One of my SS hens is sick! HELP PLEASE

[dumb_cluck]

This morning I found one of my SS hens laying near the waterer. She was drinking little bit at a time and very lethargic.
I picked her up and felt her tummy. She then squirted some running milk-ish looking stool. What is it? Egg bound?

I posted this under the watering/feeding section this morning. I have since removed her to her own pen adjacent to the others and gave her ACV in the watering station. She is standing but in a crouched position and looking "puffy". I put in some crumble for her and she did peck at it.

She may be the only one laying. I've gotten only a half dozen eggs in the last two weeks. Not every day though.

Ideas? Anything else I can do? (I plan to put her back with the others later today)

 

[easttxchick]

Good that you separated her.
I would try putting her in a warm bath and letting her soak for about 30 minutes-in case she is eggbound to try and help her pass the egg.
Does she have access to oyster shell?

 

[dumb_cluck]

Yes, I gave them oyster shell starting a week ago once I noticed them laying. I'm afraid to get her wet. I guess I could but she would have to stay in the house and not be with the flock. I didn't feel anything "hard" but she has her tail elevated in the air.
Could it be diahreeah (sp)?

 

[easttxchick]

Could you blow dry her after her bath and put her in a crate with a heat lamp in the house? She can't go outside wet.
She really needs to be somewhere warm and quiet right now anyway.
It really sounds like she could be eggbound or something along those lines.
I read on here somewhere that you can crush up a bit of Tums and feed it to her if she is having laying problems.

 

[Judy]

The Tums and the bath are excellent ideas. The milky "stool" might be the white of a broken egg. She really needs the warm soak and then a darkened quiet place to rest, hopefully so she can relax and pass the rest of the egg. Of course there is a danger that, if this is a broken egg, the shell will cut her on the way out. Generally, people dry the chicken with a hair dryer after a bath, on low heat and fan.

 

[chuckzoo]

I have a 22 month old BR that what also squirting water like that. She was hunched over and just stood with her eyes closed and she is just completing a heavy molt..

Is it very cold there now?

I brought my hen into the house. I initially thought it was sour crop so massaged her crop for about 5 mins each hour. She squirt water each time after the massage and ate almost nothing. That evening I put her back with the flock to sleep and fetched her again the next morning. Her crop was flat and she started to eat a little and looked much perkier. She has continued to improve but her poop is still very loose.

I only had her in the house for about three days as I didn't want her to loose her position in the flock.

 

[dumb_cluck]

It's cold here even though I have the garage set to 50 degrees.

I've got her in the house now where it is nice and warm. Her belly below feels like and egg now. Her comb is pale pink and she is laying down.

I'm not going to get her wet and try a hairdryer just because she's probably really stressed already, but I will be going to see her and give a gentle massage and see if she can pass an egg.

I hate to try and break it because her other eggs (if they were hers) were fine. Maybe a coincidence but as soon as I started giving the oyster shell, this happened.

Note: I just checked on her and her loose poo is now a light yellow. Ideas?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I understand your not wanting to stress her, the reason for the warm soak is to help her relax so if she is egg bound or if an egg has broken inside of her the soak will help her to relax and hopefully she'll pass it. Most hens have no problem taking a warm soak. If you feel for the egg outside of her body be careful not to poke around too much you don't want to break it. If you do decide to soak her, then be sure to dry here off real well, then put her in a quiet warm place so she'll relax. While this is going on I wouldn't put her back with the rest of the flock, they will realize that there is something wrong with her and could hurt her. Good Luck and hope all turns out good for your hen.Also giving her a tums dissolved in warm water might help as someone has already recommended.

 

[dumb_cluck]

I don't have any TUMS, but can get some tomorrow when I go "back to town". I hope she gets well soon. She is one of my 5 hand raised SS from this summer.

 

[Miss Lydia]

We're with you...