Urgent !

[ilovechicks41]

Hi everyone,

I’m currently really stressed out regarding one of my chickens. I’ve never had any issues with her. She is currently going on 5 years old. For the last two days I noticed she was lethargic and I continued to monitor her. Until this morning, I noticed she had been sitting alone with her feathers fluffed up, eyes closed, and droopy. She could not stand for long.

I brought her inside and isolated her from the rest of the flock. I thought maybe she could be egg bound. I crushed up some Tums and mixed with water then fed with a syringe. I let her soak in some warm water/epsom salt for 30 mins. No egg had passed through. I even felt around the area and no signs of an egg. She is slightly eating and drinking water. Gave her some Nutri Drench as well.

In this moment I don’t know what to do anymore. Anything helps!

 

[Debbie292d]

Welcome to BYC!

I'm sorry about your hen. I'm going to request the mods move this to the Emergency Forum so you get more help.

From what I can tell, you're doing what I'd do but there are others with more experience there.

 

[ilovechicks41]

Welcome to BYC!

I'm sorry about your hen. I'm going to request the mods move this to the Emergency Forum so you get more help.

From what I can tell, you're doing what I'd do but there are others with more experience there.

Thank you so much!

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you have any pictures of your hen how she looks now, and perhaps a picture of her droppings? Is her tail position up or down? How does her crop feel? Has she eaten or had anything to drink this morning? Does she normally lay eggs or have you seen any unusual or soft eggs? Calcium citrate with vitamin D tablets 300 mg at least can help if she is egg bound. I would not bathe her or soak her again, but you can place her on a warm towel in a warm spot. Check her skin for any lice or mites, and consider worming her if she has not been wormed recently.

 

[ilovechicks41]

Do you have any pictures of your hen how she looks now, and perhaps a picture of her droppings? Is her tail position up or down? How does her crop feel? Has she eaten or had anything to drink this morning? Does she normally lay eggs or have you seen any unusual or soft eggs? Calcium citrate with vitamin D tablets 300 mg at least can help if she is egg bound. I would not bathe her or soak her again, but you can place her on a warm towel in a warm spot. Check her skin for any lice or mites, and consider worming her if she has not been wormed recently. P

Hi, thank you so much for the reply. I will attach some pictures.
- Her tail is positioned down
- She ate some of her feed this morning and drank some water on her own
- She normally does lay eggs and I have not seen any unusual or soft eggs
- I have not noticed any lice or mites
- Her dropping are like liquid
- Crop seems normal as well
I took her outside and let her soak up some sun since it is warm today where I live. She has been nibbling on grass. She is still separated from the flock and I have been actively monitoring her.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would check her crop to see if there is any food inside. Check it first thing in the morning again before she has anything to eat or drink, and let us know if it is empty, or if it feels full and firm or puffy. Hens at her age may start having reproductive disorders which include salpingitis or egg yolk peritonitis, cancer or other problems. Crop problems may also occur, and that can be secondary to reproductive issues, worms, or water belly. What color are her liquid droppings? Hopefully the Tums will help if she is eggbound. Let us know how she is feeling later.

 

[ilovechicks41]

I would check her crop to see if there is any food inside. Check it first thing in the morning again before she has anything to eat or drink, and let us know if it is empty, or if it feels full and firm or puffy. Hens at her age may start having reproductive disorders which include salpingitis or egg yolk peritonitis, cancer or other problems. Crop problems may also occur, and that can be secondary to reproductive issues, worms, or water belly. What color are her liquid droppings? Hopefully the Tums will help if she is eggbound. Let us know how she is feeling later.

Her liquid droppings are white with green chunks. Thank you for all the information, I will continue to keep y’all updated. My worst fear is her being eggbound and not being able to get it out. I heard there’s a time frame of 24-48 hours. Is that true? Also, should I do another epsom salt soak?

 

[Debbie292d]

Her liquid droppings are white with green chunks. Thank you for all the information, I will continue to keep y’all updated. My worst fear is her being eggbound and not being able to get it out. I heard there’s a time frame of 24-48 hours. Is that true? Also, should I do another epsom salt soak?

Yes, it's true about being eggbound can be fatal in 24-48 hours.

Warm Epsom salt baths will sometimes relax the hen's muscles and help them to expel the egg.

 

[ilovechicks41]

I would check her crop to see if there is any food inside. Check it first thing in the morning again before she has anything to eat or drink, and let us know if it is empty, or if it feels full and firm or puffy. Hens at her age may start having reproductive disorders which include salpingitis or egg yolk peritonitis, cancer or other problems. Crop problems may also occur, and that can be secondary to reproductive issues, worms, or water belly. What color are her liquid droppings? Hopefully the Tums will help if she is eggbound. Let us know how she is feeling later.

She’s currently sleeping with her head burrowed inside herself. She has not slept like this before and she is inside the house. There’s no reason for her to feel cold. What does this mean?

 

[LaceyQuiroz]

Just wondering if you ever found out what was wrong with your hen? My girl is currently doing exactly what you described..