Very lethargic, slightly opening beak to breathe, diarrhoea!

[jodievaughan]

Hi I was wondering if anyone could provide some insight - my chicken for the last few days has been acting a bit lethargic. The first couple of days, she was just a little lethargic and not taking to her regular pellets, but would still peck at fruit I gave to her. It's been really hot lately, and often one chicken will act a little lethargic at first as it heats up, and returns to normal, so I thought it may be that. However by the third day, she was pecking at fruit still but not eating enough, so I gave her a bit of Critical Care formula with a syringe which is just maltodextrin and a protein concentrate.

The next day though, yesterday, she seemed more lethargic than before and started to sit around more, sometimes in random places. I checked her to see if she was egg bound but i felt around inside and there's nothing hard near the vent at all.

She has been pooing mainly either bright green poo with some form, or really runny yellow poo, could this be a sign of internal parasites or something else? Her vent is also pulsating. i also noticed since I gave her critical care, her crop hasn't really reduced inside.

This morning I came to see her and checked her over, she is now very lethargic and her crop still hadnt emptied so I started to panic. A few hours later and her crop has emptied and she is now eating egg with enthusiasm which I'm happy to see. She has pooped a vile diarrhoea mixture of yellow, white, small green chunks and black. She is also just slightly opening her beak to breathe which I really worry may mean some of the syringe fluid got into her lungs.
Could anyone offer insight into what this might be? All i can think of is emptying her crop to see if that helps. Any help would be really appreciated!

 

[ashlierami]

Hi I was wondering if anyone could provide some insight - my chicken for the last few days has been acting a bit lethargic. The first couple of days, she was just a little lethargic and not taking to her regular pellets, but would still peck at fruit I gave to her. It's been really hot lately, and often one chicken will act a little lethargic at first as it heats up, and returns to normal, so I thought it may be that. However by the third day, she was pecking at fruit still but not eating enough, so I gave her a bit of Critical Care formula with a syringe which is just maltodextrin and a protein concentrate.

The next day though, yesterday, she seemed more lethargic than before and started to sit around more, sometimes in random places. I checked her to see if she was egg bound but i felt around inside and there's nothing hard near the vent at all.

She has been pooing mainly either bright green poo with some form, or really runny yellow poo, could this be a sign of internal parasites or something else? Her vent is also pulsating. i also noticed since I gave her critical care, her crop hasn't really reduced inside.

This morning I came to see her and checked her over, she is now very lethargic and her crop still hadnt emptied so I started to panic. A few hours later and her crop has emptied and she is now eating egg with enthusiasm which I'm happy to see. She has pooped a vile diarrhoea mixture of yellow, white, small green chunks and black. She is also just slightly opening her beak to breathe which I really worry may mean some of the syringe fluid got into her lungs.
Could anyone offer insight into what this might be? All i can think of is emptying her crop to see if that helps. Any help would be really appreciated!

Has she been dewormed lately? Is there any blood in her poop? Is she's wormy it could explain her slow crop issue. I would try that.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry your hen is not well

Do you know when she last laid an egg?
Photos of her and the poop may be helpful.

When you felt inside her vent for an egg - any noticeable swelling/bloat of feeling of fluid in the abdomen (below the vent between the legs)?

So her crop has emptied and she poop a lot of yuck it sounds like - she may have had a partial blockage somewhere but I would worry that she may have more going on. Feel inside the vent again for an egg.

 

[jodievaughan]

Thank you both for your help! She hasn't been dewormed lately no and I have not seen any blood in her poop. Yesterday morning, her poop was either green or green/yellow/white, but yesterday afternoon and today all I've seen is the same runny yellow poop seen in the two photos I've attached - they're both from this morning.

She hasn't laid an egg since she fell ill, almost a week ago now, so I'm wondering if the yellow poop is yolk from an underdeveloped egg perhaps. These symptoms seem so mixed to me that I'm really struggling to decide a course of action to help her in case I judge wrong and make it worse. When I checked her vent it just felt soft and perhaps a little swollen, but to me it didnt seem abnormal. There is still no egg, even from the outside I can feel there's no egg (at the least no hard shell) as shes so skinny now you can feel everything from the outside.

