The EMERGENCY Thread!!!

[MarySue]

 

[Wyorp Rock]

NEW EMERGENCY... my girl is a Buff Orpington pullet approx. 22 months old. She was obviously not feeling well about 6 days ago. By Thurs I knew she wasn't eating and took her to the vet. Not egg bound, no obvious obstruction, eyes are bright. Not eating even treats and drinking very little. I saw the posts about tube feeding and bought all the stuff recommended. My vet showed me how to tube feed her and we came home. I fed her that night and by morning she was nibbling on treats. I put her out for the day with the rest of the flock. Brought her in in the evening and fed her again. Later that night I picked her up out of the dog crate with my hand under her breast. Everything that I had put in came back out. She was taken back to the vet by hubby as I had to work. They sent her home with antibiotics told me to reduce the amount I was giving her but increase the frequency. This morning same story picked her up tipped her forward while I was picking something up and everything came back up. Obviously she is no longer digesting. I have tried probiotics in the Pedialite and massage of the crop. I don't know what else to do to get her system working. I read in this thread about tums water. Anyone think that a crushed up Pepcid Complete might help? I am going to lose her if things don't start working.
* Also vet had me go to just Pedialite but I did ad just a little of the parrot hand feeding food so she got some nourishment. Wondering if I could give her kitten milk replacer in order to keep her hydrated and nourished. Although if her digestion isn't working is the food less helpful?

It sounds like she has a crop issue. Slow, impacted or sour crop can cause the symptoms you describe.

Do you provide any poultry grit (crushed granite)?
Does her breath have an odor?
What type of antibiotic did the vet give you?
How does her crop feel?
Did the vet perform any testing of her poop - check for cocci, worms, bacteria?

Keep her hydrated. If the vet recommended Pedilyte, that is what I would stick with. Plenty of fluids is usually helpful. Is she able to eat by herself at all?
Give her easy to digest food(s). Wet poultry feed or chopped hard boiled egg would be good.

Here's some reading and treatment methods for crop issues:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/impacted-slow-and-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments

 

[JayTheGoat]

New Emergancy
She is a golden laced wyendotte and is 3 years old, and is pretty big.
She is lethargic and can't seem to stay awake. She won't eat, and we checked for her being eggbound but found nothing when we felt inside.
She's been like this for about two days
No other chickens are having these symptomoes.
There are no signs of trauma
I don't think anything has happened.
She hasn't been eatingor drinking but when I feel her crop she must have taken a few drinks.
She has runny poop.
We've set her in warm water just incase she was eggbound, have given her electrolytes and Nutruidrench.
I need help stabalizing the bird, but we do have a vet available.
They have a very large coup with a sandy ground.

 

[MarySue]

It sounds like she has a crop issue.  Slow, impacted or sour crop can cause the symptoms you describe.

Do you provide any poultry grit (crushed granite)?
Does her breath have an odor?
What type of antibiotic did the vet give you?
How does her crop feel?
Did the vet perform any testing of her poop - check for cocci, worms, bacteria?

Keep her hydrated.  If the vet recommended Pedilyte, that is what I would stick with.   Plenty of fluids is usually helpful. Is she able to eat by herself at all?
Give her easy to digest food(s). Wet poultry feed or chopped hard boiled egg would be good.

Here's some reading and treatment methods for crop issues:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/impacted-slow-and-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments

I have believed that it's a crop issue but without an obvious impaction and no ball or doughy substance I haven't had anywhere to go but the probiotics. I bought the yeast medicine and will continue to give her fluids and massage her crop. Should I also give her the stool softener in case it helps the intestines move better?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

New Emergancy
She is a golden laced wyendotte and is 3 years old, and is pretty big.
She is lethargic and can't seem to stay awake. She won't eat, and we checked for her being eggbound but found nothing when we felt inside.
She's been like this for about two days
No other chickens are having these symptomoes.
There are no signs of trauma
I don't think anything has happened.
She hasn't been eatingor drinking but when I feel her crop she must have taken a few drinks.
She has runny poop.
We've set her in warm water just incase she was eggbound, have given her electrolytes and Nutruidrench.
I need help stabalizing the bird, but we do have a vet available.
They have a very large coup with a sandy ground.

