My chicken is sick, I need help

[Lizzy733]

The comb discoloration could be a circulation issue or lack of oxygen. Unfortunately, it sounds like this hen is on her way out.

Green watery poo is a good indicator thay she's not getting enough food. It can also mean worms or other internal infections, but this isn't always the case. What color are her urates (the white portion of the poo)? These will discolor to yellow when there is a strain on the kidney or liver, which can be caused by medications and some foods, but in their absence may be an early sign of organ failure.

You should check over her abdomen and compare it with one of your healthy birds. - not any hot spots, lumps, swelling, or just anything out of place, really.

Also, how is her breathing? Any signs of mucus from her nostrils? Or has she had a respiratory infection recently? I've heard these can jump to the reproductive system.

Please note that this bird's poor health would not be related to a mild case of bumblefoot - there's definitely something else going on. Likely a reproductive issue as has already been mentioned. Unfortunately, these tend to be hereditary, so would not be a very good prognosis.

 

[Eggcessive]

Yes, it does look like she has some frostbite that has been like that for a few days. That could be making her feel worse, but it sounds like she has something else going on. It doesn’t require any treatment. Don’t massage or rub the frostbitten tissue. If your local vet could run a fecal float on some fresh droppings collected in a ziploc bag, that might be helpful to look for worms and coccidiosis.

 

[Jayywhat]

The comb discoloration could be a circulation issue or lack of oxygen. Unfortunately, it sounds like this hen is on her way out.

Green watery poo is a good indicator thay she's not getting enough food. It can also mean worms or other internal infections, but this isn't always the case. What color are her urates (the white portion of the poo)? These will discolor to yellow when there is a strain on the kidney or liver, which can be caused by medications and some foods, but in their absence may be an early sign of organ failure.

You should check over her abdomen and compare it with one of your healthy birds. - not any hot spots, lumps, swelling, or just anything out of place, really.

Also, how is her breathing? Any signs of mucus from her nostrils? Or has she had a respiratory infection recently? I've heard these can jump to the reproductive system.

Please note that this bird's poor health would not be related to a mild case of bumblefoot - there's definitely something else going on. Likely a reproductive issue as has already been mentioned. Unfortunately, these tend to be hereditary, so would not be a very good prognosis.

No recent respiratory infections, she’s been healthy up until now. Her breathing is fine at the moment and she’s actually standing and eating an egg that we added water to and she’s drinking the water so I’m pretty happy, but not getting my hopes up. There’s no mucus coming from anywhere. Her green watery poop does have white in it. We’re you saying that’s good or bad? No signs of anything else in it like worms or blood.

 

[Lizzy733]

No recent respiratory infections, she’s been healthy up until now. Her breathing is fine at the moment and she’s actually standing and eating an egg that we added water to and she’s drinking the water so I’m pretty happy, but not getting my hopes up. There’s no mucus coming from anywhere. Her green watery poop does have white in it. We’re you saying that’s good or bad? No signs of anything else in it like worms or blood.

The green sounds likely to be from a lack of eating. Keep pushing her to eat simple foods - pellets, egg, mash, baby food, frozen berries, etc... whatever she will reliably eat and keep an eye on her crop speed to make sure it doesn't start having trouble emptying. Keep away from anything that might be complex to digest like seed just in case.

If you are concerned there may be worms or coccidia, discuss getting a fecal float done at your local vet office. This is a really basic test and can be done at any vet clinic, so no need to hunt down an avian specialist. Should be cheap too. You can even do this yourself at home with some saline, clean slides and a basic microscope if you have those items handy.

 

[Jayywhat]

she ended up passing. Thank you for all your input everyone. I just wish I knew exactly what she passed from.

 

[Eggcessive]

she ended up passing. Thank you for all your input everyone. I just wish I knew exactly what she passed from.

Very sorry for your loss. To answer one of your earlier questions is that the white part of dropping is the urates or kidney waste. Those may turn yellow with a reproductive infection or ascites. Most hens will eventually die from a reproductive infection, cancer, crop problems, or an organ disease. To find out what the hen may have died from would be to do a necropsy. Those can be done simply at home by opening the abdomen, and taking pictures of the organs to post here. Or keeping the body cold, but not frozen, it can be sent to the state vet for a thorough necropsy where they look at tissue and test for diseases. Here is a list of most state vet labs to contact:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

 

[SapphireHill]

Check for respiration issues. Check for bound egg. Google what to do.

We love VetRx, probiotics & scrambled eggs or best, yolky warm water in dropper over tip of beak every two hours (be careful not to aspirate by going to fast or over nostrils). As you drip it, she should move her beak on own to drink the drops. And a little chicken butt and crop massage.

But…

Where are you located? Sadly, there are bouts of Avian Flu going around in the US. We have several now here in New England. Do you have a vet or university extension that could test her poop?

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/02/avian-flu-scan-feb-28-2022

 

[SapphireHill]

she ended up passing. Thank you for all your input everyone. I just wish I knew exactly what she passed from.

We are so sorry. It’s so hard to lose a good girl.

See if your county or vet has info on where to send her body for testing. With the current state of this deadly avian flu going around it would be good to know & help protect your community’s flocks just in case it was that.