Sick Silver Lace Cochin - need some help...

[threeboysmom]

Give us the following information. The more you tell us, the better we will be able to help you.

Around 8 month old Silver Lace Cochin

Day 1 she slept outside the coop, waddling more than walking, clucking (i thought maybe she was getting ready to lay an egg) - still eating and drinking

Day 2 Very lethargic, noticed her bottom was covered in poop. Gave her a bath, separated her from the rest. Still eating and drinking although slowly and she seemed to fall asleep between bites of crumbles.

Day 3 (today) very lethargic, runny greenish poop... no eating/drinking

I felt her and she seems thinner, I do not feel any bulges around her crop.

No coughing, sneezing or runny nose.

Two other chickens who are doing fine.

No signs of trauma or bleeding

What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.

I would like to treat myself... we do not have a vet around that will treat chickens.

The chicken coop has hay.

Any help will be great. Headed to the store now to get eggs, oatmeal & yogurt... what else can I do for her? She is so sweet and my boys will be crushed if she doesn't make it.

 

[Miss Lydia]

She could be egg bound, has she ever laid an egg? you say she's 8 months old so she should be laying.

 

[threeboysmom]

No, she has never laid an egg. How do I tell if she is egg bound? I have felt around her vent where i would think an egg would be but do not feel anything.

 

[Miss Lydia]

What do you feed her, really sounds like she's egg bound. You can bring her inside where she will be warm and comfy. Try giving her a warm soak she might balk at first but they usually relax and enjoy after they realize your not going to drown them, after she has soaked for about 30 min. you might have to keep adding warm water, you don't want it to get cold, dry her real good with a hair dryer on low heat. if she is scared you can lay her on a table or your lap and put a towel over her head, she'll relax then you can get her dry, put her in a dog crate, bath tub, big plastic container, etc. with bedding, if you have a heating pad put her on it after you have put a towel on top of it. use low heat. make sure she has enough room to get off if she wants. Give her food and water also you can dissolve a tums in her water for extra calcium. keep her in this crate etc with little light and lots of quiet. You may soak her as often as you like, just be sure to dry her real good. also can lube up her vent with kyjelly, vaseline, olive oil, to help. If she hasn't laid yet I would be concerned that she is having some internal problems, if it's at all possible you might want to think of taking her to the vet. Please keep us updated. also does her abdomen feel swollen? squishy or hard?

 

[threeboysmom]

I feed them the crumbles & they roam the yard during the day. The squirrels wreak havoc on our bird feeders so they do eat a lot of bird seed and some cat food too. The boys like to throw them some bread every once in a while also.

When I returned from the store I gave her 3 poly-vi-sol drops & she ate 3/4 of a scrambled egg, still would not drink water

I soaked her in the kitchen sink while cooking dinner and she LOVED it! I had to keep a close eye on her because she kept falling asleep and I was worried she would go under.

I mixed 1/2 gatorade & water and she did drink some while soaking.

She didn't mind the hairdryer.

Lacey is now sitting in a bucket with a heating pad wrapped underneath it on a low setting in a dog kennel. I put the gatorade/water mix in there with her and some of her crumbles. Should I put something else to eat besides that?

I did the olive oil but I didn't feel anything in her abdomen, I didn't realize it but she's really skinny. There is not much on either side of her breast bone. She's so fluffy and usually will not let you hold her so I just didn't notice how much weight she has lost.

 

[Miss Lydia]

you can dissolve a tums in her water she needs calcium, do you give them oyster shell besides the crumbles? are the crumbles for layers.? If she is having internal laying problems your only hope may be a vet. I wish I could help more but I just don't know what else could help.

 

[threeboysmom]

Miss Lydia -
Thank you for all of your help. I kept Lacey inside out of the cold, warm baths, etc... but she didn't make it

(She died the day after my previous post.)

When she died my husband checked out her abdomen and she did not have an egg or anything out of the ordinary inside. He said she was extremely thin without any meat on her breastbone. He is by no means a vet, but he is a falconer and has a very basic grasp on bird anatomy. Do you know what could have been wrong with her?

I was pretty upset to see her go, but it does comfort me a little to know she was comfortable her last couple of days.

The other two hens are doing well.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I am so sorry you lost Lacey, but like you said her last days were in where she felt your love and care. Here is a site you might find interesting and may help you figure out what could have gone wrong. Bless and

www.edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pso44