Hi @JayTheGoat Welcome To BYC

If you can have a vet see her that would be best.

The symptoms you describe can be a number of things. First and foremost encourage her to drink she may be dehydrated. If she won't drink then you may need to syringe or tube fluids into her. Search at the top for Go Team Tubing for more information on that.

Check to see if she has eaten anything moldy, rotten or toxic. Having a fecal sample tested by your vet would be a good idea, this can rule out cocci, worms or bacteria as the cause of her illness.

Quote: @MarySue I don't think the stool softener would hurt. If you haven't done so, have your vet perform a fecal float on a sample of fresh poop, checking for cocci, worms or bacterial infection. Most crop issues are a symptom of an underlying condition.

Hopefully she will begin to improve. Keep us posted.

 

[MarySue]

Wyorprock, I had an outbreak of just about every kind of parasite a chicken can get, no red mites but everything from Coccidiosis to leg mites. I have had a recent fecal float of the flock done (mixed feces) and all was clear. It took months and a lot of hard work to get it all cleared up. I also have had ACV and Hen booster in their water. My guess is she ate something while she was out free ranging.

 

[jennyf]

New Emergency: GLW, one year old, noticed she was lethargic this afternoon and not eating much. Caught her, got her set up in a dog crate in the basement, came upstairs to run her a bath (and consult BYC of course). Just went back down to check on her and she had passed this nugget o' nastiness... What is it??? Since this is out, should I go ahead and put her back out in the coop with the flock tonight? I had a tums tablet mashed and ready to go so I did give her about half that and some yogurt. She is now standing and looks perkier.

First picture is as I found the thing, second is after I squished the thing. Full of bloody slime, perhaps egg white? She also had this poop.

All girls have been laying for about four or five months and have been right as rain up until now. I got two shell-less eggs a few months ago but otherwise all eggs have been perfect with hard shells.

What is it and what do I need to do? Thanks so much to you wonderful people who are on BYC on a Sunday night reading the emergency forum...

Update: She ate a dish of her regular food (I added some additional oyster shell) and is drinking water (added ACV). What can I do for follow up? I was doing some research and read that greens can affect calcium absorption. That's one thing that HAS changed--the last three weeks, I've given them greens once per week (kale, and collard greens a few days ago). Could that have done it?

 

[Eggcessive]

New Emergency: GLW, one year old, noticed she was lethargic this afternoon and not eating much. Caught her, got her set up in a dog crate in the basement, came upstairs to run her a bath (and consult BYC of course). Just went back down to check on her and she had passed this nugget o' nastiness... What is it??? Since this is out, should I go ahead and put her back out in the coop with the flock tonight? I had a tums tablet mashed and ready to go so I did give her about half that and some yogurt. She is now standing and looks perkier.

First picture is as I found the thing, second is after I squished the thing. Full of bloody slime, perhaps egg white? She also had this poop.

All girls have been laying for about four or five months and have been right as rain up until now. I got two shell-less eggs a few months ago but otherwise all eggs have been perfect with hard shells.

What is it and what do I need to do? Thanks so much to you wonderful people who are on BYC on a Sunday night reading the emergency forum...

Update: She ate a dish of her regular food (I added some additional oyster shell) and is drinking water (added ACV). What can I do for follow up? I was doing some research and read that greens can affect calcium absorption. That's one thing that HAS changed--the last three weeks, I've given them greens once per week (kale, and collard greens a few days ago). Could that have done it?

It does look like some sort of egg material that has passed from her oviduct. She may have a problem with her shell gland which can have a number of causes, but I would just make sure that she has calcium and vitamin D available every day. Hens who have oops eggs repeatedly may end up having internal laying, salpingitis, or egg yolk peritonitis down the road. These things can be common in new layers or in old hens, but at her age it shouldn't be happening. I save all of my egg shells, and crush them to feed back to my chickens, which they are more fond of than other forms of calcium.

 

[MarySue]

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Rest In Peace my Beauty.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

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Rest In Peace my Beauty.
I'm sorry for your loss @MarySue