Sick Cream Legbar

[ChickenItza2025]

My Cream Legbar chicken (about 20 weeks old) has been acting poorly for a week. This is my first year raising backyard chickens, so I’m at a loss for what is wrong. She is:

• Lethargic
• Weak - barley stands up on her own
• Not eating
• Not socializing
• Having runny poops - either green or yellow

After reading online, I bought Corid for her water in case it’s coccidiosis, but she has not improved. No mites or lice noticed on her, and her vent looks normal - unless it’s covered in her runny poop.

As pictured, she’s hunched and super puffy up front, too.

Any guidance?

 

[alinas2010]

Welcome to the site, sorry it is under these circumstances. How is her crop? It should be flat first thing in the mornings. She’s not laying yet is she? Any discharge or bubbles in her eyes, ears, mouth or nose? Any crust or lesions in or around her mouth? Can you post a picture of her poop please. Is anyone else sick?

 

[ChickenItza2025]

Welcome to the site, sorry it is under these circumstances. How is her crop? It should be flat first thing in the mornings. She’s not laying yet is she? Any discharge or bubbles in her eyes, ears, mouth or nose? Any crust or lesions in or around her mouth? Can you post a picture of her poop please. Is anyone else sick?

Thank you for responding; you are so kind to take time to help me!
Totally new to all things chicken, but I think her crop was flat this morning. I’ve attached a picture.
I’m having a hard time getting pics of her poop because she’s not going much, but I’ve attached a picture of her dirty bottom (I cleaned it off yesterday, it’s already all dirty today).
She’s isolated, and the rest of flock is normal - very active!
She’s not laying yet. I’ll also mention that she’s collapsing a bit as she attempts to walk (no bumblefoot on her feet, that I can tell).
Good news, though, is I’ve seen her peck at some feed today!

 

[alinas2010]

You’re very welcome. Has your flock been dewormed yet?

I know you said you thought her crop was flat this morning, but be sure to check again tomorrow morning. Her crop looks like it may be a bit funny but I think it’s bc she is hunched over. Here are some crop guidelines for when you look at it again. Sorry I should’ve posted these to begin:

Her comb doesn’t quite look like she’d be laying yet, so I don’t suspect she is having troubles with a first egg. But can you feel her abdomen, in between her legs, right below her vent sort of; is it bulgy like a water balloon? Compare it to another hen if you can.

She may be very weak if she hasn’t eaten or drank much as of late. Can you get her to drink some water with electrolytes and a bit of sugar mixed in? Gently dip her beak in to get her interested or drop a couple of drops on top of her beak, careful not to get any in her nostrils. She might even enjoy something like Gatorade or pedialyte. Since she is pecking at food a bit try mixing some of her chicken feed with water to make a mash, most chickens find that yummy. Mine think it’s a treat.

 

[Eggcessive]

She might have some reproductive disorder with her lowered tail and yellow green runny droppings. I would try to get her eating and drinking. Consider worming her. Look at her vent area for any maggot, and keep it clean. She might respond to antibiotic such as amoxicillin. Here is where to find it, and dosage is 250 mg orally twice a day for 7-10 days.
https://hardypaw.com/products/fix-mox-amoxicillin-capsules-fish-antibiotics?variant=44787640041633

 

[ChickenItza2025]

Good morning, all! Thank you both for responding to me with all of the helpful tips.

I’ve attached more morning pics of my chicken. She is definitely puffed up right below her head, but that doesn’t look like the crop location shown in Alinas2010’s sample picture. Or perhaps it is? It’s not hard for water-balloony. I tried massaging it upside down to see if she would throw up, but she did not.

Also, nothing felt in her abdomen, and I have not dewormed my chickens. I will look into some natural options for that!

As of now, over a week in, nothing has gotten better or worse. I’ve tried water with corid, water with electrolytes, Greek yogurt, scrambled eggs, and soggy feed. But she is still uninterested, lethargic, isolating, and pooping weird.

I’ll look into deworming and antibiotics and will keep trying!

Thanks again.

 

[FrizzledWyandotte7]

I would remove her from the flock. My girl has something similar and a normal crop.

 

[FrizzledWyandotte7]

Good morning, all! Thank you both for responding to me with all of the helpful tips.

I’ve attached more morning pics of my chicken. She is definitely puffed up right below her head, but that doesn’t look like the crop location shown in Alinas2010’s sample picture. Or perhaps it is? It’s not hard for water-balloony. I tried massaging it upside down to see if she would throw up, but she did not.

Also, nothing felt in her abdomen, and I have not dewormed my chickens. I will look into some natural options for that!

As of now, over a week in, nothing has gotten better or worse. I’ve tried water with corid, water with electrolytes, Greek yogurt, scrambled eggs, and soggy feed. But she is still uninterested, lethargic, isolating, and pooping weird.

I’ll look into deworming and antibiotics and will keep trying!

Thanks again.

In the future, don’t try to hold her upside down. It can be damaging!
At least that’s what I heard.

 

[FrizzledWyandotte7]

In the future, don’t try to hold her upside down. It can be damaging!
At least that’s what I heard.

If she won’t eat, try mixing some egg yolk with water and puttting it in a needless syringe. Drop a tiny bit on her beak and reflexively she’ll gobble it up. I’ve been doing that with my girl and it’s gotten some improvement.

 

[alinas2010]

Good morning, all! Thank you both for responding to me with all of the helpful tips.

I’ve attached more morning pics of my chicken. She is definitely puffed up right below her head, but that doesn’t look like the crop location shown in Alinas2010’s sample picture. Or perhaps it is? It’s not hard for water-balloony. I tried massaging it upside down to see if she would throw up, but she did not.

Also, nothing felt in her abdomen, and I have not dewormed my chickens. I will look into some natural options for that!

As of now, over a week in, nothing has gotten better or worse. I’ve tried water with corid, water with electrolytes, Greek yogurt, scrambled eggs, and soggy feed. But she is still uninterested, lethargic, isolating, and pooping weird.

I’ll look into deworming and antibiotics and will keep trying!

Thanks again.

I’m sorry she isn’t doing well. Keep trying with hydration. It sounds like she may have a crop issue, but it’s hard to tell. The culprit could still be reproductive as @Eggcessive said. Sometimes they go hand in hand.

Everyone’s crop may sit a tich differently just based on their anatomy. Shorter chickens have less chest, so the crop maybe be a bit higher up. The example picture of the crop is actually a little lower than where the crop sits on most of my birds. Remember your chicken is pretty hunched up looking, She must have her neck sucked in? Here is one of my chickens crop:

I agree, I wouldn’t try to hold my chickens upside down ever, they risk aspiration that way if they do vomit anything up. I know people do it, just me personally I wouldn’t try. Aspiration and pneumonia seems like one of the worst things to have to deal with on top of another issue and I would feel just awful if I had caused it. There are other ways we can try to deal with a crop issue though

I know you said she isn’t interested in food, but get a little dish and put some raw egg in it. Mix in some olive oil or other liquid oil (not avocado oil) just a little bit, a few teaspoons maybe. Then dip her beak into the concoction gently. See if she’ll drink a little bit. If she has a crop impaction or something is blocking it up, this will help lubricate things. Once she ingests some start rubbing her crop in a slighting upward motion. See if you can feel anything hard or fibrous that could be blocking it up like grass. Do this a few times a day and see if there is any progress. I’m going to link an article about crop issues by @azygous. It is a really informative read. Follow the instructions in it for impacted crop and see if she improves at all. It won’t hurt if this is not her issue.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/