Old Red Hen is puny - runny poop and pale comb

[huntersmoon]

Hi,

My Old Red Hen, who is 8-1/2, seems puny. Last week she was spry and running to my back door to ask for treats. We have been out of town for a week but had a chicken sitter and the hens were all safely in the coop. So, I don't know how many days she has been in decline.

Her symptoms: I noticed some soiled feathers under her vent and cleaned them off. She did not have an obstructed vent. The color of the poop on the feathers was mainly brown but with some light green as the newest poop. Her comb is a bit pale compared to normal .

I brought her into the coop instead of letting her free range today, and gave her water that has nutri-drench and some probiotics in it, and gave her a deworming dose in her water.

She is eating and drinking and has been moving around the coop as normal. However, normally I cannot catch her at all and this time today I could fairly easily catch her. In this photo she is lying in the corner, but that's where she retreated when I was going after her to take a photo. She had been up roaming the coop until I cornered her.

I do have a request in with our mobile vet... in case it's not just an age decline but is coccidosis or something else contagious, I want to help her and protect the flock.

If you have any ideas for what else I should do, I appreciate it.

Thanks
Shannon
Austin

 

[RhodeIslandRed5]

Does sound like it could be coccidiosis. I would give a little Corid and for sure clean up the coop area. Isolate the one hen.

 

[Eggcessive]

You can give her a few drops of the NutriDrench orally up to 2 ml per day. Sorry that she is not feeling well. Could she have run out of water or food while you were away? Or been upset that she didn’t get outside the coop while you were gone? I would try giving her some chopped scrambled egg and plenty of water. Can you feel of her crop early in the morning to see if it has emptied overnight, or if it is full and firm or puffy? I would also see if her lower belly is enlarged or swollen. Look her over for any lice or mites.

 

[Fancychooklady]

She looks to be an ISA Brown , unfortunately they are prone to reproductive issues . When did she last lay? I’d be inclined to give her an Epsom salts bath and isolate her so that you can monitor how much food she is actually consuming. Green poop can indicate starvation.

 

[getaclue]

Do you notice any blood in the poo? The symptoms you've described, easily sound like worms. Valbazen, or Safeguard tend to be the best all round wormers.

 

[huntersmoon]

Thanks for the replies. I checked for her being egg bound and didn't feel any egg. I soaked her in a bath, and gave her some Wazine and Nutri-drench. I didn't notice any blood in the stool. I will isolate her tomorrow and check her food consumption. She does feel skinny at her breastbone.

 

[huntersmoon]

Old Red Hen did not make it through the night. Thanks for all of the tips. I will clean everything out and watch the others. I appreciated the help.

 

[huntersmoon]

Also - I assume it's too late for a necropsy, as when I found her this morning it was evident she had died earlier in the evening, already with ants on her. Would it be safe to just treat the coop as if I assumed the worst illness, replacing the shavings and spraying the surfaces with bleach water, and then watching the rest of the birds? Or would you try for a necropsy?

Thanks
Shannon
Austin

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. You might try the necropsy, opening the belly to look at organs, just to see if there was anything obvious. Look at the color of the liver, for any masses of internal laying, look for tiny bubbly-like tumors on the intestines or other organs, open the gizzard to look for whatbis inside, and for large amounts of fat. Take pictures if you can and post them here for help. At her age, she may just have died of natural causes.

 

[huntersmoon]

Thanks