My Polish is sick, please help

[BradyK]

I have a one year old WCB Polish hen. I have five chickens total in my city back yard.
All of my chickens rode out Hurricane Irma here in Florida in my house and garage. They were all safe but their beautiful run was really demolished. So safe to say they have had stress.
My black polish girl woke up this morning staggering and falling down. Her legs don't flail out to the side but she just has to sit down with her legs under her. When I picked her up she feels terribly skinny.
I brought her in this morning before work and syringe fed her some Nutri Dench in water and made her scrambled eggs etc. and have her confined in the house. I think once she calms down she will have eaten.
I am so worried. She seems to have started a molt a couple of weeks ago but lost mainly tail feathers. She also hasn't laid any eggs in about three weeks, I figured due to the molt. Now I wonder.
I have a vet appointment at 9:00 in the morning but what could I do to try to help her?

 

[azygous]

When a chicken gets sick often it's because of crop issues. Have you felt your hen's crop? Does it have anything in it? Is it squishy and feel like liquid? Or is there a very hard mass in there?

Has she been eating? Has she been pooping? What does it look like? Have the chickens been free-ranging? What have they been eating? Are there any mushrooms popping out after all the rain you've had? How about machinery sitting about? Any leaking fluids onto the soil?

 

[BradyK]

When a chicken gets sick often it's because of crop issues. Have you felt your hen's crop? Does it have anything in it? Is it squishy and feel like liquid? Or is there a very hard mass in there?

Has she been eating? Has she been pooping? What does it look like? Have the chickens been free-ranging? What have they been eating? Are there any mushrooms popping out after all the rain you've had? How about machinery sitting about? Any leaking fluids onto the soil?

Awesome questions thanks. Lets see, she doesn't have anything in the crop this morning. I observe them quite well and she pushes right in to the food in the mornings. She tried to eat with the others this morning but she could not stand up for long so the crop was empty. and she has no lumps or bumps.
She pooped this morning in front of me and it looked normal. They eat only purina layena and some veggies and scratch as a snack late afternoon. They get ACV in their water twice a week. I haven't seen mushrooms but it is possible. The back yard that they stay in even has aviary netting up to keep them safe the first thing we fixed after the storm was the netting so they roam free in the back yard but there is not much greenery left for them after the storm. No machinery. No fluids. I am an over the top crazy person trying to keep them very healthy and I seem to get more trouble doing that. They were worm free in April but I guess it could be because she is so boney feeling. She just can't walk I worry about Mereks. could I try poly vi sol? no Iron I think I read in the past. I love my girl so much.

 

[Eggcessive]

Hopefully, she is just weak due to not eating or drinking enough. She may have injured her legs, or be suffering from a crop or intestinal problem that has caused her to not get enough. Hopefully, Mareks is not the problem, and it tends to affect birds under a year old. Check to see that she can see well enough. Look at her feet and legs for scabs or bruising, swelling, or injury. Molting itself can be hard on them, and mine usually don't eat or drink well. I would try poultry vitamins, or the polyvisol without iron. Look at her droppings for diarrhea or anything unusual. I would try to get her to take some chicken feed mixed with a lot of water, a tsp of plain yogurt, and egg to make a mash in a small bowl. Let us know what you find. Polish can be bullied or kept from food and water by others in some flocks. They also seem to be a target for head pecking injuries.

 

[BradyK]

Thank you so much for your input. I had to take her to the vet. She has been going through a molt which has probably taken a toll on her food intake, but I was so worried about her. The vet felt quite a bit of fluid in her abdomen so she said it could be a broken egg causing infection. She did an ultra sound and aspirated 240 cc's of fluid out of the abdomen. That is about the size of a large grapefruit. The fluid was clear which then led her to need blood work. The blood work showed a high level of white blood cells indicated infection. Her liver and kidneys and organs are working perfectly. No worms, fecal was clear. She is very thin. Her calcium level is very low as well. I am also finding thin shells on another two of my girls and don't understand why. I have free choice oyster shell always, and I crush their own egg shells and re feed to them. Do you have any other calcium ideas?
She has been on heavy oral antibiotics for 9 days now and looks much better. She is eating well and walking well and has lived in the house since last Monday. She still has one more week of ab's Now I have to think of re-introducing her back to my other four girls. I have taken her out with me twice or three times with me outside with them. Should I rejoin at night while all are sleeping? My vet did say Polish are very sensitive and do have many issues. We love our girl so much. Sorry so many questions. All of these chickens have been together for a year and a half with no one picking on anyone but I know it is possible for my girl to be picked on re-introducing.

 

[Eggcessive]

She might be an internal layer and be suffering from egg yolk peritonitis. The fluid in her abdomen sounds like ascites, although that is usually amber-colored. Your vet may know more about her problem. Honestly, most of us don't know what ailments our chickens have until after death when we do a necropsy. If she is an internal layer, and she has ascites, removing fluid is usually only a temporary fix to help relieve pain and pressure. The antibiotics may or may not help, but they might extend her life. Please let us know how she is getting along.