Super pale hen - Please Help!!!

[The Chicken Whisperer]

So, my friends bantam Old English Game hen is super pale, nearly colorless on her face. All visible skin, especially around her eyes, is super pale and has a blueish tint. Is this normal? She eats and drinks fine, and is still enthusiastic about treats, and she's still being a cuddly little sweetheart. However, she is not very lively at all and is rather wobbly on her feet. She also hangs around the coop and nest box a lot, but shes not broody as far as we can tell. Am I being paranoid, or is this a concern? Please help!!!

 

[micstrachan]

She does look as if she could be anemic. How old is she, and was she more red in the face before? Does she have any signs of pin feathers, which would indicate molting? How does her poop look? How is the condition of her breast muscle? Can you look her over carefully for external parasites, especially around her vent and under wings? Can her owner take a poop sample into a vet for a fecal float? In the mean time, this sweetie might benefit from a natural iron boost like raw liver slivers or meat. Do either of you have nutridrench on hand that can be added to her water or direct dosed? Sorry about all the questions, but more info will help.

 

[The Chicken Whisperer]

She's two years old. She was more red in the face before. Her feathers are healthy and full, no sign of molting. I didnt see any parasites... we'll look again when its light out. We don't have any Nutridrench on hand - we may be able to get some tomorrow. Her poop seems normal but we can probably get a vet appointment very soon and give them a sample. We will certainly try the meat idea. Thank you so much for your help!!!

 

[micstrachan]

You bet. She may also benefit from a heat source, like a heating pad set on low, as long as she is strong enough to get off of it if she wants to.

Is she laying eggs? If so, when was the last one?

 

[The Chicken Whisperer]

She isn't laying regularly and hasn't laid for a very long time. Heating pad idea sounds great. She already sleeps inside since a past infection. She seems strong and mobile, she just doesn't really want to move much. Thank you sooo much again for helping!!

 

[micstrachan]

Absolutely happy to help. The not laying could be a sign. Can you check for two things:
• Breast muscle condition - is it wasting away with a prominent keel bone?
• Abdomen (fluffy area below vent and between legs) consistency - does it feel swollen, bloated, squishy at all? If you can’t tell, try to compare her to another then her size in the morning.

Either or both of these things could indicate a reproductive disorder. Does she have a penguin-like stance at all?

 

[micstrachan]

Also, what was the past infection and how was it treated? It may have returned.

 

[micstrachan]

If she sleeps inside, does that also mean she doesn’t dust bathe? Definitely take a closer look for parasites in the morning. Sorry to be throwing everything at you. I hope we can help you figure this out so you can help her. I was a sick one myself right now. Going to sleep now (it’s midnight), but I’ll check in tomorrow.

 

[The Chicken Whisperer]

Her keel bone is extremely prominent. Her abdomen seems fine though. Her stance seems normal too apart from being wobbly. The past infection was some infection near her vent. The vet gave her antibiotics and she was bathed every couple of weeks but whatever the problem was never fully went away. The vet didn't know for sure what it was.The chicken spends the day outside in her own little pen with plenty of access to the dirt. Would you suggest you bring her into the vet again?

 

[LittleBantam15]

This is the owner the of the pale hen. I thought I would put an update here for any future viewers in case they were having similar problems.


We separated my old English game hen, Pip, from the flock during the daytime with a couple of hens from the big coop in their own little run and kept a close eye on her, giving her some special food and lots of attention. She still didn't seem well for a little while, but then she seemed to pick back up again. She still did not lay any eggs.

Unfortunately, her condition went downhill again. Last Thanksgiving, she seemed to be dangerously ill so we took her to the vet again. It turned out she did have anemia. She also had a loud heart murmur and a mass that could or could not have been cancerous growing on her left side, near her vent. We discussed different treatment options and the possibility of euthanizing her if she did not improve, and finally decided to try giving her a type of antibiotic to see if it would sort out the heart murmur. We also gave her another medicine to help her blood circulate properly. The vet told us to keep her inside all the time with a heating pad in her basket. (We bought a waterproof one and put a towel over it so that Pip would not burn her feet.) She was underweight so we were instructed to give her whatever kind of food she wanted (rice, cottage cheese, greens, etc). The vet told us to return in a month to see if she had gained weight and to check on the size of the mass growing on her side. If it was cancerous, then it would grow quickly.

Pip had not had a very good appetite, only being tempted by things like mealworms, but by mid-December, she started eating other foods with eagerness. Her face and comb became redder again and she grew livelier. I was happy and hoped for good news when we returned to the vet.

The heart murmur was much quieter, and the medicine had helped with the anemia, but the mass did turn out to be a cancerous tumor. It had grown at a quick rate since the last vet visit. Just about a month after the second vet appointment, she passed away. I was very sad because she was the friendliest, sweetest little chicken I have ever had. But she was always lovely and happy, right to the very end.