Sick hen with foamy yellow poop. Help! Update: Diagnosed with egg yolk peritonitis

[Hanna8]

For several weeks, my naked neck hen has been acting strangely. She would take any chance she could to sneak into our house. We didn't think too much of it, since she loves people and has been brought inside many times before, but she is also our lead hen and it is strange that she would ditch her flock like that.

This past Friday (four days ago) it suddenly became very clear that she was sick. She was more insistent that she stay inside, had very little energy, hardly any appetite, a hunched posture, and poofed up feathers. She will drink a bit of her own accord, but all we have been able to get her to eat is a few leaves of spinach (her favorite food ever). She also began pooping a foamy yellow, liquid-y mess. Here's a poop from Sunday, and one from today:


Gross, right? She does seem to perk up a little bit after these poops.

At first we thought it was coccidia, but she has not responded to the corid treatment. Last night she became feverish and seemed weaker and a bit off balance, so we switched to antibiotics. She's back to a normal temperature today, but is showing no other signs of improvement. Can we give corid and antibiotics at the same time? Is coccidia even the problem?

Another possibility we have looked at is egg peritonitis. She lays shell-less eggs, so it seems very possible. Thoughts?

What do you think is wrong with her and how should we go about treating it? Thanks!

 

[Hanna8]

Bump- I feel like she's running out of time. ANY thoughts are greatly appreciated!!!

 

[gander007]

If she will eat give her a mashed up hard boiled egg and
see if she will eat it ....

Also you need to get some Probiotic and add it to the
chickens water because if one has it they all have it ..

 

[Hanna8]

Thanks, I'll do that. No signs of anything off in the other birds yet, hopefully it will stay that way. What do you think it might be? The symptoms seem to match everything and nothing all at once. Diagnosing chickens is tough.

 

[Hanna8]

I was able to get her to eat a little bit of the egg last night. She seems about the same this morning.

 

[gander007]

I was able to get her to eat a little bit of the egg last night. She seems about the same this morning.

So she is not getting worse that is a good sign just keep up the good work ....

 

[Hanna8]

All she will eat now is egg that's been soaked in her water and made soggy. She's still drinking a reasonable amount, but is definitely not eating enough and still has very little energy. She has also been making clicking noises, which I have read is a sign of respiratory disease, so I'm wondering now if that could be the problem. Antibiotics take care of most of those, right?

 

[gander007]

All she will eat now is egg that's been soaked in her water and made soggy. She's still drinking a reasonable amount, but is definitely not eating enough and still has very little energy. She has also been making clicking noises, which I have read is a sign of respiratory disease, so I'm wondering now if that could be the problem. Antibiotics take care of most of those, right?

Antibiotics is that the probiotic you add to the water as that is a light biotic and in medicine
form Antibiotic is a bit harder on the digestive track and that will cause a slowing in eating
and that is normal .....

Egg in water sounds alright but I would change the water a couple times a day as egg's
do go bad fast .....


How is the energy level ???

 

[Hanna8]

We're giving her antibiotic medicine in her water. Glad to hear that it could be part of her loss of appetite. What is the probiotic you mentioned? Is it something I would be likely to find at a local feed and seed?

No worries, we've been changing out the water very frequently. The last thing we need is for it to end up making her sicker! I just wish she would eat more of it and some other things as well...

Her energy level is ever so slightly improved. She stood up to drink her water a few times today, but other than that she still spends the vast majority of her time sleeping and lying down. Rest is good, but it does worry me that she is so inactive.

 

[gander007]

Probiotic & Electrolyte are normally side by side in any feed or hard ware store that sells poultry feed supply's
and is properly designed for poultry and there is three packets evenly packaged for one gallon of water each
good stuff ...

Excellent on the water

The good part is she is moving a bit more

Now when she starts eating again give her some Turkey Grow with 20% protein most feed stores will have
some broken down to 5 pound bags for customers ......