Something wrong with my silkie hen please help!!!

Chris Hernandez

Chirping
May 17, 2017
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today I cleaned the coop and she was acting just fine then I let them out in the late afternoon and noticed she was in a corner of the run not moving. She is a white Silkie hen about 6 months old. I thought she was egg bound but she is eating and drinking. She is panting and not moving around a lot. She will take a few clumsy steps here and there but it’s like she looses her balance. She was acting perfectly normal earlier. I dewormed her just in case because her mom one day just collapsed and didn’t move and it turned out she had worms. I have her some chick starter mixed with egg shell crumbles but I am still not sure what to do. I don’t know what’s wrong with her, when I picked her up she threw up. I don’t think she has an impacted crop. Not sure what to do, please help, she’s supposed to go to show in a few weeks.
 
today I cleaned the coop and she was acting just fine then I let them out in the late afternoon and noticed she was in a corner of the run not moving. She is a white Silkie hen about 6 months old. I thought she was egg bound but she is eating and drinking. She is panting and not moving around a lot. She will take a few clumsy steps here and there but it’s like she looses her balance. She was acting perfectly normal earlier. I dewormed her just in case because her mom one day just collapsed and didn’t move and it turned out she had worms. I have her some chick starter mixed with egg shell crumbles but I am still not sure what to do. I don’t know what’s wrong with her, when I picked her up she threw up. I don’t think she has an impacted crop. Not sure what to do, please help, she’s supposed to go to show in a few weeks.
I'm sorry that your pullet is not doing well.

Photos of her and her poop may be helpful.
Where are you located in the world (state/country)?

The panting - did that start after picked her up and she threw up or was she doing that before?
Tell us what her crop feels like - is it hard, soft, squishy, doughy, fluid or air filled?
Does her breath have a sour or rotten smell?
Any chance that she was pecked on the head by another hen?
What did you deworm her with?

Get some photos together for us. Let us know what that crop feels like.
It would be good to cage her separately so she doesn't get picked on.
With chickens, a lot of times all you can do is try to rule things out - since you mention the her throwing up, I would start with checking the crop-make sure it's empty by morning. Look her over for lice/mites.
Report back and let us know how she is doing.
 
Are you able to post pictures could she have had anything odd to eat ?
She has not had anything odd to eat just her layena crumbles and I let her free range a little bit. I checked on her and I believe she is egg bound. She hasn’t pooped but has let out liquid. It like oozes out of her but, the feathers around the vent are filled with it and it is in certain spots of the bedding.
 
I'm sorry that your pullet is not doing well.

Photos of her and her poop may be helpful.
Where are you located in the world (state/country)?

The panting - did that start after picked her up and she threw up or was she doing that before?
Tell us what her crop feels like - is it hard, soft, squishy, doughy, fluid or air filled?
Does her breath have a sour or rotten smell?
Any chance that she was pecked on the head by another hen?
What did you deworm her with?

Get some photos together for us. Let us know what that crop feels like.
It would be good to cage her separately so she doesn't get picked on.
With chickens, a lot of times all you can do is try to rule things out - since you mention the her throwing up, I would start with checking the crop-make sure it's empty by morning. Look her over for lice/mites.
Report back and let us know how she is doing.
She was panting from the start, I thought it was normal because we live in Florida and it can get hot here but I noticed she wasn’t moving a lot. Her crop has water and a few pieces of food/ grains. She smells fine, I don’t believe she was pecked on the head but it’s possible. I dewormed her with safeguard goat dewormer. Fenbendazole. She doesn’t have any lice/ mites. I separated her as soon as I saw her acting weird. I think she is egg bound because she is pooping a clear liquid. And I brought her inside but she is still panting. I have her some tums for calcium. I have her a little piece of the pill and crushed up the rest and put it in her water.
 
Can you insert a finger one inch into her vent to feel for an egg (wear a disposable glove if you have one.) Wash hands well if you don’t. If she is not egg bound she may have a crop disorder that might be causing a fungal or bacterial infection in her digestive tract, also causing the diarrhea.

The last possibility could be the she possibly has Mareks, but dehydration could cause the imbalance. Do you have any Poultry NutriDrench or Electrolytes that you could give her? I would try to give her as much water as she will take, along with some egg and watery feed. Ideally, it would be good to take her to a vet to see what is wrong. But first try to rule out egg binding with a vent check.
 
She was panting from the start, I thought it was normal because we live in Florida and it can get hot here but I noticed she wasn’t moving a lot. Her crop has water and a few pieces of food/ grains. She smells fine, I don’t believe she was pecked on the head but it’s possible. I dewormed her with safeguard goat dewormer. Fenbendazole. She doesn’t have any lice/ mites. I separated her as soon as I saw her acting weird. I think she is egg bound because she is pooping a clear liquid. And I brought her inside but she is still panting. I have her some tums for calcium. I have her a little piece of the pill and crushed up the rest and put it in her water.
If you can post some photos of the poop?
If you think she is egg bound, then you need to check her - insert a lubricated finger about 1-2" inside the vent to feel for an egg.
The tums was fine, it does not mix well with water, so I would just make plain water available or you can put poultry vitamins in it. Just give her little pieces of the broken up tums.
Place her in a steamed up bathroom I worry about you soaking her since she is panting, I would be careful not over stress her, but you need to see if there's an egg in there.
She may have a soft shell egg that she is trying to expel.
 
Can you insert a finger one inch into her vent to feel for an egg (wear a disposable glove if you have one.) Wash hands well if you don’t. If she is not egg bound she may have a crop disorder that might be causing a fungal or bacterial infection in her digestive tract, also causing the diarrhea.

The last possibility could be the she possibly has Mareks, but dehydration could cause the imbalance. Do you have any Poultry NutriDrench or Electrolytes that you could give her? I would try to give her as much water as she will take, along with some egg and watery feed. Ideally, it would be good to take her to a vet to see what is wrong. But first try to rule out egg binding with a vent check.
I’m fairly certain it is egg bound. I checked on her this morning and she was pooping just water. I’m going to pass by the feed store today and buy some vitamins and electrolytes. When I get home I will check her vent, give her a warm epsom salt bath and put her in a warm place. I hope she makes it through until I can get home.
 
If you can post some photos of the poop?
If you think she is egg bound, then you need to check her - insert a lubricated finger about 1-2" inside the vent to feel for an egg.
The tums was fine, it does not mix well with water, so I would just make plain water available or you can put poultry vitamins in it. Just give her little pieces of the broken up tums.
Place her in a steamed up bathroom I worry about you soaking her since she is panting, I would be careful not over stress her, but you need to see if there's an egg in there.
She may have a soft shell egg that she is trying to expel.
 

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