I've felt her crop and its squishy and fluidy again this morning, could it be a sign that she has sour crop? My handbook does state that greenish yellow poop and lethargy are other signs of this. I dont notice a foul smell from her beak though, and I'm scared to tip her upside down and clear her crop in case she chokes. I've done it successfully before with a chicken who had an impacted crop but with her being so fragile and wheezy it feels risky.

I mentioned before she is slightly wheezing when breathing and I worried it's from when I syringe fed her, however now i notice she only really wheezes when sat down and particularly when i hold her, plus she is very skinny now, so i wonder if its pressure on her lungs. She is also making little gargling noises as she drinks but is now refusing any food or water unless I dip her beak into the water myself.

I've prepared garlic water for her and have natural yoghurt for the mean time, but am not sure what to do next. Anyone have any ideas? I really appreciate the help!

 

[jodievaughan]

I am also thinking about taking her to the vet today, but there is no chicken savvy vet anywhere near me and in the past I had a terrible experience where they pumped my old hen up with generic injections without even being able to clarify what was wrong with her, and she has a seizure and passed away a few minutes afterwards. I do wonder if she has a better chance with the intuition of myself and anyone who can help here! So I do feel torn.

 

[jodievaughan]

Update, just realised it's a Saturday so definitely cant get her to a vet, the vets are closed! And i only have £50 (I'm a student) so there's no way I can get an out of hours vet. I'm currently having her drink garlic and black pepper water and I think I'll add some Critical Care to it. I'm just dipping the tip of her beak into the tub of water so she can drink naturally, I daren't risk syringe feeding again. Any help in the mesn time would be really appreciated!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Yesterday morning, her poop was either green or green/yellow/white, but yesterday afternoon and today all I've seen is the same runny yellow poop seen in the two photos

She hasn't laid an egg since she fell ill, almost a week ago now, so I'm wondering if the yellow poop is yolk from an underdeveloped egg perhaps.

I've felt her crop and its squishy and fluidy again this morning, could it be a sign that she has sour crop?

i notice she only really wheezes when sat down and particularly when i hold her, plus she is very skinny now, so i wonder if its pressure on her lungs. She is also making little gargling noises as she drinks

Poor thing!
It does sound like she's got a crop problem going on, a lot of times this is due to an underlying condition - reproductive disorders, worms, infection. The poop is not normal, because of the color I would suspect reproductive problems which are common in laying hens.
I would try to avoid holding her too much if this causes respiratory symptoms - instead when you need to treat her, lift her up, support her bottom while you do that too, then set her on a table. Let her stand. Pull her to your body gently for support and to help hold her. Makes it easier on your back and the hen too. I've had hens that had reproductive problems, they were very uncomfortable when held, but very cooperative when they could stand up.

The crop not emptying, I would not push food on her, it needs to clear. Make plain water available in addition to your garlic/pepper, she may not drink that on her own. I would not try to vomit her or massage the crop since she can aspirate. You may find the article below helpful.
Hopefully you can get some vet care, sadly if she's got a reproductive problem there is no real treatment. Sometimes if caught early, antibiotics can help fight infection and offer them supportive care.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/impacted-slow-and-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments

 

[jodievaughan]

Thank you very much for that response. I decided to put her in a large box with lots of bedding in as she was starting to droop her head on the perch and I feared she'd fall. By this point, she was keeping her eyes closed as I dipped her beak into water for her to drink.

I went outside a few moments ago to find she had sadly passed away! I've been rehoming ex bat/ex farm hybrid layer hens for a few years now and have definitely seen for myself how their bodies can struggle to keep up with themselves compared to other kinds I used to buy from breeders. It's really sad but still good to give the hybrids a chance at life. I've got two other hybrids who're thriving so they prove its worth the effort! Thanks again for everyone's help, I hope I can return the favour in the future!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you very much for that response. I decided to put her in a large box with lots of bedding in as she was starting to droop her head on the perch and I feared she'd fall. By this point, she was keeping her eyes closed as I dipped her beak into water for her to drink.

I went outside a few moments ago to find she had sadly passed away! I've been rehoming ex bat/ex farm hybrid layer hens for a few years now and have definitely seen for myself how their bodies can struggle to keep up with themselves compared to other kinds I used to buy from breeders. It's really sad but still good to give the hybrids a chance at life. I've got two other hybrids who're thriving so they prove its worth the effort! Thanks again for everyone's help, I hope I can return the favour in the future!

I'm sorry to hear that she passed