Need help with sick pullet

[marlene]

Got 6 pullets 4weeks ago and up until now everything has been ok.
Yesterday I noticed one was laying down a lot, but didn't think anything of it as it was quite humid. Just been out to lock them up for the night and one is laying the coop floor, beak open and looks like she is gasping for air. Her comb looks slightly black on the tips.
When I walked in the coop she attempted to move but looked like it was a struggle, she tried to flap, in what looked like an attempt to get up on the roost, but just layed back down in a corner in the coop floor.

She is about 24 weeks old, and I believe she hasn't layed yet.

What could be wrong with her?

Can anyone please advise me as to what I need to do? I have had chickens for quite a few years now, but have been lucky that they have all been healthy.

UPDATE: Went to the hen house to separate her from the others, in a separate pen, that is within the hen house, and she couldn't stand, her legs just flopped behind her, she scuffled for a few seconds to try and pick herself up but she couldn't.
I won't be surprised if I find her dead in the morning.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Probably about a million things could be wrong.
Are they 4 weeks old? What is the temperature of their surroundings? What are they being fed?

The best thing you can do is separate her and make sure she eats and drinks. Perhaps some probiotics, vitamins and electrolytes.

An option is to take her to your poultry lab for euthanasia and necropsy so you know what you're dealing with.

 

[marlene]

She is about 24 weeks old. They are fed layers pellets, and fresh vegetables daily. The have a very large hen house that is very well ventilated, and free range all day.

I do not think that were I live in the UK they do necropsy, and to be honest I would rather try and treat her if I can before I go down the road of euthanasia.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I understand perfectly. I thought they were baby chicks.

You do need to separate her till you get to the bottom of it.

Be cautious about using medicines like antibiotics because if she dies and you have to do a necropsy, the drugs will skew the results.

Virtually every country has labs that do poultry necropsies because of the importance of that industry.

If this place can't help you, they can probably steer you in the right direction.

http://www.rvc.ac.uk/pathology-and-diagnostic-laboratories

Here's more.

http://www.scitech-labs.uk.com/services.php?service=sections

http://www.minstervets.co.uk/poultry
It may just be as simple as sending them a fecal sample, throat swap and a blood sample.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...data/file/69275/pb13568-vss-review-110204.pdf

 

[islandgirl82]

She's old enough to be laying now and it's possible that she may be having trouble. It can lead death if she's unable to pass an egg. There are many threads on here about girls who are egg-bound. You may want to read through some for methods on helping her.

 

[marlene]

I understand perfectly. I thought they were baby chicks.

You do need to separate her till you get to the bottom of it.

Be cautious about using medicines like antibiotics because if she dies and you have to do a necropsy, the drugs will skew the results.

Virtually every country has labs that do poultry necropsies because of the importance of that industry.

If this place can't help you, they can probably steer you in the right direction.

http://www.rvc.ac.uk/pathology-and-diagnostic-laboratories

Here's more.

http://www.scitech-labs.uk.com/services.php?service=sections

http://www.minstervets.co.uk/poultry
It may just be as simple as sending them a fecal sample, throat swap and a blood sample.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...data/file/69275/pb13568-vss-review-110204.pdf

Thank you ChickenCanoe, I will look into it.

 

[marlene]

Just been out to see her, she is panting quite fast, and her legs are stretched out right out behind her.
Going to check if she is egg-bound.

 

[marlene]

Went out and had a quick feel of her tummy, it was soft and I could not feel anything hard.
Left her be, as she looks like she is dying

 

[marlene]

She died last night. My husband is going to open her up today to see if we can see anything unusual.
What should we be looking for?

 

[islandgirl82]

Parasites maybe? I'd still be looking for an egg as well. I'm sorry you lost her. How are the rest of your birds doing? You'll want to look around the coop and at their droppings for anything out of the ordinary; consistently runny stools, blood in the stools, anything crawling, etc.