Please help me diagnose hen - poop photo

[chuckun]

Hello Friends,

My 5 year old spunky easter egger stopped her regular daily laying two days ago and seems off her game. I gave her a warm epsom salt bath last night and coconut oil. She refused the calcium on her food but otherwise is ranging though I haven't seen her eating her feed.

I'd like to put her in another warm bath but she won't let me catch her. I wonder if she is blocked, maybe egg bound or with a broken egg?

No mites, nothing respiratory, and her crop is not full as far as I can tell. I thought I felt an egg by checking externally, which is why I put her in the warm bath. I am a novice so my judgment is probably not good.

I saw runny poop in the coop with a rubbery yellow blob in it. It must be hers. I have just one other hen raising three 7-week old chicks, so they've all been non starter feed mostly. Any thoughts?

Thanks so much!

 

[RhodeIslandRed5]

It sounds like a reproductive issue. Some chickens can start going downhill after their egg laying years are over, which is only about three maybe four years. Reproductive issues cannot fix fixed. One of the symptoms is starving themselves-refusing food and losing weight.

 

[adickenscoop]

Have you by any chance tried to use the chicken symptom checker tool yet? http://www.poultrydvm.com/views/symptoms.php

 

[chuckun]

Thank you, RhodeIslandRed5 and adickenscoop!

I did not know about the tool and just checked - it is pointing to something intestinal possibly spread by wild birds. We have plenty, and when my chickens range they do drink from puddles, the birdbath, etc.

No vet here will lab test her droppings to see if I need to treat my flock. They say I need to bring her in for evaluation first, but have no openings right now.

I gave her water with nutridrench, and yogurt with garlic and honey, which she ate with gusto. She is looking improved but still seeking peace and quiet. I guess time will tell. She is such a sweet hen.

As far as vets, can they really save a chicken who is showing signs of illness? I would think a hen could die just from the trauma of the visit. I took a hen in to the vet a year ago last April and was told they could put her on an IV and give her drugs, but the chance of survival was slim so we had to put her down. The trip to the vet was really awful for her. I would like to avoid that experience again, especially if my hen is beyond hope. On the there hand I'd like to know if my hen now has something contagious so I could treat the others, but they won't do any testing.

Maybe she'll get better? Any more thoughts?

Thanks so much!

 

[chuckun]

Update - I'm very pleased to report that my flagging easter egger started eating and drinking last night and was back to herself today!!! Still no egg and I cannot tell whether she has one trying to get out. She was laying normally every day and then stopped. Today is day 4. She is not molting and has never shown signs (that I could recognize) of being broody.

There was some watery droppings in the coop this morning, just below her usual spot on the perch. Could be all the water w/nutridrench and the yogurt she had yesterday.

Should I repeat the epsom salt baths just in case she's egg bound? I read that it should be done several days in a row. (See photo of yesterday's bath.) Take her to the vet just to make sure?

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

5 year old spunky easter egger stopped her regular daily laying two days ago and seems off her game. I gave her a warm epsom salt bath last night and coconut oil. She refused the calcium on her food but otherwise is ranging though I haven't seen her eating her feed.

No mites, nothing respiratory, and her crop is not full as far as I can tell. I thought I felt an egg by checking externally, which is why I put her in the warm bath. I am a novice so my judgment is probably not good.

I saw runny poop in the coop with a rubbery yellow blob in it.

The yellow rubbery blob looks like Lash material. She may have a reproductive disorder called Salpingitis.
You mention you thought you felt an egg externally? Was that in the abdomen (below the vent between the legs)?
It's good that she is perking up, some hens with reproductive issues have good/bad days. If it is Salpingitis, you can try treating her with antibiotics to help with infection, but usually that is short lived since there is no cure. The lash material accumulates in the oviduct and can cause a blockage, it's always possible that material can be deposited into the abdomen as well. A lot of times you don't know what is going on until the hen passes and a necropsy is performed.
https://the-chicken-chick.com/salpingitis-lash-eggs-in-backyard/

 

[chuckun]

Oh my, that's bad news! I will try to get her in to the vet. We don't have many here who treat poultry and I am not convinced that the ones we have deep knowledge.

I cleaned out all the bedding and did not keep the yellow specimen. I found no more of it today - maybe tomorrow. I wonder how they can diagnose it in a living hen without a sample.

I will say that her eggs were all normal until she stopped laying completely, and yesterday was the first abnormal dropping I saw. When I bathed and dried her I did not feel anything like an egg although I thought I did the day before yesterday when first investigating. She does seem more thirsty than the others, which I see from the article that you linked can be a symptom of Salpingitis.

With a diagnosis like this is it more humane to put her down sooner rather than later? It sound like months of suffering. What about the rest of the flock? This is devastating news.

Thank you for your helpful insights.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Oh my, that's bad news! I will try to get her in to the vet. We don't have many here who treat poultry and I am not convinced that the ones we have deep knowledge.

I cleaned out all the bedding and did not keep the yellow specimen. I found no more of it today - maybe tomorrow. I wonder how they can diagnose it in a living hen without a sample.

I will say that her eggs were all normal until she stopped laying completely, and yesterday was the first abnormal dropping I saw. When I bathed and dried her I did not feel anything like an egg although I thought I did the day before yesterday when first investigating. She does seem more thirsty than the others, which I see from the article that you linked can be a symptom of Salpingitis.

With a diagnosis like this is it more humane to put her down sooner rather than later? It sound like months of suffering. What about the rest of the flock? This is devastating news.

Thank you for your helpful insights.

Some hens can bounce back for a while. If she's eating/drinking/relatively active, you can always just monitor her. I would at least treat her with antibiotics to help fight any infection. You can ask your vet about that or order some Baytril or Amoxicillin online. Some vets are very knowledgeable about poultry, some not, so you would have to feel them out to see what you think about that.

As for putting her down. As mentioned above, I usually wait and see - if they can eat/drink, interact with the other chickens, are not getting picked at, then I just evaluate daily. Once I see decline, I do offer supportive care for a few days, if they rally, then o.k. we'll keep going, if they decline further, then I put them down. You just have to use your best judgement.

The rest of the flock. Salpingitis is not contagious, but it's possible to have more than one hen with the condition. A lot depends on the cause. If a flock has a history of respiratory disease, then it would not be uncommon for several hens the same age to develop symptoms.

Do some more reading/research. Search threads here on BYC too to see what others have done.

 

[chuckun]

Thank you, Wyorp Rock. I found Baytril 10% oral solution for poultry on website. I will order that and see how it goes. I do have VetRx which I've never used. I did not think she had anything respiratory so I didn't open it. Do you recommend that I use it as well?

I really appreciate your sound advice and kind words!

 

[chuckun]

ps... I just read that "Some drugs, such as fluoroquinolones, including Baytril (Enrofloxacin), choramphenical, nitroimidazoles, and glycopeptides (including Vancomycin) are illegal to use in poultry in the United States, regardless if the animal is a pet." Back to the drawing board! I guess I'll call the vet in the morning.

Thanks again. I'll update with any developments.