Panting, tail down, lethargic - not egg bound. Help!

Farmer Viola

Songster
6 Years
May 23, 2013
2,201
252
211
Earth
1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)
Black Australorp, 7 mos, weight seems average

2) What is the behavior, exactly.
Sunday: somewhat lethargic, but still getting around free ranging. Sometimes sleeping standing up. Tail points down. Comb/wattle pinkish (not pale completely). Seemed alright the rest of the day, kept up with everyone else. Did not lay.
Monday: Everyone else was awake but she kept sleeping. Stands with her tail down, sometimes her neck feathers looked prickled (not today though). Brought her inside to the ICU unit monday morning and started treatment for egg bound. Did not lay.
Tuesday: Decided she is not egg bound after all; unable to feel the egg on the outside; felt inside to conclude there is no egg. Symptoms are the same; panting off and on. Tail down. She does drink water, and she eats very little. Did not lay. Gave electrolytes and she ate a very, very small amount of scrambled egg.

3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
3 days

4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
No

5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
No

6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
unknown

7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
Day 1 in ICU: laxative diet only. She has had honey water, an herbal brew that I made, collodial silver, squirted into her beak my me each day. She also has fresh water in her box.
Day 2 in ICU: added layer crumble with kelp and fennel to her box.

8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
Day 1 in ICU: Normal in consistency and color, but very small amounts of poop since she was on a liquid fast.
Day 2 in ICU: She was given castor oil to help move the egg (thinking she is egg bound), so that made her poop runny today.

9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
Finding that her symptoms seemed to line up with egg binding, and she had not laid an egg on Sunday or Monday, I began treatment for egg bound. She had a warm water soak for 15-20 minutes, olive oil up the vent and castor oil down the beak, and butt massages. I have also given natural/herbal treatments (collodial silver, herbs, honey) in water as I am not sure what the ailment is.
After the egg never passed, I put a finger in and cannot feel an egg. Now, I am unsure WHAT the problem is. Please help us!!

10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
Completely myself

12) Describe the housing/bedding in use
At present, she is in a plastic rubbermaid with warm towels, food, and water.
Just before this happened, I changed their bedding from cedar to pine. I was previously unaware how bad cedar can be for chooks; now I know. :( Perhaps a change in the bedding? Although, she is no longer surrounded by pine, since she is indoors.. and symptoms persist. Their house is wooden with 4 nests and a roost. They have a covered run, and they free range most of the day. Could she have eaten something poisonous?

11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.

Ethel:

Here is a video of her panting/breathing:


Yesterday's poops (before castor oil):



* * * * * *

I am wracking my brain trying to figure out what is wrong with my Ethel...Please help us!

You can see my play-by-play updates of Ethel's condition (from Sunday thru today) starting with this post: (link)
 
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Coccidiosis symptoms are similar to your chicken's. Depending on the strain, they may have bloody stools or not. Corid liquid in the water 2 tsp. per gallon of water for 5-7 days is the best treatment. Don't give anything else in the water or vitamins until after treatment. Usually they are immune to cocci by this age, but different strains exist on different farms, and make be brought in by other chickens or on your shoes or tires. Also check her closely for lice and mites, and consider worming her when she is better.
 
It's not coccidiosis, any other ideas people?
Any issues with her crop,in particular an impact? Hard to tell from picture,her crop looks full(or is she just fluffed up from not feeling well)but you mentioned she is not eating. Check her crop in the evening should be full,check again in morning before eating,should be empty. Watched video,besides panting,it could be mouth breathing,any indication of respiratory issues? Listen to lungs,any wheezing or rattling sounds? There are other internal issues besides egg binding,some are egg peritonitis or ovarian cancer.
 
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Hi there. Did you ever figure out the problem? My hen is showing the same symptoms now...Thanks!
 

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