Something is not right --please help with sick chicken :(

[kellykate]

Hi there -- I would love any help I can get regarding my wonderful Australorp. I have posted about her before --but it was chalked up to nesting behavior since she is of laying age. As this has progressed -- almost 2 weeks now --I can tell it is not nesting behavior! I am worried something is wrong. Possible she is having trouble with her first egg or some sort of sickness -- nonetheless I am looking for any help I can get to help this chicken. Thanks!

1) What type of bird , age and weight.
Australorp, 22 weeks old -- hasn't layed yet.

2) What is the behavior, exactly.
She is not herself at all. She has been sitting A LOT! She will follow the others and then sit. It looks almost like it hurts to walk. She barely goes 10 steps in one movement before sitting back down. Today we had torrential downpours from Hurricane Bill and all the chickens ran to the coop -- except her she just sat in the yard and got rained on -- I ran out and brought her in and dried her off -- but this is soooo unlike her and I knew something was really wrong! Tonight when I checked on her she was on the lower roosts with the Cochin and Sizzle who can't fly to the higher roost where she usually goes.


3) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma
No -- checked her feet since walking looked uncomfortable but they are fine. Vent looks ok -- clear and normal. She looks to be close to point of lay and her combs are a dark red. She does squat when I approach just does it while sitting down. I feel like she is close to laying and am wondering if she can be eggbound on her first egg? I have brought her in to try to inspect further but being a first time chicken owner don't know exactly what to looks for. I have felt her crop and abdomen and I think they feel normal -- again not sure what I should/ shouldn't feel?

4) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
none at all -- all other chickens are perky and normal. They are all the same age and stay together everywhere they go.

5) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
She is eating still and drinking -- but mostly while sitting down. When they are out free-ranging she sits and eats the grass around her -- she will still eat black oil sunflower seeds, veggie scraps and other goodies from my hand --so I know she has an appetite which makes me feel a bit better.

6) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
I saw her poop normally this morning--everything looks ok -- but I feel like it is less frequent than normal since she is sitting down 90% of her day.

7) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
Nothing so far except a lot of monitoring -- a couple trips in the house for inspection and checking --TLC!

8 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
Would prefer to treat myself --just don't know what to do?

9) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
I can get a picture of her tomorrow --there isn't much to see unfortunately -- except her sitting down -- not acting like a chicken.

10) Describe the housing/bedding in use
I have 7 chickens in a 8x6 coop -- well ventilated with pine shavings on the floor. They roost in the rafters at the top of the coop. There is an attached run where they spend the morning and then I let them free-range in the late afternoon. We live on a small unwooded lot and I am able to see them while they free-range around -- mainly just grass, dirt, pine needles.

Again, Thank you for any help you can give me. I will be headed to the feed store tomorrow and can get anything that would help!

 

[annek]

Maybe she hurt herself coming down from the rafters? If she is a heavy bird it can be hard for them to land. Maybe give it a few days and see if she does better, take a look at her feet and see if you can see any broken bones. You may want to put in a ladder to the roost.

 

[Judy]

Check for any scabby looking areas on the bottom of her feet that could indicate bumblefoot.

Australorps are big birds and can certainly get injured from getting down off a high roost. They also need a wide roost, a minimum of the wide side of a 2x4. A cracked pelvis, or a sprain or strain of a leg muscle, are possibilities. She should recover from these in time if this is the case.

Of course this could be a problem with her egg laying machinery, and you may not be able to help her if this is the case. Feel her lower body and see if you feel anything like a stuck egg. My BA's are 26 weeks and some are just now starting to lay.

Do check for mites/lice at night, off the roost, and do consider worming your flock; right before POL is a good time as you don't have to toss so many eggs.

Check her crop in the early AM to be sure it is emptying overnight. 90% or more of what she eats should be grower feed or what she gets free ranging.

Pick up some probiotics or maybe a probiotic/vitamin/electrolyte supplement at the feed store, if you can find anything. Some organic ACV at the grocery would be good, maybe 2 tsp to a gallon of water. Plain live culture yogurt also works for probiotics, as do those in the drug store for people. And infant vitamin drops without iron also works for vitamins. All good nutrition boosters.

If you suspect an egg laying problem, crush a Tums into their water.

Here is a good thread on worming:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=2525157#p2525157

Obviously, I don't know what is wrong; just throwing out some ideas. Watch her and see what you think. And let us know.

 

[threehorses]

What feed has she been eating? Laying feed now? Would you say it was most of her feed? Also have you been offering her and the others oyster shell?

In addition to Ddawn's advice of feeling her abdomen gently again, I would consider feeling her within her cloaca to see if you can feel an egg (or eggs) inside of her. Birds can indeed bind on a first egg, particularly if she has a large one inside.

