My SLW was totally fine this morning and earlier in the afternoon. She ran around with the other chickens, laid a beautiful egg, ate, drank and dust-bathed to her heart's content. Early this evening I looked at out the back door and saw her sitting down sleeping in her pen. This isn't unusual, but her response to me was really off. She didn't get up until I came into the yard, calling her name. Then everything she did looked like slow motion! The tip of her comb is purplish, and I'm wondering if this is due to stress, or could it be due to a circulatory problem? She's a little overweight because she LOVES to eat almost anything. It was horribly hot here today (95*) but we had a fan on her all day, plus a frozen water container that was large enough for her to stand/sit on. Could she still have suffered from the heat? Her crop was empty earlier when she was acting funny, so I fed her some treats and wet food. She'll eat, but not voraciously, and she almost acts like she can't see very well. Her droppings look normal, except one seemed a bit foamy. Mom and I misted her down and hosed a bit under her wings to be sure she was cooled off. Her condition is still the same after a couple hours of this. Should we be prepared for the worst? I know she's extremely susceptible to heat problems, but we're really careful to keep ice bottles in her pen and today we started using a fan, which we'll keep on her 24/7.
Afraid it doesn't sound promising. A dark comb (purplish) is a sign of lack of oxygen and chickens go downhill pretty rapidly in such cases. The cause? You would know better than anyone. Has this bird had respiratory problems in the past? Any signs recently of head shaking or gaping that might indicate gapeworm? Anything the slightest bit out of the ordinary that you can think of?
It's just the very tip of her comb that is purplish, and I noticed it's not constant. I fed her some yogurt and little banana bits, which she ate reluctantly. The only respiratory problem she's ever had is what I think was a bit of "wet" fowl pox last year. She's not had any other problems since. Her breathing sounds fine as far as I can tell. No head-shaking or gaping. She's definitely weaker since this started this evening....she is more relaxed when I pick her up, which is unusual....usually she feels like a coiled spring (and acts like one, too!) I guess we'll just watch her and do the best we can. She's a great layer.....I would hate to lose her!
You might try taking her temp with a thermometer, (rectally, or whatever you call a chicken's orifice??? ) it should be about 102 to 103. That is always my first approach to know if something is causing fever, or a drop in temp. If it is higher than normal, then you could probably take a good geuss that it may be an infection and may need to be treated with antibiotics, I'm not a vet, so don't take this as the gospel, it's just what I would do.......
