Uncomfortable chicken

[Josie670]

Hi all,

One of my girls is acting very strange! She has not been herself the past couple of days and I'm growing concern. When I come home from work she has absolutely nothing in her crop (she has lost a bit of weight). But i bring her indoors and as you can see she is happy to eat loads and make a mess, but she is reluctant to stand up.
I'm going to give her a warm bath and look her feet to check there is nothing on them. Any advice?

 

[Fishkeeper]

Check her feet and legs, check her belly, and chec her vent. She might have something wrong internally.

 

[Josie670]

I can't find anything wrong visually I've tried bathing her in warm water I'm worried as she is really ill

 

[Eggcessive]

Can she hold her neck up, and can she walk if you lift her? Does any leg or wing seem paralyzed? Does she normally lay eggs. What type of food do you give her? Can you get some poultry cell or some vitamin B complex, and give her some daily? Riboflavin deficiency or Mareks disease might be a problem, but it sometimes hard to tell without more information.

 

[vanlash]

Does she look like my girl here in my post when she does stand https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/8-year-old-hen.1302758/? Maybe she has ascites (water belly)?

 

[danceswithronin]

Maybe she has ascites (water belly)?

This was my first suspect too.

 

[Josie670]

Can she hold her neck up, and can she walk if you lift her? Does any leg or wing seem paralyzed? Does she normally lay eggs. What type of food do you give her? Can you get some poultry cell or some vitamin B complex, and give her some daily? Riboflavin deficiency or Mareks disease might be a problem, but it sometimes hard to tell without more information.

She can hold her neck up when she is walking/eating but when she is falling asleep (which is a lot) she cannot hold her head up. Both wings and feet are responsive. I've never been too sure that this hen lays eggs but the other day I found a funny/thin shell near her which I did not see her lay but it might've been from her. I can go to pets at home or my vet and try and get her some medicine whatever she needs I will get

 

[Josie670]

I've booked an appointment with the vet so hopefully i can keep her strong enough until then. I've put some apple cider vinegar and probiotics in some water for her and will keep her separate from the other girls with fresh food and water for now. Don't know what else I can do

 

[Eggcessive]

You say the legs and wings respond, but can she stand up? If she stands, do the wings fall down? Can she walk if you lift her to a standing position? Will she drink if you hold a cup near her? I would insert a finger inside her vent, just an inch or so to feel for a stuck egg (wear a disposable glove if you have one.) To try and coax a sick chicken to eat, I offer cooked egg, canned tuna, and wet chicken feed. To more fluids in I drip extra water on the food. Please let us know what the vet thinks.

 

[Josie670]

So the vet said it could be 1 of 3 things.
Firstly it might be that an egg had broken inside her (hence when we did check for an egg in her vent could not feel one) and this has become infected which she might be able to recover from.
And the other 2 possibilities are that she has liver/kidney problems or a tumour.
She is full of fluid around her abdomen and it's now badly swollen since this morning which must be so horrible for her. I've administered antibiotics and painkillers to her from the vet and just have to hope that she will be okay. The next 2 days should tell.