Sick chicken

[busycoganmom]

So I am a new chicken owner. Well about a month ago we got some older chickens from a friend. So I dont know how old they are. The chicken in question is a white chicken with quite a big comb. Well yesterday we noticed she wasnt feeling to good. Just kind of sitting there and didnt want to move. Well I put her in the coop thinking it was because she was cold. Well this morning notcied she was acting the same. So I isolated her and gave her a blanket because she was shaking. She was also breathing really hard with her beak open. Well I get her water and feed and come back to her and she is laying on her side with her head hanging down off the pillow. I tried getting her to drink and next thing I know she starts flopping her neck and head around and plops back down. Then she died. Beak open eyes closed and the light greenish yellow stuff coming out her beak. I have no idea what she died from.

Anyone have any ideas? And if so, are my mother chickens going to get sick and die to? Im just so lost right now.

 

[Wezdin]

Sorry for your loss Sending your bird in for a necropsy can tell you the cause of death and possibly allow you to prevent further death. If you could post pictures that would be great help in identifying the problem. im not an expert but for anyone who is does this sound like bronchitis?

 

[Wezdin]

Almost forgot,

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. The movements she had can be common when a chicken dies. Sorry for your loss. Some people do a chicken autopsy or necropsy at home, and basically look at the internal organs (liver, intestines, heart, oviduct, abdominal contents, etc.) to see if anything looks out of the ordinary. If possible, refrigerating the body, and send ing it to your state vet or poultry lab for a more thorough necropsy would probably get a cause of death. If I were to guess, since she was older, she might have had a reproductive disorder, such as egg yolk peritonitis, ascites, or something like that. Respiratory diseases are also common. If you lose another, do a necropsy, and take plenty of pictures of organs, and post on a new thread. Here is some reading about reproductive disorders:
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/egg-peritonitis

http://www.theveterinaryexpert.com/backyard-poultry/egg-yolk-peritonitis/

 

[busycoganmom]

Almost forgot,

Thank you! So after doing research I think she was egg bound. She was so swollen in the back end do you happen to know how to prevent it or cure it? I think another one of my chickens has it.

 

[micstrachan]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Being egg bound is fatal if not treated. Do you mean her vent (where eggs and poop come out) was swollen or her abdomen (fluffy butt area below vent and between legs) was swollen. When egg bound, a chicken will stand like a penguin. I am thinking it is more likely she had a laying disorder. She sounds possibly like a Leghorn, which is a high production breed and more prone to laying issues.

So let's see if we can help you with your other chicken with the swollen back end. If you can tell us for starters where exactly she is swollen, we can go from there. Do you know what their diet was before you got them? What do you feed them now? Do you know who is and is not laying?

 

[busycoganmom]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Being egg bound is fatal if not treated. Do you mean her vent (where eggs and poop come out) was swollen or her abdomen (fluffy butt area below vent and between legs) was swollen. When egg bound, a chicken will stand like a penguin. I am thinking it is more likely she had a laying disorder. She sounds possibly like a Leghorn, which is a high production breed and more prone to laying issues.

So let's see if we can help you with your other chicken with the swollen back end. If you can tell us for starters where exactly she is swollen, we can go from there. Do you know what their diet was before you got them? What do you feed them now? Do you know who is and is not laying?

So I actually have 2 now that are swollen between the legs. They sit there with their tails down and havent laid any eggs since I have gotten them. The people I got them from said none of the chickens laid eggs for them. I tried the Epsom salt bath, extra calcium and keeping her isolated like you do with an egg bound chicken but she still hasnt pushed anything out and she seems to be the worse. She is still peaking around and eating. Just worries me. I felt that area and it feels like a whole bunch (if they are eggs) like quarter size eggs. And I mean a whole bunch! They both have poopy butt. The people who originally had them were feeding them nothing but egg layer pellets and table scraps. When we got them I started giving them scratch, crushed egg shells and just started with egg layer. The 2 Wyandotte chickens and 1 of the Leghorns started laying eggs. I will try to post pictures tomorrow.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

about a month ago we got some older chickens from a friend. So I dont know how old they are.

have 2 now that are swollen between the legs. They sit there with their tails down and havent laid any eggs since I have gotten them. The people I got them from said none of the chickens laid eggs for them. I tried the Epsom salt bath, extra calcium and keeping her isolated like you do with an egg bound chicken but she still hasnt pushed anything out and she seems to be the worse

I felt that area and it feels like a whole bunch (if they are eggs) like quarter size eggs. And I mean a whole bunch! They both have poopy butt.

Photos of the hens, the swelling and their poop may be helpful.
I'm sorry that to hear that this is your first experience with chickens and have already lost one and have 2 more that are unwell.

Swelling between the legs and being able to feel eggs/masses, unfortunately does not sound very good.
From your description I would say they have a reproductive disorder like Internal Laying, Egg Yolk Peritonitis, Salpingitis or possibly cancer/tumors. Since you have 2 with similar symptoms I would lean toward Salpingitis, but there is no way to know for sure unless you have a necropsy performed when one passes away - sadly, that is usually when you can get some "concrete" answers. You can send a bird to your state lab or if you are up to it, open the bird yourself and examine the internal organs, abdomen, etc.

I'm very sorry and hate to be negative. If it is reproductive problems, then there is no cure. You can try antibiotics to see if those helps with inflammation and infection, but usually the affects are short lived. Offering supportive care like you are doing is usually the normal course that most of us take. I watch to see that they are eating/drinking, reasonably active and that the crop is emptying overnight. Once a bird declines to the point they are isolating themselves, not eating, seem to be in pain or the crop does not empty even with care, then I put them out of their misery.

A hen with reproductive problems can live for a good while or they may rapidly decline each one is different.

It's never a bad idea to check them over for lice/mites and get a fecal float to rule out worms and coccidiosis which can further weaken a chicken.

I would continue with the layer feed as the main source of nutrition, it's balanced and provides what they need. Limit your scratch and treats to no more than 10% of daily intake. Make oyster shell available free choice, they will take what they need.


WARNING LINK TAKES YOU TO POSTS WITH GRAPHIC NECROPSY PHOTOS
this member thought she felt an egg in the abdomenhttps://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/fluid-in-belly-with-egg-floating.1202391/#post-19083947
this is another example of what it may look like if you feel a mass or several masses in the abdomen https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-dust-one-by-one.1270059/page-2#post-20420498