Sick, Lethargic Leghorn - Cause?

[Lindenksh]

Hi all - one of my leghorn chickens is definitely unwell. Noticed over the past couple days she has been slow to exit the henhouse. She is less active, is in a hunker down stance (neck tucked in, tail down). Her already floppy comb is much floppier, and has some white dustiness on it. Her stool was green today. And as you can see in the photos her vent has lots of dried up yellowish/greenish poop around it. I have observed her eating and drinking, but far, far less than usual.

When I examined her (she was so easy to catch, when she is usually the hardest) I don't feel anything hard in her abdomen/belly area or crop. She didn't lay yesterday, but am fairly certain she has in the last few days based on the number of white eggs I collect.

I have 9 other chickens, and the rest all seem to be acting normally (eating, drinking, laying, active, etc.). It seems to just be her that is affected. She is already blind in one eye due to an injury she sustained before I got her. She is probably only 2 years old or so.

I sprayed her vent and comb with anti-microbial spray just in case.

Any input or follow-up questions are appreciated!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Does she have any lice or mites?

I'd work on her drinking, electrolytes or a bit of sugar water can sometimes get them interested.

If she's hunched and hasn't been laying, then I'd start her on Extra Calcium for 3-5 days.

You can find Calcium Citrate with D3 in the vitamin aisle of stores like Walmart, CVS, etc. Give 1 tablet daily, just pull down on her wattles, pop the tablet into the beak and let her swallow.

 

[Lindenksh]

Thanks for this! I didn't see any signs of mites or lice but I will definitely check again.

She is still hunched, but eating, drinking, and moving better these last couple days. I will grab some Calcium Citrate and give that a try!

 

[TillyPeeps]

When did you last deworm them? And what did you use to deworm? Several common reasons that can cause these symptoms: mites/ lice, reproduction issues, worm, etc. You can treat mites/ lice and worm easily, but reproduction issues may or may not are treatable.

 

[Lindenksh]

When did you last deworm them? And what did you use to deworm? Several common reasons that can cause these symptoms: mites/ lice, reproduction issues, worm, etc. You can treat mites/ lice and worm easily, but reproduction issues may or may not are treatable.

I actually dewormed them just in the last 2 weeks, using Verm-X. Happy for a recommendation if there is something different I should use!

She was looking better the last couple days, but this morning was the worst I've seen her (walking basically completely upright and the last one to slowly leave the henhouse). I gave her another inspection and soak in warm water to see if I could feel an egg - but I really don't think she's egg bound even though she may look so. I also suspect should would not have lived this long since symptoms started if she was egg-bound

She pooped normally during the exam too. She has definitely lost weight though. I do see her eating every day.

After I dried her off I gave her some Verm-X with water directly using a syringe. I have Aqua-mox as well but am hesitant to use it since I don't really know what is going on with her. I will try to locate some calcium citrate again as I didn't have luck last week.

 

[TillyPeeps]

I don't believe the so called natural dewormer works at all. You can read this article about deworm chickens: https://www.heritageacresmarket.com/how-to-deworm-chickens/

However, your hen's symptoms look like a reproduction issue, such as internal laying. If that's the problem, you can try to treat it with baytril or amoxicillin to control possible infections. Unfortunately, even with antibiotics treatments, internal laying are mostly fatal.

 

[Lindenksh]

Thank you. I started her on amoxicillin today. She is still eating and drinking, but her posture is definitely worse. She did not make it up the ramp this evening to roost.

I suppose if there is no improvement, then euthanizing her is the way to go?

She spent the majority of the day standing in the sun with her head tucked in, so I know she is not feeling comfortable.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry she's not doing any better, have you started giving her Calcium?

 

[Lindenksh]

I'm sorry she's not doing any better, have you started giving her Calcium?

Yes, thank you for that suggestion! We did start her on it, in addition to the amoxicillin. I truly do not feel an egg in her as best as I can tell (and she has lost a lot of weight so there isn't much of her to feel). She fell down the ramp out of the henhouse this morning since her mobility is so impacted. Unless we see a major shift in her today, we plan to euthanize her unfortunately.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You may not feel an egg, she may have laid internally or perhaps she has EYP or something else going on.

I'm sorry she's not doing any better. If you wish to find out why she has declined and you lose her, refrigerate the body and send it to your state lab for necropsy. If that's not possible, and you are up to it, do an informal investigation yourself looking in the abdomen, at the reproductive system and major organs. If you do your own, take photos and post them here, we will try to help you with what you see.

You can find your state lab here: https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html


One of the best necropsy videos, of course this is professionally done and you don't have to go through the whole process. I usually open the body cavity and look at the organs first, that's usually where you will find the most "information". The video is informative, thorough and also the organs are labeled, I use it as a "guide".