Sick girl

[vandykitty]

We are very new at this, so forgive me if I do not know the correct terminology. We have 5 month old buff orphington hen that is very lethargic today and will not go into the coop and roost for the night. She is in the protected run but she is so sad looking. My husband said she was foaming at the mouth but I have not seen that. He said that there is small amount of white 'pimples' in her mouth but it could also be food that she is not swallowing. It has been very wet here in Charlotte, NC for over two weeks now. Mushrooms have grown in the yard, a majority of the back yard is mulch and now with the chickens, scratching the grass apart, the rest is mostly mud. I have seen patches of white mold growing in the mulch and up one of the trees.We do have rose bushes and hydrangeas in the back yard. Any advice would be helpful. We have 6 other girls that we do not want to get sick.

 

[KPenley]

I'm not sure about the pimples, unless it's really pus, but it sounds like your girls is suffering from some kind of respiratory distress. Have you separated her from the rest of the flock yet? If not, I'd do it now and make sure she's in a dry spot with plenty of ventilation.

There are a hundred things it could be and more ways to treat it... but I would check her eyes and mouth for any sign of pus, drainage etc. If you have any VetRX you can try a head, nostril or under wing application (follow the info packet), or it can even go in her water. I'd add some electrolytes, vitamins, and raw apple cider vinegar to her water as well (or you could go with something like Nutridrench if you prefer). If she improves she may have just been stressed, hot, and around too much mold. In this case a few days away from the flock with electrolytes and maybe some cold fruit like watermelon should do the trick.

If she does not improve drastically in 24 hours, it may be more serious, and you will have to decide whether or not you'd like to try antibiotics. There are many available at stores like Tractor Supply.

Best wishes!

 

[Eggcessive]

I have no idea if this is what your hen has, but I'm including this to read on wet fowl pox: http://chickenheavenonearth.weebly.com/fowl-pox-symptoms--treatments.html

 

[vandykitty]

So sad, we lost our first girl last night. We did isolate her around 7:30pm, gave her electrolytes and some watermelon. Her eyes and mouth seemed ok, except for the questionable 'food/pus' in her mouth. So many things it could have been, the other girls look ok but we will keep a close watch on the flock today. I will go out and buy some VetRx and antibiotics today to keep on hand. Thanks for your responses!

For future reference, when it gets disgustingly wet outside, should we just keep the girls in the run/coop where it is dry and not let them free-range in the backyard? It has been rainy everyday for over two weeks now and the ground just is not drying up.

 

[realsis]

I'm so sorry for your loss! That's very sad.