Margo is in Trouble

[rebrascora]

I agree that if she laid an egg yesterday or even the day before, it is unlikely to be EYP. From her stance my feeling would be a soft shelled/shell less egg, but if you are seeing/feeling some abdominal swelling, coupled with the darkening comb, ascites due to liver or heart issues would be a concern.
If it is a soft shelled egg, a little exercise may help her, so I would be reluctant to isolate, but she will probably instinctively know what is most comfortable. If it is a sudden onset of ascites I would expect her to be drinking significant amounts of water.
it is a shell less egg and it gets pushed through her system overnight.

 

[Eggcessive]

@Bocktobery 10, we miss seeing you here, and hope to see you more. I think flushed red skin can be a sign of fever. I had a hen who was red all over and suddenly very ill. She was dead before morning. Unfortunately I had not started doing necropsies to look for what might be wrong then.

I had several hens die last winter during an extreme cold spell. 3 out of 4 had ascites. One did not have any abdominal swelling. So, I think some do not always look the same.

 

[azygous]

Wow! Just got finished reading all nine pages of this thread! That's what I get for coming late to the party. It would appear Margot has lots of fans.

Margo is showing signs of an oviduct inflammation. My very youngest hen (one year old) just went through this. She had all of the symptoms Margot has. She was passing shell-less eggs and she was extremely sick. I treated her with amoxicillin 250mg for ten days. She is just now recovering after a few months of no appetite and listless behavior.

You are doing everything you can for Margot, and yes, go ahead and start her on amoxicillin. She should begin to show signs of improvement, if not recovery, in a couple days. It should at least halt the decline.

Calcium citrate can be given at 200mg (half a tab) once or twice a day each day until you're reasonably sure she's not passing any more egg material. She may have some remnants of a shell-less egg left inside that need to come out. The calcium should help. She should also perk up after she gets that debris out.

As for comb discoloration, that's insignificant. The grey tinge at the back simply means her respirations are slower at that point you see the darkening of the comb. My roosters with huge combs get this from time to time. As long as it's fleeting and the comb returns to a normal red, don't worry.

By the way, instead of constant water soaks, you can achieve the same thing by placing a moist towel over a heating pad on the lowest setting and then place Margot on the damp towel. You need to watch her for signs of overheating (panting) and turn the pad off.

My little hen has never laid another egg. But she pulled through the infection and is resuming her normal behavior. She's still underweight, but her appetite continues to improve. I think Margot can beat this, too.

 

[staceyj]

Ive found that soaks in a small oval shaped bathroom wastebasket is great for soaks. The shape cradles them and they don’t seem to fight it.

 

[micstrachan]

Thank you. It’s 5:30 am, so the flock I’d still asleep. I’m slightly nervous about going to look st Margo. How should I administer the amoxicillin? She wasn’t eating much yesterday. I think I remember you saying you dip it in peanut butter? I can try that.

I did not see any egg material yesterday, but maybe will this morning.

Finally, I’m out of town for five days starting Friday. I can administer meds Friday, but won’t be back until Wednesday. My husband will be home except for during the weekend and my neighbor is helping with the animals. Not sure either can do chicken meds, but Margo does occasionally jump in my neighbor’s lap, so she wouldn’t be too freaked out by him. If J can’t get help with the meds, is it still worth doing these first five days? And what are your thoughts on aspirin?

 

[micstrachan]

Margo is still on the roost. She appears to be standing like a penguin without her head drooped. Hard to see. I’m going to have a quick shower and will then let the girls out and see if I can get amoxicillin and calcium into Margo.

 

[Eggcessive]

If she still won’t eat, I would give her 125 mg of the amoxicillin orally in the back of her throat or crush it and add to a small amount of yogurt, and squirt it in her beak slowly. Then give another 125 mg dose this evening. When she eats you can hide it in some cooked egg, or some canned cat food (just a bit.)

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Margo is still on the roost. She appears to be standing like a penguin without her head drooped. Hard to see. I’m going to have a quick shower and will then let the girls out and see if I can get amoxicillin and calcium into Margo.

I'm leaning toward her having a soft shelled egg that is difficult to pass. Can you tell if she has pooped at all through the night? While you're at it, feel her crop, what is that like?

 

[micstrachan]

Margo still has a little fluid in her crop this morning, but it’s almost empty. Can’t tell whose poops are hers (if any), unfortunately. She actually looks slightly better this morning. I’m going to scramble her an egg and sprinkle it with calcium citrate. She was preening when I came back inside, which I think is a good sign Here she is:

 

[micstrachan]

I forgot to mention, her abdomen doesn’t really feel swollen. There might be a tiny bit of fluid or fat at the very back undrneath her event, but nothing major.