Put on latex gloves and lube the index finger of your right hand. Also lubricate her cloaca. Enter at the top of the vent - very gently with just the index finger; use your left hand to gently feel the abdomen; feel if you can feel and egg between the finger and your hand. If you do, try to guide it gently out of the vent. You'll get a good idea if the egg is too large them.

If at any point this egg (or any egg with any hen) breaks, then keep a baby's ear syringe or a turkey baster handy for this purpose. You will use *cool*, not warm water, to flush the vent after removing what egg shell you can with the lubricated finger. Flush well to remove all traces of egg white/yolk and shell bits. The *cool* water will help sooth the inflamed tissues as well as rinsing out egg bits that could cause problems.

If the egg is too large to come out of the vent on it's own, push the egg slightly out of the vent and poke a hole in the egg with an awl or something similar. Try to get the contents of the egg to empty *outside* of the bird. Collapse the egg just enough to get it to come out. Again flush and remove all traces of egg. This part is absolutely life-or-death essential, even for the squeamish. For broken egg cases, it's always advisable to have penicillin injection around just-in-case. I'll put a mini-article at the bottom here on how use penicillin and what things to buy for it if you should ever need it.

I agree with ddawn's post and hope that you're able to use the information that she's wisely provided there.

 

[kellykate]

Ok Thanks so much! To answer a couple of your questions --

They are eating a mixture of Grower and Layer and have oyster shell in a separate dish. I only have 1 laying so far.

They have ACV in the plastic waterer in the run and they get yogurt about once a week. Otherwise the only other "snacks" are a handful of BOSS and a small amount of veggie scraps -- and of course whatever she eats free-ranging.

I have checked for mites and lice at night and haven't seen anything.

Roosting in the rafters ---This I hadn't even thought of this and I am so thankful for BYC for getting others ideas!! I don't know why they started flying up there (it is probably 6-7 feet up) they have other places I set up to roost on but I assume since this is the highest place they gravitate towards the rafters. The rafters are the skinny side of a 2x4 but as soon as they started going up there I put a bunch of flat 2x4's (wide side) and a handful use those although I know the BA, SLW, EE and Dominique always stayed on the skinny ones -- it seems to be prime real estate and those are my top ladies. I've seen them fly down and the bigger girls definitely thud on the ground --I have 2 midway steps but they never use them -- just fly straight down?

I have checked the pads of her feet because I had thought bumblefoot as well -- they look fine though. Her legs don't look "hurt" but I think the idea that she may have sprained, strained or cracked something is definitely a possibility.

I will get some latex gloves and follow threehorses advice as well. Thanks for all the great help --I'll let you know what I find out.

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
It'd be good to rule out the egg issue, but definite you'd want to rule out the leg issue as well - especially since they're coming more into mature weight, which is a lot harder "thud" on them.

 

[kellykate]

ok friends -- a little update..
I did check to see if I could feel an egg -- nothing--at least nothing I could feel. She is still sitting the majority of the time. She doesn't seem like she is in pain and is eating, drinking and pooing normally?? I am at a completely loss as to what is wrong with her. I have probably checked her feet 500 times because it so seems like she has bumblefoot -- but they look great. She is squatting a lot now which makes me think an egg should be relatively soon -- but I didn't feel anything? Any other ides?

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
WHen she does this - are her toes pointing straight in front of her, or curled at all? She's a big type breed - is she quite heavy?

You could try some b-vitamin therapy although I 'm not certain it would help. BUt it wouldn't hurt.

I'd definitely keep a watch out for eggs. Maybe give her cod liver a couple of times a week for a while (to all nearly-laying gals for the vitamin D in it) - sprayed on the feed. It's good that she's eating and drinking though.

No chance of a slipped tendon?

 

[kellykate]

Hi threehorses -- thanks for your help with this!! Her toes are pointed forward -- head upright -- eyes open and relatively alert. She is a pretty big BA -- but I don't think she's overweight? Not sure about a slipped tendon or pulled muscles -- I feel like I have mushed on about every inch of her body and she hasn't ever squwaked in pain or really squirmed? I teach 1st grade, so after I get home this afternoon I'll take some pictures of her and see if that gives you any more clues! Thanks again

 

[kellykate]

Alright -- another update on my mystery illness Australorp. The good news is she continues to eat and drink and poop normally and today she laid us a beautiful dark brown egg -- I checked her vent after finding the egg and everything looks just fine. Bad news she is still laying down often and looks as if she has trouble or it hurts to walk. She doesn't keep up with the rest of the flock while free-ranging but does keep them within an eye-shot. I have neurotically inspected her legs and feet and can find no sign of injury. Is there anything else I can do or should I just let her be --I don't want her in too much pain but at the same time if she is eating, drinking and now laying --maybe she isn't in too much pain? Thanks again for any help! Threehorses you have been such a huge help!