Sick hen with probable reproductive issues, is help possible?

Sueby

Crossing the Road
Apr 23, 2019
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3 year old RSL hen, stopped laying last fall for a molt & never started laying again.
A probable carrier of a respiratory infection, treated twice successfully with Tylan but no ill signs in over a year.
Flock mates are all fine.
She eats all flock with oyster shell on the side, no treats.
She was acting funny Sat, tail down & a bit slow but I saw her at the feed & water & she went to roost fine.
Sun I caught her laying down in the run by herself in the corner looking lethargic so into the crate she went. Her crop was empty so I believe she was faking eating. Poop was very watery, had a bit of poop stuck to her butt but not bad.
Sun afternoon she ate only a tablespoon of tuna & 2 bites of egg, was drinking fine. Crop still empty, poop still watery. She was laying down & looked like she was having contractions so I gave her a calcium citrate in case she was trying to pass a bad egg.
Monday she refused all feed except mealworms which she ate enthusiastically. Poop now looked a bit like cottage cheese/pussy. I though maybe she had salpingitis or an infection so I started sulfa antibiotics (all I had besides Tylan). She drank fine & got quite a bit in her. She had bouts of the 'contractions' & laid down most of the time.
Today she is up & looks better. She is refusing all food & water. Her butt is a mess, looks like the cottage cheese/puss I spoke of.

A vet is not an option. I haven't bathed her as my chickens are not used to being handled much & I don't want to stress her out. I am thinking maybe the antibiotics made her feel a little better & that's why she's up but she's not drinking at all now so that won't last. I have syringes, but small ones & no tubing to tube feed her. Is there a way to get water in her with just a syringe & not aspirate her?

I feel like she's on her way out no matter what I do but I would like to try a little before I cull her. I've lost 2 other RSL to reproductive disorders, I feel that's what this is too. I'd like to get some more antibiotics in her...

Suggestions? Advice?

I'm going to tag a couple people who have helped me in the past (sorry, I hope you don't mind): @azygous @Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive
 
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Study this photo. A syringe inserted along the right side of the mouth sliding just beneath the tongue to avoid the center of the throat where you can see the airway, you can safely syringe liquids.

It does sound like a serious infection, probably reproductive. But it won't hurt, as you already feel, to treat her with calcium citrate and an antibiotic to cover those bases. It's what I would do on the off-chance that something might intervene in her decline.
 
Perfect, exactly what I was looking for @azygous . I will pop her another calcium too.

Any advice on how much I water/antibiotics I should syringe into her?

I just went & checked on her, she ate a bunch of mealworms.
 
What is the sulfa strength? Do you have Poultry Nutri-drench? You can combine water, sulfa, and Nutri-drench in one one-third cup solution and syringe it all into her at the same time.

Let me know the sulfa strength and the hen's weight and I will try to calculate the dosage.
 
@azygous It is 99% Sulfamethazine Sodium, 1tsp per gallon of water.

I have Vitamin & Electrolytes Plus that is 1tsp per 5 gallons or I have Sav-A-Chick - which is 1 packet (.25oz) per gallon I believe.

Thank you for the help, math makes my brain explode so I was going to have to wait for DH to get home to figure it out!

Oh & she's 4lbs, or just under 4.
 
An average chicken on an average day will consume two cups of water. (When it's hot, they consume twice that.)

So, if you mix up half a gallon of the sulfa solution, half a teaspoon of the 99% Sulfamethazine Sodium, then measure out two cups for the hen per day, and then try to get all two cups into her throughout the day, that should getthe proper dosage into her. If it says on your 99% Sulfamethazine Sodium container how long the med should be given, follow that guideline.
 
Ok, round one done. You didn't mention the vitamins/electrolytes so I took out 1 cup of the mixed sulfa & mixed in 1/8tsp of sav-a-chick. I didn't get a ton in her, 3 small syringes but after 3 we both needed a break. 😂

Thank you so much for the help.
 
You can try tube feeding her fluids and watery foods. I don’t usually do that for hens who seem to be suffering from a terminal disease, but it may be helpful to see if she will perk back up. Aquarium air tubing (about 15 inch length) available at Walmart in the fish supply aisle, and a 35 ml syringe will work fine. Regular feeding tubes and catheter tip syringes may be available at the vets and online. Here is a good video on tubing chickens:
 
Thank you both. I syringed her again & then watched her for a few hours, the 'contractions' just never stopped again & I didn't want to prolong the inevitable so we culled her.
 

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