Meat bird, Probably dying. Can I help her? Possible heart issue?

[Kris5902]

I came back from setting some eggs in the incubator and when I went to do the evening move/feed noticed one of my meat birds didn’t move to the new grass, wouldn’t stand or go for the feed. I’ve moved her inside her comb is purplish she is panting and has a swollen abdomen right near her vent. I gave her a warm bum wash and soaked her for about ten minutes, she’s not pooping properly and having a really hard time breathing. She is 6 weeks old and a red ranger. I don’t think she will make it through the night. I did get her to drink a little water but now she’s refusing everything. Any suggestions/advice? Does anyone know what could be causing this.

 

[Kiki]

Poor thing.
My guess is she has some king of an infection in there.
How or why...

 

[Kris5902]

They all have fairly large back ends, and have since they were chicks, but the bright red color and trouble pooping is limited to this one girl... she was going to be a hold back for breeding, clearly not anymore. I’m making her as comfortable as I can and Hoping for a miraculous turn around, but not expecting it. Luckily the little girl who was helping me is very understanding of the complications in raising animals, I’m torn between trying to help her and culling her to end her suffering. This was not evident at the 6 am moving or 9 am feeding. I found her at 5:50 pm. Currently 7:30 (video took forever to upload)

 

[Kris5902]

Her dropping is white and liquid, this is it for the last hour and a half... I tried Vaseline on my little finger and lubing her vent I could only get abut 1/2” in

 

[Kris5902]

 

[Kris5902]

She perked up a little about 1/2 hr ago... chirped, and made another dropping. Seems to be breathing a little easier but still not taking any water. Would love to wake up to some suggestions or a healthy chicken, she can poop all over the bathroom for all I care if she gets mobile...

 

[Ribh]

I have nothing useful to contribute but sending virtual hugs & a prayer that all goes well.

 

[Momma hen quack]

In these situations, I seek help from my vets. They were able to tell me alot about one of my chickens just from a comprehensive stool sample.. my chicken has heart and lung issues, has ovarian cancer, and a parasite which I treated... I know she will eventually die but she looks good for now.. so sorry about your chicken and it's issues. Wish I could be more helpful.

 

[Kris5902]

She survived the night, is more perky, standing and I’ve got her drinking... still not quite right though. I’m wondering about possible coccidiosis? Here’s her droppings from last night. She is still in my bathroom. I’m thinking about maybe a direct does of amprolium for her. She’s still a little hunched and lethargic looking.

In these situations, I seek help from my vets... I know she will eventually die but she looks good for now.. so sorry about your chicken and it's issues. Wish I could be more helpful.

Thanks for your support, and I’m sorry about your girl as well. Giving her the best quality of life is all you can ever really hope for, and that gets harder with health problems, I know. Unfortunately, I don’t have a poultry vet. We are currently having issues even getting one to work with us for our sheep (several deaths this year due to lack of medication, and quite the “discussion” with his receptionist recent changes in regulations here have limited our access to medications, and there are no livestock friendly vets within 6 hours transit, assuming ferry connections work out perfectly). I really rely on all the great people here for help and knowledge, as I’m fairly new to all this.

 

[AmyJane725]

Glad to see she's up and about. She looks like a sweet girl.
How does her bum redness look this morning?