Sick Chicken, any advice would be super helpful!

[Marletts]

Hi Guys! One of our laying hens is acting strange. She is walking like she is heavy and her tail feathers are down and cowered. She seems less energetic and i havent seen her perching, not sure if she is laying or not. She seems to be eating like normal and is interested when i bring food. No other signs or symptoms other than looking obviously ill. we cleaned her bottom with a warm bath to see if maybe her vent was blocked? That was successful and didnt seem irritated. Not sure what could be ailing her. Completely inexperienced when it comes to this. Would love any and all suggestions. Thanks so much! The 3 other laying hens we have are acting normal.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi Guys! One of our laying hens is acting strange. She is walking like she is heavy and her tail feathers are down and cowered. She seems less energetic and i havent seen her perching, not sure if she is laying or not. She seems to be eating like normal and is interested when i bring food. No other signs or symptoms other than looking obviously ill.

we cleaned her bottom with a warm bath to see if maybe her vent was blocked? That was successful and didnt seem irritated. Not sure what could be ailing her. Completely inexperienced when it comes to this. Would love any and all suggestions. Thanks so much! The 3 other laying hens we have are acting normal.

Hi

Welcome To BYC

Can you take her to a vet?
How old is she?
How long has she been like this?
Is she pooping?
How long have you had her?
When you bathed her, did her abdomen feel swollen/bloated?

Her stance reminds me of a hen with an internal laying/reproductive disorder like Egg Yolk Peritonitis, Salpingitis, Ascites, cancer or tumors.
Unfortunately not much can be done to cure any of these ailments, but you can give her supportive care, warm epsom salts bath to help soothe/relieve any swelling, poultry vitamin and extra protein like egg or tuna can sometimes be beneficial as well.

A vet can sometimes perform an exam or take x-rays to see if she has any egg masses or tumors in her abdomen. Taking a fresh sample of poop for a fecal float test to make sure the cause is not Cocci or worms would be a good idea as well.

Keep us posted.

http://www.chickenvet.co.uk/health-and-common-diseases/egg-laying-issues/index.aspx

 

[Marletts]

Hi! Thank you so much for your detailed response. She is 1yr old, we've had her since a chick. We dont have a vet for her but we are looking for one. She seems to be eating and pooping but i need to watch her closer to see if she's laying. She is not perching and seems uncomfortable and low energy but is out with the other hens and moving around eating. She didnt seem bloated or hard when we bathed her. Her stance is very off and very cowered down.

 

[Marletts]

She has been acting ill for about 5 days now

 

[Wyorp Rock]

If it's been that long, then she is not egg bound, but she may have EYP (Egg Yolk Peritonitis) or something similar. A regular vet should be able to perform a fecal float on a fresh sample of poop to check for worms and Cocci overload.

You may want to give her another soak in epsom salts, administer some extra calcium 1 time and give her some poultry vitamins.

Watch to see that she is drinking well, dehydration comes quickly. Reproductive disorders are common (if this is what's wrong), giving her some TLC and monitoring her is usually the best you can do sometimes.

 

[Marletts]

I was suggested an antibiotic and seperating her from the coup to rest? Would you tend to agree with this advice? I checked her just now and she seemed to have more energy, pecking for food and then suddenly stopped looking like it was a struggle to walk and needed a break. Her belly looks so heavy and low almost brushing the ground.

 

[Marletts]

We have her at the vet now being treated, thank you so much for all of your advice. I'll keep you posted on her condition

 

[Marletts]

Sad to say our girl passed. We thought she had an obstruction in her utuerous that she couldnt pass. it ended up being a tumor. We tried our best and made her as comfortable as we could. Thanks again for your help.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. Cancer is common in chickens. The picture looks a lot like she has internal laying or a reproductive disorder.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry for your loss.