My 2 year-old hen might be dying and I've tried everything I know

[Lydia Avery]

This ailment has been prolonged for a while. It has only effected one of my Rhode Island Reds. The rest of the flock is healthy and fat. It started up about when the cold season started here in Idaho (late September) and it was slow. She lost an ample amount of weight and her feathers weren't fully grown in. So I bought some feather fixer and added it to their grain. As time went on, she started becoming more lethargic and unresponsive to the rest of the hens. On top of that, she has steadily lost more weight.
About mid-November, I started noticing her only going to the water dish in the mornings instead of eating. Her crop would always be soft but nearly empty and she was dangerously thin. Now, she almost never eats, she's still lethargic and is practically always sitting, sleeping, or drinking water. She is extremely frail (she's skin and bones at this point) and her feathers are always in disheveled state. The feathers are dry and I don't ever see her preen. The only bright side is that her comb is a normal bright red and she's hydrated.
I am at my wits end on what to do and I am desperate for advice. I have never run into this sort of problem before. Even a small suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

 

[micstrachan]

I’m sorry to hear this. Please bring her inside where it is warm. She may not be able to regulate her own temp right now if she is that thin. When you say you’ve tried everything you know, does that mean you’ve examined her all over? Have you checked for lice and mites? Have you check for egg binding? When did she last lay an egg? Has she passed any weird fleshy or cheesy looking things? How does her poop look? Or how did it look when she was still eating. Do you have nutridrench or something else you can add to her water? Can you try getting her to eat a favorite treat? What is her regular feed? Sorry about all the questions, but I think she isin trouble and you will need to act fast if you aren’t going to lose her. The more info you can provide, the better we can help you. But if you’re still online, I think you should go get her right now and bring her in for starters. There is lots of help here, but we need more information. I hope we can help you! I also hope to hear back soon.

 

[Lydia Avery]

I’m sorry to hear this. Please bring her inside where it is warm. She may not be able to regulate her own temp right now if she is that thin. When you say you’ve tried everything you know, does that mean you’ve examined her all over? Have you checked for lice and mites? Have you check for egg binding? When did she last lay an egg? Has she passed any weird fleshy or cheesy looking things? How does her poop look? Or how did it look when she was still eating. Do you have nutridrench or something else you can add to her water? Can you try getting her to eat a favorite treat? What is her regular feed? Sorry about all the questions, but I think she isin trouble and you will need to act fast if you aren’t going to lose her. The more info you can provide, the better we can help you. But if you’re still online, I think you should go get her right now and bring her in for starters. There is lots of help here, but we need more information. I hope we can help you! I also hope to hear back soon.

Okay. So yes I have examined her and she has no mites or lice. I brought her inside and placed her on a warm blanket. She hasn't laid very many eggs since summer. Probably two or three here and there these past few months. I checked her poop earlier today and she does have clumpy-string-cheese things in her poop. It's a green tinged clear with the white string stuff. I am currently feeding them layers feed with corn and feather fixer as well. Question: what is nutridrench and where can I buy it? She won't eat any grain and she shakes her head to table scraps (her favorite treat).

 

[micstrachan]

Good job. You will need to set her up with some sort of crate, box, bin, or even a laundry basket, whatever you have handy. Nutridrench is poultry vitamins in liquid form. You can get that (or other brands like rooster booster or save a chick) at a feed store. In the mean time, even a sport drink like gatorade or a tiny bit of sugar in her water can help in a pinch until you can get vitamins. Will she eat chopped egg? Or tuna? I was able to boost my very sick hen’s appetite (and protein intake) with live mealworms, available at some pet stores (reptile food). As soon as she poops, please post a picture. It might just be starving poop, but we want to be sure there’sno salpingitis (inflammation of the oviduct.) Can you feel her abdomen (fluffy butt area) and see if it feels swollen and squishy at all? Also, does her vent look normal and clean? Is she literally shaking her head or is that a figure speech? It could indicate a crop issue. Are you certain it is fully emptying over night?

 

[Latestarter]

Greetings and welcome to BYC Lydia. I'm so sorry that you are having this issue with your hen, but am happy to have you here with us. Aside from a vet (and most don't "do" chickens/poultry) you're best bet is many of the extremely knowledgeable folks here.

