Soft shell egg and lethargic behaviour?

[EvanstonEggs]

I have a 3 year old silkie who has the same issue off and on. In the past, the vet has given her one antibiotic after another. She's been like this 1/2 of her life.

If you are keeping an eye on her digestion, energy, temp, etc. that is really helpful for problem solving.

My Little Rosie eats all of the right stuff and has calcium available. The vet said she probably has a immune system issue that flares up. If she won't eat, we tube feed. If she's picky, we just give her whatever she will eat (scrambled eggs, mealworms, cooked millet...easy to digest foods.) We know we may not always be able to pull her back to health, but love and attention is a powerful tool.

Good luck with your hen and I'd love an update.

Thank you for this. Of all the things I've read, your post sounds the most similar to what I'm dealing with. My Maggie has had similar issues in the past. It's like she's in a daze. She's very still and sometimes will waddle around. She has nasty stuff coming out of her vent, though he vent looks fine to me. Additionally, I have a chicken who was laying what seems to be pre-term eggs. They look like what balloons with an umbilical cord and the clear membrane but no yoke. I assume this is Maggie, but don't know for sure who's laying these eggs. I brought her in yesterday and washed her off and put her in my basement a few hours. I've done this before but she seems so sad and like she just wants to be with everyone else. I don't know what to do. It makes me very sad. She hides from me - I think she doesn't want me to bring her back inside away from the flock.

Thank you for caring and wanting an update. It means a lot.

 

[Silkiepoo]

Thank you for this. Of all the things I've read, your post sounds the most similar to what I'm dealing with. My Maggie has had similar issues in the past. It's like she's in a daze. She's very still and sometimes will waddle around. She has nasty stuff coming out of her vent, though he vent looks fine to me. Additionally, I have a chicken who was laying what seems to be pre-term eggs. They look like what balloons with an umbilical cord and the clear membrane but no yoke. I assume this is Maggie, but don't know for sure who's laying these eggs. I brought her in yesterday and washed her off and put her in my basement a few hours. I've done this before but she seems so sad and like she just wants to be with everyone else. I don't know what to do. It makes me very sad. She hides from me - I think she doesn't want me to bring her back inside away from the flock.

Thank you for caring and wanting an update. It means a lot.

I know you have a smaller flock, so this may not be possible....is there another chicken with calm energy that can be a buddy for an hour here and there? Otherwise, try...

If Maggie gets cold feet that won't warm up easily, you could pop her in a pet crate with a heating pad on low. With my flocks I have found they do much better if they are around another chicken or human, which makes sense as they are social birds. Mine do really well if we pop them in a crate with rag towels to make it comfy. We place them in the living room (or wherever we are) with some soothing music (current favorite is Native American flute sleeping music) and cover the crate. I put food and water in for them too. Try scrambled or mashed up boiledThey are usually quite and rest, which is exactly what they need.

Ideally, Maggie and Rosie would get birth control implants. Their hormones don't work like people's otherwise that would be easy The implants only work for a handful of months, are expensive, and have to be placed by specialists....that's why my Rosie doesn't have one.

Things that have helped: probiotics sprinkled on her food, calcium powdered up so her body could more easily absorb it, lots of extra attention, love, and trust. Rosie comes to me when she isn't feeling well. This is incredibly helpful in keeping her as healthy as possible.

One thought I have is that it's a good sign that she doesn't want to be alone....they often go off to die. Maybe she is communicating this?

Poor Maggie! Please keep me in the loop. We'll be able to learn from each other and our girls

 

[EvanstonEggs]

I’m fairly certain she didn’t eat today but she had some clear watery substance coming out of her. She didn’t make it into the coop tonight but I found her in the yard and put her in to keep her safe.

How do you know if you’re chicken is dying? When do you take them out of their misery? What I don’t understand is that she looks perfect. Her feathers are beautiful, her comb is bright red and straight up. It’s her behavior that’s wrong.

 

[Silkiepoo]

Do you know how to tube feed?

 

[Silkiepoo]

I'd see if it's something you'd feel comfortable doing. Hydration is often all it takes. It's a serious tool, but if you don't feel comfortable I wouldn't try.

As for how do you know if they are going to die? I've never had a chicken drop dead on me. I've had several seem like they were on their last leg and now they are happy and healthy. Even my vet says she never knows.

I'm always one to give them a solid chance at healing. But I don't cull, so that isn't an option for me

 

[EvanstonEggs]

I will look up tube feeding. I’ve never heard of it before you mentioned it.

 

[EvanstonEggs]

do you think it could be coccidia?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Photos?

Nasty stuff coming from the vent? Gleet, infection from Salpingitis...?
I would get the calcium into her. Depending on if it's Gleet, then treat with an antifungal, but you mention she's done this before, so I'm going to make an assumption that it's Salpingitis or some other reproductive issue.
You can Hail Mary it and offer her an antibiotic. Amoxicillin is a good choice. Dose is 57mg per pound of weight give orally twice a day for 10-14 days.

If she's able to interact with the flock and they aren't picking on her, then I would leave her with the flock and treat her there instead of isolating her. My observations, even if the hen isn't feeling very well, she does better being with the flock and finding her own spot in the coop/run where she seems most comfortable.

Also what is "pre-term eggs"? Photos?

 

[EvanstonEggs]

 

[EvanstonEggs]

No yoke, just the clear part. I had two of these after several very soft eggs that were crushed in the laying box. Hardly had a shell around them. … don’t know if it’s her, but everyone else i their normal selves.