Sick chicken - advice please - **Poop Picture***

[HarborGirl]

My two year old Rhode Island Red hen, Myrtle, is unwell.


I've been noticing that she looks a bit thin but other than that she's been acting fine. She's been hanging out with the flock, eating and drinking and seeming normal. Two days ago she stopped roosting. She slept standing up in a nesting box with her wings out to the sides. During the past two days she's not been out with the flock preferring to be alone off in a quiet corner in the bamboo.

I isolated her and hand fed her. She did eat what I gave her and she's been drinking fine.

She looks odd to me when I view her from above. She appears to be crooked with her tail end going off to the side.

Here's two photos from this morning:

 

[HarborGirl]

Is there something I'm not understanding about posting in this forum? I see other posts started the same time as mine with 30+ replies. I've been researching google all day trying to figure out the best thing to do for her.

I posted the poop pic in hopes someone might be able to tell something from that.

It also seems that she now has egg yolk colored poo on her butt feathers so I'm thinking peritonitis???? But she's been looking thin for some time now and just the past two days acting unwell.

If no one can advise me as to how to help her could someone let me know if I'm posting wrong somehow?

 

[appps]

No you aren't posting wrong but you may have posted at a time others aren't about (I'm in the Australian time zone so not sure if the majority of our members who are in the US are awake or at work.

It may also be the simple matter of nobody who has seen it so far has anything they can add to help you.

No ideas to help I'm afraid but here is a good link for different types of poop. http://chat.allotment-garden.org/?topic=17568.0
And what they mean. Perhaps that might help you narrow down what hers means.

 

[JensChickies]

I am sorry about your hen. I wish I could offer up some advice. Maybe she has an infection going on?? Although her poop didn't look like she had an infection. If she were mine I would take her to the vet, if that's a possibility. Good luck with your hen!

 

[krista74]

I would start at the basics - you have already said she is still eating and drinking so that's an excellent start. When she stops eating, drinking and pooping you have a REALLY sick bird on your hands.

So - has she been wormed? And has she been dusted for lice and mites? An internal or external parasite can make her unwell and lethargic, so if either of these two issues have not been addressed, I would start there.

Feel her crop. What is it like? Is it like a rock solid little ball? That would indicate crop impaction. Is it soft, swollen more than usual and squishy, coupled with terrible smelling breath? That would be sour crop. There would be loads of pages on both of these afflictions if you do a search for them.

Is she being picked on? Bullied? That could lessen her chances of getting access to adequate food and water, thereby weakening her.

Have you checked her all over for signs of injury like cuts, tears, and broken bones?

Is she laying regularly, or has laying stopped? If so, can you feel a bulge under her vent/keel to indicate an egg may be stuck internally?

It's really hard to determine what's wrong with her from a picture. She does look uncomfortable, and more fluffed up than she should be, and that is a general indicator that all is not well. Her poop looks reasonably normal to me. If this site has taught me anything, it's that the range of normal for chicken poop is vast!

As someone who has just had to put her beloved Momma Hen to sleep, I can tell you that a chicken can go from a little unwell to drastically sick in a very short period of time. If you have a vet that you can take her to I would really recommend it. Other than that, plenty of TLC, water, good food, and keep her separated for a bit to recover.

Good luck and do keep us posted.

Krista

 

[krista74]

It also seems that she now has egg yolk colored poo on her butt feathers so I'm thinking peritonitis???? But she's been looking thin for some time now and just the past two days acting unwell.

This makes me suspect that there may be an egg stuck (or rather, broken) somewhere inside her.

It might be beneficial to do a search on this site for something like "Egg breaking inside hen" which will teach you how to examine your girl's vent. I believe the treatment for that might also include a warm bath? The yellow poop stuck to her feathers may indeed be egg yolk, and not poop.

Egg Yolk Peritonitis is when an egg is internally deposited into the abdomen I believe. If that was the case I don't think it would be coming out her vent, although I stand to be corrected.

- Krista

 

[Toddrick]

Krista's advice sounds excellent, and covers a good all around examination, which you should definitely perform (if not taking to vet). I read that if an egg breaks inside, you just gotta put on some latex gloves, get some lube (baby oil, petroleum jelly, or similar), and gently try to remove as much as you can. Sounds gross, but not dangerous at least. Simply rubbing lube around in there would probably help...if that is the issue. I think the warm water is supposed to then cause them to have contractions that help speed up the evacuation of the ovaduct (I'm not too clear as to whether that actually works or if it is just an old wives tale).

 

[HarborGirl]

Thank you everyone. She passed overnight. I had her in the kitchen in a dog crate. It's so strange because she even ate some scrambled eggs with olive oil mixed in before I went to bed. Poor girl.

I didn't mean to sound rude when I posted late last night. I was just desperate to get some advice.

 

[Eggcessive]

Thank you everyone. She passed overnight. I had her in the kitchen in a dog crate. It's so strange because she even ate some scrambled eggs with olive oil mixed in before I went to bed. Poor girl.

I didn't mean to sound rude when I posted late last night. I was just desperate to get some advice.

Sorry for your loss. With egg material on her vent feathers, she could have possibly been egg bound. A necropsy at home may give you an idea if you can possibly do one. Her tail looked like a wry tail which is like a muscle spasm, but it tends to be a hereditary condition. It's too bad that you didn't get early responses, but always keep posting if you don't get a reply, and more people will reply during 6 AM through 10 PM in the US, I have found.

 

[krista74]

Thank you everyone. She passed overnight. I had her in the kitchen in a dog crate. It's so strange because she even ate some scrambled eggs with olive oil mixed in before I went to bed. Poor girl.

I didn't mean to sound rude when I posted late last night. I was just desperate to get some advice.

I am so very sorry for your loss. Having lost my girl today too I very much understand how much it can hurt.

I am sure you did everything you could. Like I said, sometimes with chickens it just all goes downhill so very fast, and it's not easy to stop the decline.

I am glad your girl is no longer suffering, and hope you hold fond memories of her in your heart.

Krista

PS: Please don't worry about sounding rude last night - we have all had our desperate moments! As this site is world-wide you are dealing with many different time zones and there is not always someone online when you need an instant reply. I'm in Australia, and quite often I have to post my queries at night, then log back on in the morning to get my responses! Someone will usually get back to you within 24 hours