expressed grief over losing a pet whom I loved and was doing what I could....and you told me to next time take her to a vet (one that you likely know would have to be available and would specialize in birds/chickens/farm animals).

I appreciate your condolences.

 

[azygous]

What a graceful reply. I wish I had this much patience and grace.

 

[WingsysRoost]

I'm so sorry for your loss. It always hurts to lose them so suddenly, especially at such a young age.