Mystery illness causing weight loss

JanvierUK

In the Brooder
5 Years
Feb 9, 2019
9
8
49
I've been concerned about my girl Ames since March. She's a Buff Orpington, just turned 2. I noticed her sitting down a lot more than the others a few months ago. I found a lash egg in the coop in April, then took her to the vet. After suspecting some kind of infection, she went on a course of antibiotics. She appeared to get her energy back for a week or two, but then she slowed down again. I took her back to the vet in May, to discover that she had lost a lot of weight - from 2.7kg in April to 2kg in May. We tried a different medication as well as emergency food. She's refusing to eat most things, except for her favourite treat of yoghurt and the occasional piece of watermelon. Not nearly enough to put on any weight. When I took her in again last week, she was down to 1.7kg. Because she's mostly drinking and not eating, her poop is pretty much just clear liquid with the occasional bits in it. Tonight she struggled to make it up to the roost. I've been bringing her in and handfeeding her as much as I can, but she just shows no interest in food. Her crop isn't hard or soft, but before bed it definitely had something in it. The only things she seems interested in eating at the moment have been non-food: grit, pine shavings, etc. Can chickens develop eating disorders like pica?

I worry that syringe feeding her will make her uncomfortable, but perhaps that is the only option with this degree of weight loss. She's been wormed recently, so that isn't the problem. Has anyone seen symptoms like these before? I'm at a loss.
 
I'm sorry about your hen.
If she has Salpingitis (lash egg) then likely this is the continued cause of her continued decline. Unfortunately, even with antibiotics and supportive care, most treatment(s) are short lived or not effective.

I would check to make sure her crop is emptying overnight. The eating of non-food items sounds like she's trying to clear something. It may not really be a crop issue, but she may have a feeling that something is blocking her. It may be just internal swelling/inflammation from advanced Salpingitis.

You can try tube feeding her to extend her life for a while, see if that makes a difference. You will know when she's had enough and it's time to end her suffering.

https://the-chicken-chick.com/salpingitis-lash-eggs-in-backyard/
 
I recently had a 2 year old hen that was diagnosed with a reproductive infection. Antibiotics helped but she did decline again after stopping and we went through 3 different episodes of that before she sadly passed away. Necropsy showed she was ravaged with cancer. Possibly a similar situation? Can you take her back into the vet and request radiographs or ultrasound? At the very least, bloodwork would indicate if there is an infection or something else going on. I’m sorry she and you are dealing with this. Much love to your girl ❤️
 

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