Sick Hen

[mychickens]

Hello, My hen is not feeling well and I'm not sure why. She is walking around slowly but going everywhere other chicks go. Other symptoms are: poopy butt, crown has lost its red color and she is not roosting with other chickens up high, she is spending her nights in the laying box as if she doesn't have energy to fly up to roost. Any thoughts?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

How old is she?
When was the last time she laid an egg?
Any photos?

You may want to catch her up and clean her bum so you can look her over well. Check for lice/mites, swelling of the abdomen, feel her crop and smell her breath, inspect her legs and feet for any injury, take a look at her bum to see if there is any prolapse or discharge, etc.

If she is lethargic, separate her so you can monitor her food/water intake. Offer her some poultry vitamins and a little chopped egg along with her normal feed.

 

[mychickens]

Hello, she is 2. I did give her a bath saturday. After cleaning her up her vent looks completly normal but I do think her belly is swollen on her right side and she seemed uncomfortable when I pressed on her belly. are her other symptoms now:
lethargic
no sign of her eating or drinking
comb is dry and loosing color
crop is empty
noticed a smell while cleaning her, stinky but not sure if I would call it yeasty or not

I have put ACV in her water
separated her for monitoring
although she hasn't been laying, the day before I moved her she was moving from one nest box to the other, and was sleeping in nest box for a couple of nights.


Thank you for your help.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hello, she is 2. I did give her a bath saturday. After cleaning her up her vent looks completly normal but I do think her belly is swollen on her right side and she seemed uncomfortable when I pressed on her belly. are her other symptoms now:
lethargic
no sign of her eating or drinking
comb is dry and loosing color
crop is empty
noticed a smell while cleaning her, stinky but not sure if I would call it yeasty or not

I have put ACV in her water
separated her for monitoring
although she hasn't been laying, the day before I moved her she was moving from one nest box to the other, and was sleeping in nest box for a couple of nights.


Thank you for your help.

Do the best you can to get some fluids in her. If need be can you syringe or tube fluids into her. Once she has been properly hydrated, then offer her a little wet feed.

Since it seems that her belly is swollen and she is uncomfortable, she may have an internal laying/reproductive disorder like Egg Yolk Peritonitis, Ascites, Salpingitis, cancer or tumors. Any of these can cause lethargy, going off feed, lameness and difficulty breathing.

If you have a vet that can see her, that would be best.

 

[mychickens]

Thank you

 

[mychickens]

Here are pictures of my sick hen. I have offered her some treats and she started to show interest but wouldn't eat. I have not cleaned and checked her bottom again yet but did get a nice pic of her poo this afternoon. It is very runny, smelly and has mucus in it. I checked it for worms or anything else odd and didn't see anything.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm not sure what would cause poo like that, but it doesn't look "normal". It could be worms, cocci, bacterial infection or a sign of internal laying/reproductive disorders. If you can take a sample to your vet for testing that would be best.

Try to keep her hydrated and offer her wet feed with some chopped egg or tuna.

 

[mychickens]

OK, so I was able to get fluids in her with dropper today, bathed again and found area on stomach hot and swollen, pic shows to right of vent on belly. Also! found this thing in her nest box - see pics below. I have never seen this before. What do you think? I can't take her to the vet so am trying my best to diagnose and treat. I will not let her suffer any more after tomorrow, if I don't see any improvemnt after fluids.

 

[mychickens]

sorry forgot to add pics:

 

[BobletFarmBirds]

What breed of bird is this?