sick hen, don’t know what’s wrong

[27feathers]

One of my hens is sick, but I’m not sure what exactly the issue is. I currently have her isolated in our basement, in a cage and box with shredded paper (their normal bedding) and a heater. Her breathing sounds kind of labored, but her eyes and nose aren’t swollen/runny. She can’t stand or walk, I don’t know if she has minor frostbite on a few of her toes? She didn’t eat or drink at all yesterday, but we got a bit of applesauce and water with acv in her today. I’m going to try to get some electrolytes or something tomorrow, but other than that I’m not sure what to do. I lost an old hen this last summer, I don’t want to lose another one. Please help

 

[ChickenCanoe]

What is your location/climate?
Tell us more about symptoms. When did they start?
What is the normal feed? Tell us about the housing, specifically ventilation.

 

[27feathers]

Unfortunately she passed during the night/morning. She seemed like she was doing better last night, I don’t know what happened

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. Are you interested in getting a necropsy to find a cause of her death?

 

[Sequel]

Unfortunately she passed during the night/morning. She seemed like she was doing better last night, I don’t know what happened

I’m so sorry!

 

[27feathers]

Ideally I would, but I don’t know if there are any vets in the area that would do that. Also, I don’t think my parents would want to spend money on getting a chicken necropsied. I’d really like to know why she died, I had a hen die this last summer from sickness, and I don’t want it to happen again.

 

[Eggcessive]

Many of us do necropsies at home on our chickens that die. We look at the organs for anything unusual and take pictures if we see something out of the ordinary to post here for other opinions. It is a good way to understand what the problem was as well as to give some closure.

The state poultry vet is the one to contact for a complete necropsy with testing. Price varies, but can be as little as $20 in a few states. Many states can be much more, but calling them would help to know prices. In this necropsy video, you can scan through it and see the organs labeled which helps if you ever want to do one:

 

[27feathers]

Honest it, the sight of organs makes me want to puke, I don’t think I could get through that. I’ll see about a poultry vet

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is a list of the state poultry vets and labs:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

Here is another one and it may contain prices for necropsies:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/necropsy-and-disease-testing-lab-info.1236884/

 

[27feathers]

My parents don’t want to go through a necropsy, so I’ll just be burying her. Thanks for all the recommendations though