Sick Chicken

[upstater]

I have a Mystic Marans almost 5 months old that acted like she wanted to lay an egg and was in the nesting box all day yesterday. This morning she was in a nesting box, her comb is black, and she’s extremely lethargic. I put her in an epsom salt bath for about 20 minutes removed her and kept her in my garage. She won’t eat or drink. The temperatures the last 2 days have been extreme freezing ( upstate NY, -30) Is there anything else I should be doing? Am I too late? All my other chickens look great. I have another chicken this age that just started to lay, could she be eggbound? How do you get a chicken to drink? Or eat?

 

[ChickenHeartedHen]

Hello! I don’t know much about this topic, but im sure other members can help. I hope she will turn out to be fine.

 

[maryn7]

I'm no expert, but hopefully bumping this to allow the experts to weigh in.

The nesting behavior and lethargy might mean she is egg bound and needs calcium, though the black comb is an unusual symptom (and might be related to your cold temps/frostbite).

Check this thread about giving calcium (there are lots of others, too, but you want to work quickly). Open her beak and put the pill in; she'll swallow it, no problem. It won't hurt her if that's not the problem.

If you have the ability, you might want to bring her in the house to warm her up. Either there or in the garage, get her warm (leave the comb alone for now in case it is frostbite) and in a place that is quiet and safe feeling.

You also need her to stay hydrated even if she won't drink. Once you've got her situated and pilled, have a look through threads on how to get them hydrated. Good luck!

 

[pickaflower]

It is possible that it could be egg binding- pictures would help if you can post a few. Is she pooping? What does it look like? Is she moving at all? If so, is she walking like a penguin? When I’ve run into problems like these with my chickens I try to get some scrambled eggs into their system, and offer other soft foods like applesauce. I also mix in a “tums” or two for a boost of calcium. If she seems lethargic, try to offer her some sugar water the ratio being 3 tablespoons of sugar for every 4 cups of water.

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

I have a Mystic Marans almost 5 months old that acted like she wanted to lay an egg and was in the nesting box all day yesterday. This morning she was in a nesting box, her comb is black, and she’s extremely lethargic. I put her in an epsom salt bath for about 20 minutes removed her and kept her in my garage. She won’t eat or drink. The temperatures the last 2 days have been extreme freezing ( upstate NY, -30) Is there anything else I should be doing? Am I too late? All my other chickens look great. I have another chicken this age that just started to lay, could she be eggbound? How do you get a chicken to drink? Or eat?

A black comb is either frostbite or an indication of poor blood flow. She could be having a reproductive issue and/or gotten hypothermic. I'd bring her into a warm room and even put a heating pad or some warmed towels around her if her body temp seems cooler than normal. Also get some sugar water into her. 1 teaspoon sugar mixed into a warm cup of water. You can slowly syringe some into her beak as shown in the picture below being careful not to get any into her airway which is the large hole at the base of her tongue. Give her some every 1/2 hour or so until she perks up.

 

[upstater]

Thanks for all the replies! Unfortunately, she passed away. I think I should have taken her out of the coop yesterday. I wish I did more.

 

[pickaflower]

You did all that you could- I’m sorry she didn’t make it.

 

[Chicken poppy]

Im very sorry that she passed. Im sure it would have been very hard to reverse if she passed so suddenly.

 

[maryn7]

My very first girl who came into lay passed this way - suddenly doing poorly, we tried everything, and she passed later that day. Best we can tell, she just had a reproductive issue that was not solvable.

All of which is to say that you did what you could to help her and made her feel comfortable, and sometimes that's all we can do. I'm sorry she passed, and be kind to yourself, too.

 

[upstater]

My very first girl who came into lay passed this way - suddenly doing poorly, we tried everything, and she passed later that day. Best we can tell, she just had a reproductive issue that was not solvable.

All of which is to say that you did what you could to help her and made her feel comfortable, and sometimes that's all we can do. I'm sorry she passed, and be kind to yourself, too.

Yeah I think that’s what happened. I’m not sure if she was egg bound or reproductive issues but something along those lines… on top of the frigid temperatures and she wasn’t eating or drinking. It’s unfortunate and I don’t think I was equipped to handle it but I did what I thought was best at the time. Next time though I will definitely remove the bird when I see it struggling on day 1.