New smelly and sick hen

[Cocokeeper]

that seemed perfectly fine when we went to pick them up on Saturday...

We got four new hens and they each traveled for about an hour in the car, in their own crates. When we got home I opened up the crates in a separate part of the coop and opened the doors, then left. Went back a half hour later to see and three of them were happily romping around. One of them had not left her crate... so I opened it and lifted her out. Went back a half hour later and she had not moved so I put her back in the box and got her out of there...

Now she has been living in her own space then and going into that room it has a smell like no other, I gag... Her poop is very watery, you can see it on the photo cause she does not move... though she looks a lot better today than she did yesterday and will eat. To me (with not a lot of chicken experience) her posture looks a bit fluffy... and she's leaning on her chest. Here is a photo of her:



Anybody help me out? Do I need to take her to the vet?

Cocokeeper

 

[Eggcessive]

She could have coccidiosis, coryza, have crop impaction, or be egg bound. You need to examine her closely for lice and mites. Feel her crop first theing in the morning--it should be flat and empty. If not that is a problem. Does she eat and drink well? Is she having any signs of a respiratory illness such as coryza--swelling of the face or eyes, eye bubbles, nasal drainage or eye drainage, bad odor about the head? Coccidiosis usually is more common in younger chickens, but if she has blood in her stools and no appetie I would suspect that. Blood is not always present. Hopefully you can try to find out what is wrong with her.

 

[Cocokeeper]

I am sorry to share that this poor chicken didn't make it... I spoke to someone who keeps chickens and she told me to gently give her a bath while examining her closer. I made four tubs of warm water and put her into the first one to rinse her off. The water turned yellow... and I realized that her crop was huge and the outside completely covered in pus. Decided to immediately take her to the vet to see if they could save her and lost her in the car on the way there...

Cocokeeper

 

[chooks4life]

Sorry to hear it. I'd be telling the person who sold her to me, since they would have handled her and would likely have known... I once received a baby goat dying from snakebite, man did he stink! Horrible infection. I treated it successfully only to lose him to poisonous weeds later on... Sometimes it just doesn't end well. Best wishes. I hope in future you have better experiences buying chooks. With almost every lot I've gotten in, no matter the breed or the breeder, one of them is well on its way by the time it arrives.