You say this all started happening back in September and has continued worsening since. Has it affected any of your other birds? Are you sure? Have you picked them up to gauge their weight? If you see this sort of thing spreading, my first thought would go toward Mareks disease (I hope not). If it's just her, I would think that she has compromised internal organs, notably her liver. (fatty liver disease)

I'm really sorry but I doubt that you can save her at this point based on your description and it might be better for her, to put her out of her misery now, rather than watching her finish wasting away. After helping her cross the bridge, you should open her up and do a necropsy to see if you can determine what actually caused her condition. You may not find anything, but then again you might. In no case would I consider using her for food.

I am NOT a vet and the thoughts/recommendations above are solely based on what I myself would do or have personally done.

 

[Lydia Avery]

Good job. You will need to set her up with some sort of crate, box, bin, or even a laundry basket, whatever you have handy. Nutridrench is poultry vitamins in liquid form. You can get that (or other brands like rooster booster or save a chick) at a feed store. In the mean time, even a sport drink like gatorade or a tiny bit of sugar in her water can help in a pinch until you can get vitamins. Will she eat chopped egg? Or tuna? I was able to boost my very sick hen’s appetite (and protein intake) with live mealworms, available at some pet stores (reptile food). As soon as she poops, please post a picture. It might just be starving poop, but we want to be sure there’sno salpingitis (inflammation of the oviduct.) Can you feel her abdomen (fluffy butt area) and see if it feels swollen and squishy at all? Also, does her vent look normal and clean? Is she literally shaking her head or is that a figure speech? It could indicate a crop issue. Are you certain it is fully emptying over night?

Her vent is clean and her abdomen isn't inflamed or squishy. She literally shakes her head when I offer her food. She'll lean forward to inspect it and then vigorously shake her head from side to side. I will try to get her to eat some egg and post a picture of her poop ASAP.

 

[Lydia Avery]

Greetings and welcome to BYC Lydia. I'm so sorry that you are having this issue with your hen, but am happy to have you here with us. Aside from a vet (and most don't "do" chickens/poultry) you're best bet is many of the extremely knowledgeable folks here.

You say this all started happening back in September and has continued worsening since. Has it affected any of your other birds? Are you sure? Have you picked them up to gauge their weight? If you see this sort of thing spreading, my first thought would go toward Mareks disease (I hope not). If it's just her, I would think that she has compromised internal organs, notably her liver. (fatty liver disease)

I'm really sorry but I doubt that you can save her at this point based on your description and it might be better for her, to put her out of her misery now, rather than watching her finish wasting away. After helping her cross the bridge, you should open her up and do a necropsy to see if you can determine what actually caused her condition. You may not find anything, but then again you might. In no case would I consider using her for food.

I am NOT a vet and the thoughts/recommendations above are solely based on what I myself would do or have personally done.

No, the rest of the flock is in perfect health. I hold them each at least three times a week. Thank you for your advice and I will take it into account within the coming days.

 

[micstrachan]

That’s good about no swelling of her abdomen. I’m going to bed soon, but I’m glad you brought your girl in and hope it helps. She could have coccidosis or worms, but most likely the others would, too. I have a feeling the poop pics might be telling.
Was she the only one whose egg production slowed down so much this fall?
And please remember to check that her crop is fully emptyin tbe morning before she eats or drinks anything. I’ll check in tomorrow.

 

[Bonniebooboo]

I am sorry for your little chicken. about 5 years ago, I purchased a few chicks, and at about 1 year old the Rode Island Red pullet wasn't eating very well, she was drinking, but lost weight and became pretty thin, I couldn't figure out why she wouldn't gain weight, she had laid a few eggs but nothing steady, I knew she wasn't going to make it, I put her down, necropsied her and found numerous growths (tumors) all through her organs. at 2 years old, another pullet (California white) started doing the same thing from the same batch I bought, she drank, continued to eat, but less, and stopped laying eggs and got a bit of a water bellie, she died overnight, I necropsied her and she too was full of those growths, ovaries and liver and intestines. How long was that going on? She started acting ill around a week before she died, but obviously this had been going on in her system for awhile. I was just shocked about losing 2 that I purchased and raised to be dead by 1 and 2 yrs of age and both having those tumors all through them. The rest of the group (6) did well and will be 5 years old first of March. I purchased them from the farm store, but don't know where they got them.
I hope this isn't your case and I wish you the very best and find out what is ailing her and can help her.

 

[micstrachan]

How is your hen doing today?