Pecky has mystery diarrhea & abdominal bulge?

[New2theFlock]

Pecky is an almost 3 year old blue sapphire gem, is top of the pecking order, but is not well. She has had mystery diarrhea for about two months and has a bulge in her abdomen. Here's what I've done to try to help:
- I've cleaned the waterers and feeders
- given her baths to clean her up
- administered antibiotics for five days
- given her Kicken Chicken and electrolytes - made greek yogurt, electrolyte, sunflower seed mix frozen treats for protein and probiotics. She is not a huge fan of these treats, although the other chickens love them.
Thank you BYC for advice on the above.

She drinks plenty of water and will eat the sunflower scratch mixture or whatever else is put infront of her when I pull her out of the flock, but I've tried to keep her in with the others. She doesn't seem to be getting better.

Here's the situation:
- she is super puffy all the time
- diarrhea that I've seen is mostly water with a little bit of brown liquid. No worms that I've seen, but I'm not keeping close watch.
- she just stands there in the sun, closing her eyes frequently like she's trying to keep them open and not fall over, both taking effort.
- she keeps away from the others. To some degree she always has, but this is more pronounced.
- she has a big bulge in her chest/ abdomen now. It's tremendous and getting larger. See pics taken a few minutes ago. This appeared after the antibiotics -- within the last week.
- the others leave her alone. Other than one indecent, I've not seen anyone pecking at her as they did another another sick chicken in the past
- she sleeps in the nesting boxes now.
- rest of the flock (7 total) all seem fine.

Questions I have for BYC:
- Any idea what is going on?
- Should I deworm her?
- What will happen to flock dynamics if she dies?

She has been the boss from day 1, keeping everyone safe. Our girls were all raised together since we got them at the start of covid. When I homeschooled my son, I wrote short stories about the chickens for him-- Pecky always featured prominently. Really hope you guys can help figure out how to best help her.

Thanks!

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

Sounds like she has sour crop most likely due to the antibiotics which will kill of healthy gut bacteria as well as the bad bacteria allowing the the yeast the to take over.

Signs of sour crop include a squishy crop that never empties and bad, sour smelling breath. It is treatable with antifungal creams (monistat) and probiotics to help her gut get back to normal.

Be careful feeling her crop or picking her up when her crop is very full because pressing on it can make it overflow back up into her mouth and chickens can easily inhale it and choke. Whether to intentionally empty the crop is debated: it can be beneficial to get the fluid out and your hen will feel better, BUT they really are prone to aspirating the fluid (they don't have a gag reflex) which can lead to pneumonia or even death through suffocation.

Here is a good article to read about crop issues and treatment:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[nuthatched]

and will eat the sunflower scratch mixture or whatever else is put infront of her when I pull her out of the flock,

Is that her diet?
It sounds like a few different issues including ascites, it can be controlled but not cured and even if with control, they don't live much longer.

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

@New2theFlock The bulge in her chest is her crop which stores food. It can vary quite a lot in size, but if it's always large and/or squishy there is a problem. Her abdomen/belly is the area between her legs and her vent. If she also has a bulge or swelling there it could be a reproductive issue or an illness causing fluid buildup (ascites).

 

[New2theFlock]

Is that her diet?
It sounds like a few different issues including ascites, it can be controlled but not cured and even if with control, they don't live much longer.

No. She eats chicken feed, specifically Feather Fixer 18% protein, as they were molting this fall and we were having a problem with bullying and father plucking/ eating/ bullying

 

[New2theFlock]

@New2theFlock The bulge in her chest is her crop which stores food. It can vary quite a lot in size, but if it's always large and/or squishy there is a problem. Her abdomen/belly is the area between her legs and her vent. If she also has a bulge or swelling there it could be a reproductive issue or an illness causing fluid buildup (ascites).

The bulge is definitely higher than it was with the chicken who had water belly last year. Seems like sour crop is it. I'll look into it.

I've never smelled a chicken's breath. Our girls don't really like to be handled. But I'll try.

 

[New2theFlock]

Sounds like she has sour crop most likely due to the antibiotics which will kill of healthy gut bacteria as well as the bad bacteria allowing the the yeast the to take over.

Signs of sour crop include a squishy crop that never empties and bad, sour smelling breath. It is treatable with antifungal creams (monistat) and probiotics to help her gut get back to normal.

Be careful feeling her crop or picking her up when her crop is very full because pressing on it can make it overflow back up into her mouth and chickens can easily inhale it and choke. Whether to intentionally empty the crop is debated: it can be beneficial to get the fluid out and your hen will feel better, BUT they really are prone to aspirating the fluid (they don't have a gag reflex) which can lead to pneumonia or even death through suffocation.

Here is a good article to read about crop issues and treatment:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

This is so incredibly helpful. Thanks for the information. I'm so frustrated that I likely caused the problem with the antibiotics. It's so hard to know what to do when one is sick.

I've never smelled a chicken's breath. Any tips and tricks? Our girls don't really like to be handled. But I'll try.

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

I've never smelled a chicken's breath. Any tips and tricks? Our girls don't really like to be handled. But I'll try.

You don't really need to smell her breath. The main thing is to check her crop first thing in the morning before she's had a chance to eat or drink. If it's flat and empty she doesn't have a crop issue, if it's still bulging she has a slow or sour crop and I'd treat it like the article that I linked above suggests.

She may have other things going on as well since she's been off for awhile. Everything from parasites to reproductive issues to cancer can slow down the digestive system and cause crop problems. Best thing you can do for her is to treat her crop and try to get it moving again (if that is a problem) and then see what symptoms remain and go from there.

 

[New2theFlock]

You don't really need to smell her breath. The main thing is to check her crop first thing in the morning before she's had a chance to eat or drink. If it's flat and empty she doesn't have a crop issue, if it's still bulging she has a slow or sour crop and I'd treat it like the article that I linked above suggests.

She may have other things going on as well since she's been off for awhile. Everything from parasites to reproductive issues to cancer can slow down the digestive system and cause crop problems. Best thing you can do for her is to treat her crop and try to get it moving again (if that is a problem) and then see what symptoms remain and go from there.

Thanks @Razzlefrazzle I saw in another article you recommended the Epsom salt & water combo to help crop move if the coconut oil and massage don't work. Would you recommend that in this case, too?

I'll check out Pecky in the morning and get some coconut oil into her before a little massage. Will let you and BYC folks know how it goes. Thanks again for the advice!

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

Thanks @Razzlefrazzle I saw in another article you recommended the Epsom salt & water combo to help crop move if the coconut oil and massage don't work. Would you recommend that in this case, too?

I'll check out Pecky in the morning and get some coconut oil into her before a little massage. Will let you and BYC folks know how it goes. Thanks again for the advice!

I wouldn't go straight to a crop flush... Because you said you noticed her crop getting large right after the antibiotics I'm guessing that she just has sour crop and not an impaction or anything. If you don't feel anything hard in the crop in the morning then I think it's unlikely she has an obstruction and you probably don't need to give oil or a massage, just treat with an antifungal if it's squishy and sour and see if that leads to improvement. I do flush the crop if it still seems slow/sour even after a couple days of antifungal. I don't usually start with it because it might be unnecessary stress for the bird, it can cause dehydration, and because to do the crop flush you need to empty it out first and if you can't get the fluid to go further down the digestive tract it would need to come back out the mouth which runs the risk of the bird inhaling it.

Again, when you check her crop in the morning feel it gently at first and keep an eye out for liquid dribbling out her mouth. If it's really full and you press on it she will vomit a lot of liquid everywhere and possibly start to choke...