Second hen showing signs of lethargy...

[CaptainSamH]

Does anybody have a recommendation for when I should separate her? We don't have a dog crate, and brought the previous chickens into our laundry room (heated floor) in a rubbermaid bin with wood shavings - but I do worry about re-introducing her if I completely remove her from the flock and manage to get her healthy again (not an issue in the previous situations, one already had her own run - long story - and the other died). She definitely not remotely as far gone as the one we just lost, but now I'm very attuned to the signs (standing in one place for several minutes, head sort of low, not running towards food when the others do) and the stakes are high for my kids.

 

[CaptainSamH]

Calcium citrate is in the vitamin aisle. You can crush the tablet or give it whole. I've never had a hen that had a problem swallowing it.

I like to avoid the bath in favor of the heating pad and moist heat. It's far less stressful. Stress of any sort can actually aggravate the problem.

Good to know...I assume a hot water bottle would work as well as a heating pad.

And if it isn't an issue of egg retention, is there still no harm in giving the calcium? ( I am comfortable checking for an egg at the vent, but not sure I know what I'm feeling for if an egg is further up). Also, what are the chances that both chickens would be sick of different things within a week-month of each other?

 

[Kiki]

IMG_20180609_114112

• Kiki
• Jun 9, 2018

IMG_20180609_114133

• Kiki
• Jun 9, 2018

 

[CaptainSamH]

Yep. A pullet. I haven’t dealt with any health issues in young chickens in 4 years, and have only had 2 older ones die of health related issues, so I’m not much help in diagnosing the problem. Just from reading the responses here I’d say get her on calcium citrate right away. Do you have tums on hand? I believe that is calcium citrate. I have also heard activated charcoal is good for cleansing their system, but for the life of me I can’t find that in any store. I’m going to search online but that wouldn’t be a fast solution for you unless you happen to have it.

I can snag some tums asap - gotta run out to market anyway. I also heard that regarding charcoal, dumping some ash from a wood stove in their dust bath works in a similar way.

 

[coach723]

When you get to the vet, make sure you get a fecal floatation done to check for internal parasites, they will not always be visible in the droppings, but the eggs will be there and they are microscopic. Agree with not bathing at this point, bathing a sick bird can be too much for them. The green in the droppings could be from not eating. I would give her fluids as much as possible, keep her hydrated. If the crop is not moving then adding more food will not necessarily be helpful. You can freeze some coconut oil, break into small bits and give her that, and do some gentle crop massaging, may help move things some. Poultry nutri drench is good for a bit of a boost.
I personally would separate her now. It will only make things worse if she's attacked by the flock and injured. And it will be easier to monitor her and keep her warm. I've picked up dog crates at yard sales for cheap, so start looking, they are very handy to have around and I use mine a lot. For reintegrating they are the easiest way, you can also put up a temporary fence or enclosure in the run to accomplish the same thing. Sometimes integrations go really quick and easy, sometimes it takes longer, it just depends on the bird and the flock. Also, some birds find it very stressful to be separated from the flock, so the crate is good for that too, keeps them safe, but everyone can still see and hear everyone else. Less stressful.
Giving her the calcium won't hurt her. For egg binding you would feel the egg within a couple of inches, and usually they can't poop if they are bound.

 

[Kiki]

I did inspect the one that went and didn't see the signs of lice on her skin or the roots of her feathers, nothing in her poops... not sure what to look for yet with mites (they all dust bathe fairly regularly). We feed them DuMor chicken feed - we were giving Oyster shells when they were younger and I've just re-introduced that in addition to grit and they do free range daily.

Do you feed anything at all besides this?
Any treats?

 

[CaptainSamH]

Do you know if the collapsed egg you found is from this hen? If so, it would be enough to suspect a reproductive disorder. Immediately giving calcium citrate to such a hen can help start the process of clearing the oviduct of any additional egg material.

If you wish to get ahead of the vet visit, this is what I would suggest. Also, remove the hen to a quiet place with a heating pad under a moist towel in case she's trying to pass any egg remains. Provide plenty of water to drink.

Oops...in my earlier I asked when to remove her...azygous, you're saying now, right?

 

[coach723]

For the charcoal, activated charcoal given orally is good for absorbing toxins. Wood ash in dust bathing areas is good for helping prevent external parasites. Two different things. I would not do activated charcoal orally now since she is already having trouble moving things through the digestive tract. It's very dehydrating and you have to give lots of fluids along with it. I don't think it would be helpful just now.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

spending more time than normal just standing in place, definitely not following the flock.

I wouldn't normally haven't noticed, but we just lost a hen after showing similar signs and losing a lot of weight - her crop would not empty and her poops were very spare and she was literally skin and bones - and I am way more attuned now (rookie mistake).

about 6+ months old, and so far physical appearance has not changed, but it's only been a day or so, noticing the behavior. Our RIR who we lost showed symptoms (that we now recognize went on for a couple of weeks) that led to serious weight loss.

See above, and she also had loose bright-ish green poop with loose urate with no bulk (like broody poop, but liquid).

I don't know, but I did find a soft, mal-formed, but intact eggshell in the coop 3-4 days ago - like a small deflated balloon.

I added some grit to their feed station and brought back adding oyster shells - would that help?

I've just re-introduced that in addition to grit and they do free range daily.

Can you post some photos of the poop and of the pullet?
Is her crop empty, full, bloated, etc.?

You mentioned a couple of time that you just re-introduced grit and oyster shell was there a reason why you took it away? Making both available free choice is best, imho.

What do you feed?

 

[CaptainSamH]

When you get to the vet, make sure you get a fecal floatation done to check for internal parasites, they will not always be visible in the droppings, but the eggs will be there and they are microscopic. Agree with not bathing at this point, bathing a sick bird can be too much for them. The green in the droppings could be from not eating. I would give her fluids as much as possible, keep her hydrated. If the crop is not moving then adding more food will not necessarily be helpful. You can freeze some coconut oil, break into small bits and give her that, and do some gentle crop massaging, may help move things some. Poultry nutri drench is good for a bit of a boost.
I personally would separate her now. It will only make things worse if she's attacked by the flock and injured. And it will be easier to monitor her and keep her warm. I've picked up dog crates at yard sales for cheap, so start looking, they are very handy to have around and I use mine a lot. For reintegrating they are the easiest way, you can also put up a temporary fence or enclosure in the run to accomplish the same thing. Sometimes integrations go really quick and easy, sometimes it takes longer, it just depends on the bird and the flock. Also, some birds find it very stressful to be separated from the flock, so the crate is good for that too, keeps them safe, but everyone can still see and hear everyone else. Less stressful.
Giving her the calcium won't hurt her. For egg binding you would feel the egg within a couple of inches, and usually they can't poop if they are bound.

Thanks for all that info. Don't have a crop concern yet (it was the last one that really had that, but she had been sick for a while, we just didn't see the signs), but will try and find a crate and check her for an egg - I watched her for probably a full 10-12 mintues after letting them out and never saw a poop :/. If she's just hanging out out back and no one's messing with her, should I wait to crate her for when we bring them back into the coop?