Not sure what is wrong with my chicken - egg bound? Mites? Other?

[chesunut1996]

Hi! I’ve read through many forum posts over the years but this is my first time posting. I have a ~2 year old hen and a week ago I noticed she couldn’t use her legs well (she was getting in and out of the coop for a day and a half before I caught her sitting outside weirdly). I brought her inside and thought she was egg bound as I realized I hadn’t seen an egg from her in a few days and usually she is pretty consistent 4-5/week.

Started treating her accordingly, warm/humid room, epsom salt bath, etc.. She was able to walk about a day later (yay!) and I put a small perch in there for her. As of two days ago she still has not laid any kind of egg. I noticed when walking outside (three days ago I let her have some outside time to watch her) she could walk but was not 100% better, still limping or hobbling.

She has seemed bright and alert the whole time. Now she has started having weird looking poop (green, some what I think is intestinal lining, bulky-ish?) when it was normal the first five days and she is preening excessively and lots of feathers are coming out. She just stands and rests on the perch all day.

Anyone have any ideas??? I did discover we have mites last week in our coop and have spread lots of diatomaceous earth and stuff but have not given her a dusting of it yet since she has been feeling badly. Taking her to a vet is not an option I have

 

[Eggcessive]

Could she be molting eveidenced by the loss of feathers? They tend to stop laying during a molt, and many chickens molt this time of year. It is also a time they may feel mopey, and lie around taking naps and eating less. But if she is egg bound or maybe suffering from salpingitis, a reproductive disorder, they can walk with a wide stance, prefer to sit or lie down. So, I would try giving her a calcium tablet with vitamin D to see if it stimulates her to lay an egg. Offer her sips of water, and try some wet chicken feed and scrambled egg. Is her crop empty or full? How does it feel first thing in the morning? If you can upload a video of her walking to YouTube with a link posted here it may be helpful. Pictures of her and the poop may help as well.

 

[Eggcessive]

Mites can cause severe anemia and death if not treated. Here in the US, permethrin garden dust or spray is used to treat the chicken at 7 days intervals at least twice. All coop and nest bedding should be emptied far away or burned. The coop, nests, and roosts should be sprayed with permethrin spray. Then new bedding can be added. Many use Martins or Gordons permethrin 10 concentrate mixed with water, 1 tsp/5 ml per quart/liter of water, and used with a spray bottle or garden sprayer. That is found online in pints or quarts to use with water. TSC carries it too. Some use the more expensive Elector PSP found online. Heat or pressure washing can help to kill mites. Sometimes they are hard to control. DE won’t do the job once there is an outbreak.

 

[chesunut1996]

Could she be molting eveidenced by the loss of feathers? They tend to stop laying during a molt, and many chickens molt this time of year. It is also a time they may feel mopey, and lie around taking naps and eating less. But if she is egg bound or maybe suffering from salpingitis, a reproductive disorder, they can walk with a wide stance, prefer to sit or lie down. So, I would try giving her a calcium tablet with vitamin D to see if it stimulates her to lay an egg. Offer her sips of water, and try some wet chicken feed and scrambled egg. Is her crop empty or full? How does it feel first thing in the morning? If you can upload a video of her walking to YouTube with a link posted here it may be helpful. Pictures of her and the poop may help as well.

I’m working on the video of her walking (will post once I have it), but her crop feels completely empty this morning and I can easily feel her breast bone. She feels very thin - it was kind of like her legs weren’t working that first day and a half, she was flapping her wings to try to move away and just laying there (still very alert). I gave her half a tums three days in a row and still nothing - it could be molting? But it just seems very coincidental with the not walking thing. When molting and losing patches of feathers does the skin usually look very inflamed and red? I am going to feel SO silly if it is just molting and I’ve kept her prisoner for a week over it I’ve included pics of her poop as well - it is SUPER watery

 

[chesunut1996]

