sick hen

[Little Fuzzy]

My 1 1/2 yr old white leghorn who had been a great everyday layer for a year went through a heavy molt and afterward was only laying soft-shell eggs. Today she was sleeping in her favorite napping spot for far too long so I went to check her. She was lethargic and let me pick her up which she never does. Her butt was all poopy and she was just lying in my arms so I took in and gave her a bath. I found a broken soft shell egg half hanging out of her vent. It was hard so I pulled it out and cleaned her up. I stuck my finger in her vent and didn't feel anything. I got her to drink a lot of water but she is just standing there looking pathetic. I hope she makes it till tomato maybe I can get her to the vet.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your hen. She may be an internal layer, who can go on to have egg yolk peritonitis. If you have a local vet who would see chickens, you may be able to get a good antibiotic to treat her, since it may be early. I would make sure that she is getting a good quality layer feed, and is getting crushed oyster shell or egg shells fed back to her in a separate container. Some hens because of viruses, injuries, or a damaged shell gland, may not form hard shells even with plenty of calcium or oyster shell. Because of the risk of infection when an egg breaks inside, it is hard to prevent EYP. Baytril is sometimes used to treat it, though not approved by the FDA in the US. There is a thread called "baytril and enrofloxacin sources" that you can do a search for at the top of this page, where you can find it online if you cannot see a vet.

 

[Little Fuzzy]

Thanks I read the thread on that, its weird that she never had a problem laying until after her first hard molt. Is it common that change can happen after mounting. She gets Purina layer with additional Oyster shell on the side. Like I said she was always a faithful everyday layer before the molt. She has perked up a little, I carried her into the coop and she jumped up into a nest box. I hoping she was just a little blocked up and will fix herself.

 

[Little Fuzzy]

My white leghorn barely made it thru the night, she looked awful this morning so I made an appointment with a vet. When I went out to pack her up for the vet visit, she was collapsed on the ground, her comb is real flopped over and is turning purple. I know that is a sign of poor blood circulation, She barely opens her eyes. I'm thinking its too late for medical treatment. I can't really afford to put 300 into a bird thats just going to die on me. I really have no idea how long ago that soft egg bust in her. She has no signs of Fowl pox, or anything else. Anybody with this kind of experience knowing if antibiotics can turn around a bird this sick?

 

[Eggcessive]

It sounds like she may be very dehydrated. Can you give her some water with electrolytes on the top of a spoon or small bowl up to her beak? Gatorade, pedialyte, or a tsp of sugar in a quart of water can be a substitute teemporarily. I think the stress of the road trip to the vet could kill her in the comdition she is in now. Some birds can go downhill very fast. Someone else on here just this morning lost a hen to similar circumstances at only a year of age. Molt can very hard on chickens. Most sickness I have seen in my flock seem to have occurred around molting when they are stressed. Do you have any type of antibiotics at home to give her? Injectable penicillin G is available at most feed stores (locked in the refrigerator, so ask for it,) and you could give her injections once a day. You would need 4 syringes (3 ml size) with needles (20 or 22 Gauge 1/2 inch.) Inject 1/4 ml of Procaine Penicillin G 1/4 inch deep into her breast muscle once a day for 4 days. Let us know how she is doing.

 

[Little Fuzzy]

Yesterday after I bathed her she drank quit a lot of water with save a chick electrolytes and probiotics, thats all I had on hand. This all started about 4:45pm so too late to run to the store. Her comb was so discolored that I decided it was too late for the vet. I put her in the garage near the heat lamp to ease her passing and she went about 30 minutes later. RIP FOGHORN LEGHORN.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. Sometimes doing a necropsy to look for a cause of death is helpful. It helps us lean more about what goes on inside their bodies. There are helpful links to read about how to do one. Also the state poultry labs can do a more thorough one with lab tests and more experience. That might be something you would wnat to do another time. Leghorns are great layers, and most of the better layers are prone to have more reproductive problems. Heart ailments are common as well. I'm just amazed at how quickly she went downhill.