Unable to Gain Weight, Strong Oder from Vent, Possible organ failure?

averkademay

Songster
9 Years
Dec 14, 2013
77
33
116
I have this nine-year-old black Japanese bantam. It's below freezing where I live and the flock of six stays warm in an insulated wind-free coop. I noticed she wasn't perched on the roost one night and found she was super skinny. I mean keel bone poking out with very little muscle tone. I brought her inside where she is warm, alert, and eager to consume mealworms and cooked eggs if I offered them to her. So, she was eating generously. Her crop was a bit squishy and hard, so I thought it was sour crop. I treated with Monistat for three days until her crop would fully empty. It seemed like a success. She was eating and drinking, but still not gaining weight. Due to my academic and work schedule, I am not home for the majority of the day. Therefore, I can't fully observe her behaviors or the consistency of eating. Nevertheless, I managed to get some Safeguard goat de-wormer and worm her last night. I also provided an emergency dose of the Nutri-Drench for poultry in accordance with her weight as well as force-feeding cooked egg. She is still alive with poor balance, reluctant to eat now, she fills her crop up with water, her vent reaks of uric acid (white cap on chicken poo), huddles in a corner, and is "fluffed up." Another odd thing I noticed is that I offered her some dirt to peck through, she would literally eat the stones and dirt VERY eagerly. Despite now being reluctant to consume chicken mash and cooked egg, she prefers the dirt? I do mean eat the dirt as I know the difference between foraging in dirt and consuming the dirt. Thus, does she have a mineral deficiency? Does she need more grit? Why the build-up of uric acid on the vent? She is vaccinated for Mereks. She is in a molt that has lasted for it seems about 2+ weeks, so maybe she was in a weakened state due to the molt? Could this be a potential organ failure or cancer? What else can I try to revive her if this is a curable condition?

Thank you for all your patience and time.
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To be honest, the problem could be anything.
Whenever a bird is sick, a warm environment is good supportive care.
I wouldn't think organ failure as a first cause. It is important to have appropriately sized grit available every day. I would try a probiotic along with the Nutri-drench. I use Gro2Max powder formulated for chickens. https://gro2max.com/
What state are you in?
Not gaining muscle is usually a parasite issue.
 
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Reproductive cancer is a possibility, especially given her age. It would explain her crop issue and wanting to consume grit in the form of the dirt and gravel you gave her. A tumor can behave as an obstruction, triggering the above. Cancer also causes weight loss.

She's not ready to check out yet, though, unless you have no time for supportive care. If you do, giving her sugar water right now can elevate her glucose and cause her to be more alert. This could stimulate her appetite. Give her carbs and proteins. I feed boiled rice, applesauce, keifer, eggs, wet cat food, tofu, etc, when trying to put weight on a chicken.
 
To be honest, the problem could be anything.
Whenever a bird is sick, a warm environment is good supportive care.
I wouldn't think organ failure as a first cause. It is important to have appropriately sized grit available every day. I would try a probiotic along with the Nutri-drench. I use Gro2Max powder formulated for chickens. https://gro2max.com/
What state are you in?
Not gaining muscle is usually a parasite issue.
Reproductive cancer is a possibility, especially given her age. It would explain her crop issue and wanting to consume grit in the form of the dirt and gravel you gave her. A tumor can behave as an obstruction, triggering the above. Cancer also causes weight loss.

She's not ready to check out yet, though, unless you have no time for supportive care. If you do, giving her sugar water right now can elevate her glucose and cause her to be more alert. This could stimulate her appetite. Give her carbs and proteins. I feed boiled rice, applesauce, keifer, eggs, wet cat food, tofu, etc, when trying to put weight on a chicken.
Thank you ChickenCanoe and azygous for your time and advice. I will provide some wet cat food and increase her glucose levels. I don't have any probiotics on hand at the moment, but I see if I can grab some tomorrow. I live in Iowa.

One thing that struck me as odd was that her crop fills with fluids. However, her water bowl barely has any water missing in it since I last filled it. Could these fluids be coming from somewhere else? Perhaps a blockage further down past the proventriculus?

Would it be recommended that I drain the crop with a sterile needle and syringe? I feel as though controlled vomiting at this point would do more harm than good.
 
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I rarely provide grit since my birds have access to the outdoors. Now that this event has occurred, I will certainly consider adding some grit for my older ladies.

Sadly Jasper, the sick Japanese Bantam, passed away early morning yesterday.

Thank you for all your suggestions and efforts! Bless
 
I am unable to put a dead chicken in my freezer due to family standards. Now that I think of it, in Iowa right now her body would probably freeze just sitting outside. At the same time, it brings a lot of peace for me to know she had a respectful burial. My birds are the last of the flock ranging from ages of 9 to 12 years old and are kept as pets. (in fact, the bird in my profile pic is still alive and kick'n.)

If any birds follow her symptoms and decline in health I will certainly bring the body in for a necropsy to protect the others.
 
I am unable to put a dead chicken in my freezer due to family standards. Now that I think of it, in Iowa right now her body would probably freeze just sitting outside. At the same time, it brings a lot of peace for me to know she had a respectful burial. My birds are the last of the flock ranging from ages of 9 to 12 years old and are kept as pets. (in fact, the bird in my profile pic is still alive and kick'n.)

If any birds follow her symptoms and decline in health I will certainly bring the body in for a necropsy to protect the others.
You can't freeze a bird you want to necropsy. It should be kept cool but not frozen. In winter in Iowa, likely everyone has a cool place. But if you call the lab, they'll send you a FedEx label for shipping. Quick and easy. In a couple days you would have a preliminary cause of death and in a week, it would be confirmed.
https://vetmed.iastate.edu/vdl
At Mizzou, the vet school lab is manned 24/7 and you can hand carry a bird or they send a shipping label, and it will be there in a day or two. I once dropped a bird off there at midnight Friday of a holiday weekend. (300-mile drive round trip). That was before I knew of the FedEx service they provide.
 
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