Range of Symptoms That I Can't Figure Out

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry she is not doing well. In the video she is having a hard time breathing.

When was the last time she laid an egg?
Does she have any swelling/bloat or feeling of fluid in the abdomen?
Is she crop emptying completely overnight?

You mention the poops smells like sulfur/rotten eggs - the color of it reminds me of egg too. She may have an infection - if the vet can see her again, that is best, but I'm inclined to think that your hen is suffering from reproductive/internal laying disorder like Egg Yolk Peritonitis, cancer, tumors, Ascites or Salpingitis. Symptoms include weight loss, swollen abdomen that may be filled with fluid, loose droppings that look like egg, difficulty walking (lameness), lethargy, slow crop and difficulty breathing.

If the abdomen has fluid build up, sometimes draining it can make them more comfortable and it makes breathing easier, but this is a short term fix. Antibiotics can also help as a form of supportive care.

Do what you can to keep her hydrated and let us know how she is.

 

[hendaddy094]

Since she is having trouble eating pellets, the first thing I would do is moisten the feed to make a mash the consistency of oatmeal. This may help her.

Is your vet an avian vet with poultry experience? Did he take a fecal sample or nose/throat swab?
I don't know where you are but if it is cold at all, I'd bring her into the house and give her a space around 80F.
I wouldn't leave her with the flock until she is well.
Be ready to send her to the poultry lab for necropsy in case she passes. What state are you in?

They did not, I think they just did an external exam which is the problem because she looks fine for the most part. The combs and wattles are still red colored and look fine. The exception being her eye she looks fine everywhere else. I live in Maryland its currently 32 outside but we've kept her in a cage in the garage with a heat lamp. We're going to transition her inside and see if that helps. If she passes do I need to keep the body cold to make sure decomposition doesn't affect the necropsy report?

 

[hendaddy094]

Yes, keep it cold but not frozen. If you call the lab, they'll tell you how they want it packaged and may send you a FedEx shipping label.
I usually keep a couple freezer packs in the freezer to put in the box.
Maryland and the whole Delmarva peninsula is chicken country so you have 2 labs.
Frederick Animal Health Laboratory
1840 Rosemont Ave
Frederick, Maryland 21702-8218
Phone: 301-600-1548

Maryland Department of Agriculture & Salisbury Animal Health Laboratory
27722 Nanticoke Road
Salisbury, Maryland 21801-1608
Phone: 410-543-6610

She's drinking water and eating food, struggling with both. She spills some water while shes drinking and she sometimes has slight wheezing while breathing but its very very quiet. I'll upload some pictures so hopefully I can shed better light on what she's going through.

 

[hendaddy094]

Some pictures of my hen. Everything from closeup of the face and eyes to full body. If there is anything unusually please let me know.

 

[hendaddy094]

Update, the left eye is swollen shut, her other eye is a little better but for the most part she has a hard time opening her eyes or just doesn't want to. When she does she can keep them open just fine but I have to coax her to open her eye.

 

[hendaddy094]

Hey hendaddy.... I am definitely not an expert when it comes to what ails chickens but I do have some experience with crop issues and wonder if your girl has either sour crop or impacted crop.

What does her crop feel like?

It's basically non existant. Her chest is really puffed up which makes it look like shes been eating, but her crop is tiny because she eats basically nothing all day. Shes on antibiotics and she'll eat occasionally as well as drink, but she doesn't seem to be able to eat bigger pellets and she won't eat the pastes we make for her. When she drinks water it's really sloppy not like the other hens and sometimes some water comes back up when she lowers her head so it seems like shes not swallowing fully or unable to.

 

[Teila]

Hey hendaddy... Again, I am not an expert but it does not sound like a crop issue but more that nothing is getting to her crop. If she had impacted or sour crop it would be swollen.

Have you had a look in her mouth [beak]? Just thinking she could have something blocking the passage. I have heard of chickens eating something stringy, getting stuck around their tongue and just hanging in the passage.

No signs of canker? This causes sores to develop in the oesophagus and potentially inhibit her ability to swallow.

 

[hendaddy094]

Hey hendaddy... Again, I am not an expert but it does not sound like a crop issue but more that nothing is getting to her crop. If she had impacted or sour crop it would be swollen.

Have you had a look in her mouth [beak]? Just thinking she could have something blocking the passage. I have heard of chickens eating something stringy, getting stuck around their tongue and just hanging in the passage.

No signs of canker? This causes sores to develop in the oesophagus and potentially inhibit her ability to swallow.

I was thinking something along those lines. When we took her to the vet they said she was eating fine but clearly she wasn't because she has a hard time eating bigger pellets which they didn't notice. I was thinking it's gotta be more along a throat or beak issue because if it was respiratory I'd hear louder wheezing but shes not able to drink water cleanly or eat cleanly, or as cleanly as a chicken can. I uploaded some pictures up above so maybe you can glean something from those. But for me right now, I'm trying to figure out which symptoms are root causes and which ones are cropping up because of the illness. There are some that would be weirdly unrelated in humans like inability to eat and drink as well as eyes that have trouble opening. But I'm not sure what causes all of these symptoms together and the vet visit we took her to on Tuesday was over $100 for them to do an external exam, give her a little bit of food and some antibiotics and then send us on our way.

 

[hendaddy094]

http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/canker

Clinical Signs of Canker in Chickens

Early signs of infection include the appearance of small, hard, well-defined, cream to yellowish sores that are stuck to the side and/or roof of the oral cavity, tongue, edges of the beak, and occasionally covering the glottis.

As the disease progresses, these sores increase in size and thickness, and become caseous ('cheese-like') in appearance.

Sores are usually found inside the chicken's mouth, but can also develop on the beak exterior and near the eyes (where it might be confused with fowl pox).

Other non specific signs observed include huddling, listlessness, ruffled feathers, and depression.

Oral sores that develop inside the bird's mouth are usually easy to see by gently opening the bird's beak and looking inside.

Sores can develop in the chicken's esophagus or throat can potentially block air passage and impact the bird's ability to swallow.

This may initially present as reduced feed and water intake and leading to weight loss.

Throat sores can also potentially close off the windpipe, causing the bird to suffocate. In other cases, the disease can progress to a lethal systemic infection, spreading throughout the body. If sores invade the roof of the mouth (oropharyngeal cavity) and sinuses, they can potentially penetrate through the base of the chicken's skull and into the brain.

Gonna be honest, she absolutely hates when I try and open her beak to give her antibiotics, but I'll take a closer look in the morning. As for externally, there aren't any issues that standout, I took the pictures and no one that saw this thread said anything about them so I assume my hen is relatively healthy looking with a problem that's internal instead. Will check tomorrow for sores though thanks for the advice.

 

[Teila]

Yeah, I could not really see anything on the pictures except to say that she looks a bit miserable.

I am hoping that the answer will be obvious when checking out her open beak.

If you can, I recommend early morning, before it gets light and with a torch? She may be easier to inspect at night time or early morning as that is when they do not move.

Lots of people find this the best time to medicate, dust, health check their chickens with a head torch etc.