Sick chicken

[SouthofEden]

This morning I notice that bone in the middle of her chest is protruding quite a bit. Is that the bone I am looking for?

 

[SouthofEden]

Update Our girl is still alive. I bought a 18 mm needle and 35 cc syringe and took some fluid out of her belly. She is still draining. The fluid was mostly yellow but a little greenish too. The last bits of drain is tinged with blood. I have given her antibiotics and she has eaten some. She is still no energy and I'm thinking this is an infection of some sort.

 

[SouthofEden]

I gave half a low dose (81 mg, I think?) aspirin twice daily for just a couple days.
Lily of the Valley Aloe Detox is a liquid you can get from Amazon. It has aloe, milk thistle, dandelion and I forgot what else, but it seems to help. You can administer 4mL orally for a few days, but it can always be tricky administering liquids. I sometimes mix a capful into a warm mash as a flock treat for liver maintenance.

Not laying an egg for two weeks could be an issue. Did she molt this year? Do you know if she usually lays over winter?

Update Our girl is still alive. I bought a 18 mm needle and 35 cc syringe and took some fluid out of her belly. She is still draining. The fluid was mostly yellow but a little greenish too. The last bits of drain is tinged with blood. I have given her antibiotics and she has eaten some. She is still no energy and I'm thinking this is an infection of some sort.

 

[SouthofEden]

Ok the swelling is more between legs and not really either in front or behind. I put a latex glove on and put my finger in her vent and couldnt feel any hardness at all, so I don't think she has a stuck egg. This has been going on for almost 2 weeks now. I think she would have passed by now if she was egg bound, right? I don't know when the last time she laid was. Probably 2 weeks ago. Shells have been fine.
They all love to dig in soggy ground, although most of our ground is just sand. I do have a composty area and perhaps she got something in there. I am looking for a vet that will look at chickens in our area currently. Hard to find here. We do have a Tractor Supply that might have Safeguard. Should I try the dewormer in the event that she might have worms or would that do more harm than good if she doesn't have worms?
Thanks for all your help

Did this come on suddenly? Or have you noticed a gradual tendency to lethargy? Sudden lethargy often indicates a bacterial infection, a worm load that has reached the tipping point (clogging the intestines so nothing moves through), or a stuck egg. Obviously, you need to examine her carefully, and consider her movements over the past few days to determine if she's been exposed to something contaminated.

There are two kinds of abdominal swelling. One is caused by liver disease and causes swelling between the legs and just in front of them. It's called ascites and is caused by fluid retention in the outer tissues of the abdomen.

The other kind of swelling is located behind the legs and under the vent. It's often caused by a reproductive infection or a blockage, usually by a stuck egg.

Tell us where the swelling is.

Also tell us when she laid the last egg and if she's had shell quality issues such as shell-less or thin-shell eggs.

Tell us if she likes to dig in soggy, smelly, moldy compost. She could have picked up a nasty bacteria.

Yes, Safeguard for goats is a worming med you can get over the counter to use for chickens. Fecal float is a test a vet can do on a poop sample to tell if worms are present. It's simple, quick, and cheap.

Update Our girl is still alive. I bought a 18 mm needle and 35 cc syringe and took some fluid out of her belly. She is still draining. The fluid was mostly yellow but a little greenish too. The last bits of drain is tinged with blood. I have given her antibiotics and she has eaten some. She is still no energy and I'm thinking this is an infection of some sort.

 

[azygous]

If you got fluid from her belly, she's likely in liver failure. That indicates her organs may be shutting down due to a deep chronic infection.

Her weight loss also points to shutdown if she's losing weight.

 

[SouthofEden]

If you got fluid from her belly, she's likely in liver failure. That indicates her organs may be shutting down due to a deep chronic infection.

Her weight loss also points to shutdown if she's losing weight.

So at this point there is really nothing I can do right? The antibiotics wont help?

 

[azygous]

We don't really have a firm diagnosis to go by. As long as your patient is active, alert, and holding steady, I'm all for giving her all the supportive care you can via antibiotics and vitamin therapy. There's always a chance something could help.

Once the patient turns and heads toward decline is when you look at all the symptoms and assess if it's worth it to continue.

 

[SouthofEden]

We don't really have a firm diagnosis to go by. As long as your patient is active, alert, and holding steady, I'm all for giving her all the supportive care you can via antibiotics and vitamin therapy. There's always a chance something could help.

Once the patient turns and heads toward decline is when you look at all the symptoms and assess if it's worth it to continue.

She died in my arms this evening. Thanks for all your help