Mites can cause severe anemia and death if not treated. Here in the US, permethrin garden dust or spray is used to treat the chicken at 7 days intervals at least twice. All coop and nest bedding should be emptied far away or burned. The coop, nests, and roosts should be sprayed with permethrin spray. Then new bedding can be added. Many use Martins or Gordons permethrin 10 concentrate mixed with water, 1 tsp/5 ml per quart/liter of water, and used with a spray bottle or garden sprayer. That is found online in pints or quarts to use with water. TSC carries it too. Some use the more expensive Elector PSP found online. Heat or pressure washing can help to kill mites. Sometimes they are hard to control. DE won’t do the job once there is an outbreak.

I spread DE and Permethrin dust in the coop and then added bedding and more DE dust on top of it - I was planning on removing it all this week at the 7-10 day mark and re-doing it but is getting the spray better than the Permethrin dust? I am planning on physically dusting the chickens with DE, can I dust them with permethrin too?

 

[Eggcessive]

Permethrin dust is put on the chickens body, applying it by filling a sock and dusting them all over. The spray can be used in warm weather, but the dust is better to not chill them.

Those poops look a bit strange. There looks to be some blood, the tubular while urates, and the green poop. Green poop is from not eating much, and the blood could be from worms, coccidiosis, or something else. Have you wormed them recently? Valbazen or SafeGuard liquid goat wormer or horse paste are good ones to use.

Could she be bullied and be prevented from eating by the other chickens? Has she eaten any chicken feed or egg today?

 

[chesunut1996]

Permethrin dust is put on the chickens body, applying it by filling a sock and dusting them all over. The spray can be used in warm weather, but the dust is better to not chill them.

Those poops look a bit strange. There looks to be some blood, the tubular while urates, and the green poop. Green poop is from not eating much, and the blood could be from worms, coccidiosis, or something else. Have you wormed them recently? Valbazen or SafeGuard liquid goat wormer or horse paste are good ones to use.

Could she be bullied and be prevented from eating by the other chickens? Has she eaten any chicken feed or egg today?

Oh, I didn’t know that. So put some in a sock and then kind of hit the sock while it’s over them? Do I need to pat any on their rear near their vent to help with it? Her poop looked very normal the first couple days and just the past two days it’s gotten this weird bit. She ate a little bit of scrambled egg and I tried hand feeding her some crumbles and she ate a little. I don’t know if she ate any on her own I did stick her outside to forage some today and she was scratching and pecking and seemed very happy. Her walk almost looks normal but a slight limp/crow hop when she runs or moved quickly.

No, we have never wormed them. I’ll go to tractor supply and get some and try that. Do you think it would be ok to put her back with the others? I think she is on hunger strike being alone maybe. She is #2 on the pecking order so very low chance on the her being bullied end. Thank you for answering all my questions and helping. I am really appreciating it.

 

[Eggcessive]

Try her back with the flock, but watch her so she doesn’t get picked on. Let me know which wormer you get and I can give dosage.

 

[chesunut1996]

Try her back with the flock, but watch her so she doesn’t get picked on. Let me know which wormer you get and I can give dosage.

Hi! I ended up getting the SafeGuard liquid goat wormer, what dose would you recommend? We have 10 chickens.

She has been back in with them since my last message and has been doing well overall! She is definitely molting, as well as two of my others, so there’s that. I’m guessing there was a weird egg originally that kept her from walking but she has been back to her normal self. Some of the others have interesting poop too so I’m eager to deworm them. Thanks again for all yalls help!

 

[Eggcessive]

If she is molting you may want to use Valbazen since some have reported that feather growth can be affected by SafeGuard. Dosage of SafeGuard is 1/4 ml (0.25 ml) per pound given orally for 5 consecutive days. Give it once and in 10 days to only treat round worms. Valbazen dosage is 1/2 ml orally and repeat in 10 days. Shake either wormer very well before using a needle less syringe to pull up the dose. Egg withdrawal recommended is 14 days.