Need advice! Sick chicken

[nj2wv]

Welcome to BYC !!

 

[Erika4]

She is probably too young to be having TOO much trouble with worms and because her comb is not all that pale, her issues right now may not have anything to do with worming. However once you get her through this episode, I would consider worming your flock if you do a lot of free ranging.

Combs pale for a few reasons. Molting or broodiness make them pale. Consuming something really toxic will cause it to pale fast. The comb will pale the worse the bird gets, if it survives long enough for it to GO pale. 

She is eating and drinking ok? But lethargic? And you have checked her for egg binding? Feel between her legs on the outside and back toward the vent. This area of her abdomen should not be all squishy, soft and bloated. Feel another bird for comparison. This would indicate possible internal laying or fluid building up in her belly.

If it isn't this, it is possible she does have an infection somewhere. If she is not eating or drinking, she might have coccidiosis, but you say she is. (I am thinking out loud here.) She might also have blood in the stool with cocci. How dark is the poop this morning? 

Is she breathing at a normal rate? Watch the others breathe for comparison. Do you hear any clicking over her lungs? (at the back where the neck meets the shoulders) 

Are her feet cold compared to the other birds feet? 

TwoCrows her feet are warm. She is eating and drinking, and no longer lethargic. Her comb does not seem pale. Her poop is the color of chocolate and breathing seems normal to me. Her abdomen does not seem bloated. This afternoon I let her roam the yard since I've had her quarantined to the garage, and she happily walked around near the chicken run (they are unable to free range here), argued with another hen, and explored the yard. She wandered to the neighbor's yard so I picked her up and brought her back. A little while later she was wandering far again, and I saw that there was a broken yolk coming out of her vent. Perhaps when I picked her up I caused it to break? So I checked her again to see if there were any more remnants of egg/shell and I did not find any. There is some white goop on the feathers below her vent. Silly question here, but how far am I supposed to be going inside to feel for an egg? I estimate I was about a couple inches inside and was concerned I'd do further damage.
My husband thinks we should put her out of her misery, but she doesn't seem to be in pain or appear uncomfortable, so I'd rather take a bit more time to care for her.
I have a picture of her from last week when I noticed the blood on her and she was lethargic. Let me see if I can figure out how to add it here.

 

[Erika4]

Took this photo after first quarantining her, 11 days ago:

If possible, zoom in and observe the fleshy matter that is just southeast of the poop in center of photo:

Bloody vent, first observed April 29:

 

[TwoCrows]

Quote: The uterus is about 2 inches or so back into the vent. So if you go in this far and don't feel an egg, there is none present.

I have an older hen that lays yolks and thin shelled eggs as well. Occasionally, before she is going to lay a "rubber egg" (one without a shell) she too will get a bit lethargic. My hen rarely does this however. I am sorry your hen seems to do this more frequently.

The problem lies is either she has a problem with her egg laying machine and is not putting a shell on or maybe she is not getting enough calcium. When my older hen has issues, I get some human Caltrate pills. Cut one in half and give her half a tab a day. You can break this half in half and put the pieces in a raisins for her. Some hens need more calcium or have troubles absorbing the calcium they do get. So by giving her more, she absorbs what she needs.

If this is something going in internally, then there isn't anything you can do about it. I would try the Caltrate first. This might fix her right up. Keep her on it for a few weeks and then backing off to a couple times a week and then none at all.

It doesn't sound like she is ready to be put down. I know that chickens can hide their issues well and appear well when in fact they are deathly ill. But I don't think this is causing her any pain. Discomfort maybe, but no pain.

Keep us posted if you try the Caltrate! Oh and get the stuff with Vit D and Phosphorus.

 

[Erika4]

Ok I will try the Caltrate. I did smash up a Tums a couple times to try to get her added calcium, but I'll try this instead. I assume I should continue to keep her isolated? I feel bad she is just in a Rubbermaid plastic tote with a box inverted on top to give her more room. Perhaps I can find an inexpensive crate for her if she continues to need isolation.

 

[TwoCrows]

No I would not keep her isolated any longer. I doubt very much she has anything contagious. Watch when you mix her back in that she doesn't get picked on, although she hasn't been gone all that long.

Make sure she is on a good layer feed with enough calcium, you have oystershell available at times and go easy on the treats with her. When she does eat, she really needs to be eating the layer feed with lots of calcium.

If she starts to put a shell on, watch the quality of the shell. If you start to see a lot of calcium deposits (tiny bumps that stand high) then back down on the calcium you are giving her. These little deposits on the egg shell mean they have a bit extra calcium. A tiny bit won't hurt, but you don't want to see a lot of these deposits.

Ok I will try the Caltrate. I did smash up a Tums a couple times to try to get her added calcium, but I'll try this instead. I assume I should continue to keep her isolated? I feel bad she is just in a Rubbermaid plastic tote with a box inverted on top to give her more room. Perhaps I can find an inexpensive crate for her if she continues to need isolation.