Sick hen hunched over and listless

[Jan Dodd]

Hello everyone,

You were all very helpful last time I had a sick hen, so I'm hoping someone might be able to give me some advice again this time, please. I've read through all the descriptions of diseases and can't find anything that fits all the symptoms.

My hen (around 18 months old) got sick around a week ago. She lost a few feathers to start with (though that's stopped now), has stopped laying, doesn't have much appetite (though her crop has obviously got something in it), nor drink much and generally just stands around with her back hunched. She doesn't seem to have diarrhea, more like constipation as I haven't seen her poop for a while. There's also a fairly nasty smell around. She looked more perky yesterday, with her tail back up, more active and eating, but has regressed again today.

My other hen is fine. They're enclosed in a large pen with lots of shelter and have a double-decker hen house with the bedding upstairs. The weather has been pretty dreadful, with lots of rain.

If anyone has any ideas, I'd be very grateful.

Many thanks,

Jan

 

[Eggcessive]

Molting is very hard on chickens, and it sounds like she is starting. I have 2 right now that are very skinny, hunched up, and I'm feeding them scrambled eggs and yogurt twice a day to keep them going. Watch her for sour crop, or other symptoms.

 

[MisFitzFarm]

Sour or impacted crop is a definite possibility, especially if she doesn't seem to be passing stool, and her crop is not emptying. You could try a warm bath, which would relax the muscles and possibly help any blockage to pass, and also giving her either mineral or olive oil by syringe, which seemed to help my hen when she had an impacted crop. The most important thing is to try to keep her hydrated. Dehydration will kill birds faster than anything, and if she won't drink on her own, you will have to syringe water into her. You could also try NutriDrench or electrolyte water, just to give her some sort of nutrients. Hope this helps, and keep us updated on her condition

.
~MisFitzFarm

 

[Jan Dodd]

Thank you both for your quick replies.

I just checked her crop and it is quite hard and not that big (eg for impacted crop). I massaged it a bit, but she didn't vomit anything and I didn't get the horrible smell. I'll check her crop again tomorrow morning when it's empty.

Thanks again,

Jan

 

[Eggcessive]

Sour crop would be soft and squishy, with a sour smell, and they tend to vomit easily when you massage the crop if it is full. Here are 2 good sites about crop problems:
http://www.tillysnest.com/2012/01/crop-issues.html
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/04/answers-from-chicken-vet-on-impacted.html

 

[casportpony]

Sour or impacted crop is a definite possibility, especially if she doesn't seem to be passing stool, and her crop is not emptying. You could try a warm bath, which would relax the muscles and possibly help any blockage to pass, and also giving her either mineral or olive oil by syringe, which seemed to help my hen when she had an impacted crop. The most important thing is to try to keep her hydrated. Dehydration will kill birds faster than anything, and if she won't drink on her own, you will have to syringe water into her. You could also try NutriDrench or electrolyte water, just to give her some sort of nutrients. Hope this helps, and keep us updated on her condition

.
~MisFitzFarm

I agree on the hydration, but I prefer to tube, it's much safer and less stressful to both the bird and the handler. To properly hydrate a bird it needs 30ml/kg 3-4 times a day, that 30ml per 2.2 pounds, impossible to syringe safely, IMO.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Thank you both for your quick replies.

I just checked her crop and it is quite hard and not that big (eg for impacted crop). I massaged it a bit, but she didn't vomit anything and I didn't get the horrible smell. I'll check her crop again tomorrow morning when it's empty.

Thanks again,

Jan

You could try tubing water and massage, that will help get stuff moving unless there is a blockage further in.

-Kathy

 

[Jan Dodd]

I checked her again this morning and her crop seemed OK. I'll have a look at those web sites, though and see if anything strikes home.

Thanks for all the suggestions and advice. It's such a great help.

Best,

Jan

 

[liltorg]

My bird is acting sickish... What should I do??

 

[liltorg]

Her stool