Sick hen not improving

[deviflux]

I have a 3 year old hen who has been unwell for a while and not improving.

I noticed a roundworm in her poop one morning a while back and she’s since been through 2 rounds of SafeGuard (I finished the second round 2 days ago). I haven’t seen anymore worms but she hasn’t gone back to normal.

She eats voraciously and drinks water. Her crop feels squishy and normal. No mites and her vent looks fine. She’s very bony and skinny and I don’t feel any swelling anywhere. Her comb has remained red but her face and legs are very pale. The last couple of days her comb color has deteriorated and is becoming purple. Her poops went from runny yellow/green to solid green sometimes with yellow mixed in. She’s really weak and lethargic and very very wobbly on her feet. I’ve been giving her Nutridrench to try to perk her up but to no avail.

I happened to have Baytril on hand so I’ve given her 3 doses and if anything she’s gotten worse.

Any ideas? I don’t have a vet nearby that can help.

 

[thecatumbrella]

I’m so sorry she’s going through this. That green poop looks wild. Are you sure she’s not getting into anything she’s not supposed to?

 

[deviflux]

I’m so sorry she’s going through this. That green poop looks wild. Are you sure she’s not getting into anything she’s not supposed to?

Nothing I can think of. She’s been lethargic for weeks now and doesn’t do much other than sleep under the bush in front of the house. Before I saw the worm, I had just chalked it up to a fall molt coming on.

That wild poop was 3 days ago. They’ve become few and far between since then.

 

[Certified Chicken Lover]

How old is she? what's her diet? Is she free range or pened?

@azygous @Eggcessive @nuthatched @dawg53

 

[deviflux]

Speak of the devil…She just pooped and it’s pretty similar today but not green. Still seems to be filled with undigested grass or something. Is that little speck in the second photo a worm egg? Would they be visible?

 

[deviflux]

How old is she? what's her diet? Is she free range or pened?

@azygous @Eggcessive @nuthatched @dawg53

She’s 3 or 4. I can’t recall off the top of my head.
Free range during the day with layer feed in the coop morning and night and meal worms as treats.

 

[thecatumbrella]

Nothing I can think of. She’s been lethargic for weeks now and doesn’t do much other than sleep under the bush in front of the house. Before I saw the worm, I had just chalked it up to a fall molt coming on.

That wild poop was 3 days ago. They’ve become few and far between since then.

It looks like there's undigested vegetation. That certainly wouldn't help on her recovery! Can you keep her isolated to the chicken pen and restrict her to chicken feed only? Is she eating her grit? And is the grit appropriately sized?

 

[deviflux]

It looks like there's undigested vegetation. That certainly wouldn't help on her recovery! Can you keep her isolated to the chicken pen and restrict her to chicken feed only? Is she eating her grit? And is the grit appropriately sized?

She’s got access to crushed oyster shells.

She lays in a sad ball all day, but the second I separate and put her in the “chicken hospital” cage in my office, she comes to life and pitches a fit.

 

[thecatumbrella]

She’s got access to crushed oyster shells.

She lays in a sad ball all day, but the second I separate and put her in the “chicken hospital” cage in my office, she comes to life and pitches a fit.

Definitely want to make sure she's getting grit in addition to oyster shell. The grit will pulverize any vegetation in her crop. The oyster shell can look identical, but it's only a calcium supplement for egg laying. Normally she'd find her own grit while free-ranging, but if she's just moping around she may be slacking in that department.

Honestly, I'd make her deal with the chicken hospital for a day or two. She really needs to break down all that fiber with grit (I'd even sprinkle a tad in her food) and eat some real chicken crumble in the meantime. Beyond that, I'm useless. Hoping someone else can chime in with more ideas!

 

[azygous]

Judging from the poop and your description of her lethargy, she may have a nutritional issue. She isn't getting the calories and nutrients she needs so she has no energy. The green poop and grass stems in it indicate to me that she may have a disorder called "pica" where a chicken (even people) eat non-food items and starve because that's all they want to eat. Your hen is obsessed with grass.

I suggest the following treatment:

1. Confine her to a roomy crate or a small isolation pen in the run during her waking hours. She can roost with the flock at night, but let her spend the first night inside so you can check her crop before she eats or drinks. This is to rule out a crop disorder. The crop should be flat and empty in the morning. If not, she has a crop issue and the grassy poop points to this.

2. Give her sugar water to increase her glucose and energy level. One teaspoon in one cup water. If you have Poultry Nutri-drench or Poultry Cell put the vitamins in this water.

3. Monitor her poop and post pics here each day. If she still won't eat and grass continues to appear in her poop after she's kept in captivity, she may need a flush of her digestive system. We'll instruct how to do it.

4. Feed her only her regular chicken feed during this time. No other treats. But you can give her cooked egg if she won't eat the feed. In other words, keep her diet simple so we can see how she responds and what her poop does.

Come back to this thread to update. Do not start any new threads or we will lose track of you and this problem you're trying to solve.

No, you can not see worm oocytes with the naked eye even if we knew which spec you're seeing.