Sick Chicken - HELP!

[cdtaylor91]

ok, as I thought. She is an egg laying machine, and has burned herself out. She is only 3 and had stopped laying. This could probably be the end of her life, sorry to say.

Or you could have a disease in the flock and she is the first to succumb. Or she has developed a condition because she is weak.

Have you wormed her?
Have you checked her crop, is it hard, soft or waterfilled (impacted, sour, bad breath)?
Is she eggbound (check inside her vent)?
Is she thin (check how sharp her keel is)?
Does she have ascites (water belly)?
How is her breathing (laboured, raspy, wheezy)?
Any discharge from her eyes or mouth?
Check for hidden injuries (wounds from a bite)?

You may get to the bottom of it and treat what is wrong or you may not if she has just reached the end of her road. Sounds like you are giving her good care.

post your findings here because people may be able to help.

I checked her over. Her back end (under neath) feels squishy and she does have party butt. I cleaned her up the best I could before bringing her in. Her crop feels fine. I didnt feel an egg when I checked to see if she was egg bound. Her breathing appears fine, maybe a little labored but not too bad. No discharge. I checked for hidden injuries and did not see any. She isn't thin.

I hate to see her so sickly. It breaks my heart.

 

[cdtaylor91]

I also wasn't aware that worming chickens was a thing until recently. I planned to worm my flock asap after doing some research.

 

[Chicalina]

research vent gleet and ascites and see if either of those fit. its hard when they go downhill, I know

 

[cdtaylor91]

So after closer inspection (and after putting a heating lamp on her) I noticed a bunch of white tiny bugs crawling on her. I have moved her back outside to the coop to prevent cross contaminating my inside pets (such a safety precaution). I plan to stop on the way home tomorrow to pick up materials to treat her and to deworm her (along with the rest of the flock). Could mites or lice really make her that ill?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you post some photos of her and her poop?
This is a break down of symptoms, let me know if I missed something.
3 year old hen, walking very slowly, couldn't get up the ramp, now lethargic and can't stand, stopped laying eggs a while ago, light labored breathing, has bugs crawling on her.

I know you mentioned her abdomen was squishy - compare it to another hen of similar size and age. Let us know if it feels more fluid filled/bloated or "normal" compared the another hen.

With her age, breed and symptoms I would suspect she is having troubles with a reproductive problems. Cancer, Peritonitis, Salpingitis, etc., can be common in laying hens. Sometimes hens can also have fluid (symptom Ascites) accumulate in the abdomen due to one of these conditions and/or due to organ dysfunction.
I would try to keep her comfortable, make sure her crop is emptying, see that she's staying hydrated. Treat for the bugs with a Permethrin based poultry spray or dust.
If you are wanting to de-worm her then I would use Safeguard which can also be found at TSC. Dose is 0.23ml per pound of weight given orally once a day for 5 days.

If she has a reproductive issue, worming or even giving antibiotics will not cure her but may offer supportive care and make her more comfortable. Sometimes a hen is in a sad state of decline and you may find that it's best to put her out of her misery.
If you do lose her, it would be good to have necropsy performed by your state lab or do your own informal one at home - there's a lot of things you can learn sometimes when you take a look inside and see what was going on.

 

[Chicalina]

^^everything @Wyorp Rock said, and I would add that sometimes an attack of parasites brings them down enough to reveal an underlying condition that might have been there a while, or lowers their immunity to developing something else. That is, the two things can often go hand in hand and you may not know which came first.

Good that you will be treating the whole flock and coop. Hope she perks up and has a bit more life left in her. If she doesn't then you are doing all you can for her anyway.

 

[cdtaylor91]

She sadly passed while I was at work today She honestly looked like she was sleeping so I hope it was a peaceful passing. I've treated the coop with DE and will be dusting the rest of the flock tonight.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She sadly passed while I was at work today She honestly looked like she was sleeping so I hope it was a peaceful passing. I've treated the coop with DE and will be dusting the rest of the flock tonight.

I'm sorry about your hen

If you do find that there are lice or mites in your coop and on your flock I would suggest that you use a Permethrin based poultry spray or dust which can be found at most feed stores.
While DE may be useful in dust bathing areas it is not effective against and infestation.

 

[Chicalina]

sorry to hear that. you are doing a great job. hope the rest get healthy and stay that way