Very Sick 5yr old Easter Egger Hen

[CrazyChickenMom11]

Is a vet an option? They might be able to find out what the mass is.

There is but they charge a fortune and the last time I went to them they tried to do surgery on my last Easter Egger who also had a crop impaction and she unfortunately passed. But I am willing to go to the vet if it's a last resort.

 

[Tookie]

Is there any harm in giving her Tums to up her calcium level?

It wouldn't hurt to give her Tums, you probably should be giving it to her once a day.

 

[CrazyChickenMom11]

It wouldn't hurt to give her Tums, you probably should be giving it to her once a day.

Okay, I will try that. Thank you guys. I'll try checking inside her vent to see if I feel anything in the morning since I don't want to stress her out by waking her up in the middle of the night.

 

[Tookie]

Whenever I've had a sick chicken I've gave them garlic chunks/garlic water, colloidal silver, vetrx poultry aid, and dewormer.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Some of the BYC experts will chime in, but it's late for most of them.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Whenever I've had a sick chicken I've gave them garlic chunks/garlic water, colloidal silver, vetrx poultry aid, and dewormer.

I hesitate to give wormers without knowing for sure which worms I'm dealing with. Resistance is a real problem.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hello,
I have a five-year-old hen who I just noticed at the beginning of this week was extremely thin and seemed to have an impacted crop. I treated the crop with olive oil and massages and the impaction seemed to clear. However, today when I was giving her a bath, I felt a hard, fist sized lump just below her vent and was tender when I gently massaged it. She now is almost completely uninterested in food (even treats) but is still drinking water. She falls asleep just standing up and doesn't want to move around. I'm really concerned it's internal laying since it's definitely not ascites because her abdomen isn't swollen or squishy. Any suggestions on what else this might be because from what I read, internal laying is basically a death sentence. Any suggestions on how to treat this if it is internal laying? I have not stuck my fingers inside her vent yet (since I'm really unsure on how to do that without hurting her more.)

Was she doing ok before you gave her a bath?
Where did you feel the lump, right below the vent or between the legs in front?
Was her crop not emptying?

She's pooping, so very unlikely she's egg bound. At 5yrs, she may be suffering a reproductive disorder, which one, it would be hard to know.

I would work on hydration and getting her to eat. Make sure her crop is emptying overnight, if it's not, then treat that. Article below.
Pumpkin seeds do not treat worms. If you want to deworm, then use Safeguard or Valbazen.

You are probably at the point where offering supportive care is all you can do. I would leave her with her buddy in the coop/run even if she is just moping about. Being separated is more stressful.

 

[azygous]

Treating reproductive disorders is hit or miss. Without costly diagnostics, we are left to guess whether a hen is egg bound or internally laying or has a chronic reproductive infection or an avian virus causing tumors in the oviduct and on organs.

Therefore, we treat for what we can. Give the calcium. It can't hurt. She needs at minimum 500mg per day, and more is okay. I'd focus on the possibility of egg binding right now and see if the calcium produces any results.

She needs peace and quiet, to be kept from getting chilled, and hydration. Lots of hydration. Put some sugar in her water and it can boost her glucose and make her feel a bit better, and maybe even give her the energy to push the egg out with the help of the calcium for contractions.

 

[CrazyChickenMom11]

Was she doing ok before you gave her a bath?
Where did you feel the lump, right below the vent or between the legs in front?
Was her crop not emptying?

She's pooping, so very unlikely she's egg bound. At 5yrs, she may be suffering a reproductive disorder, which one, it would be hard to know.

I would work on hydration and getting her to eat. Make sure her crop is emptying overnight, if it's not, then treat that. Article below.
Pumpkin seeds do not treat worms. If you want to deworm, then use Safeguard or Valbazen.

You are probably at the point where offering supportive care is all you can do. I would leave her with her buddy in the coop/run even if she is just moping about. Being separated is more stressful.

She was pretty lethargic before I gave her the bath yesterday and the lump was below the vent and back just a little bit (like 1/2 and inch maybe?) Her crop appears to be emptying.

I just checked on her this morning and she is definitely more perky and is super hungry. I decided to put a finger up her vent since she was struggling to poop (I could see her trying to but nothing came out.) About an inch and a half up her vent I felt something hard and egg like. I gave her one crushed up Tums (which she was very much not happy about.) I'm going to give her another bath with epsom salts in about 45 min since she is currently eating. Is there anything else I can do for her?

 

[CrazyChickenMom11]

Treating reproductive disorders is hit or miss. Without costly diagnostics, we are left to guess whether a hen is egg bound or internally laying or has a chronic reproductive infection or an avian virus causing tumors in the oviduct and on organs.

Therefore, we treat for what we can. Give the calcium. It can't hurt. She needs at minimum 500mg per day, and more is okay. I'd focus on the possibility of egg binding right now and see if the calcium produces any results.

She needs peace and quiet, to be kept from getting chilled, and hydration. Lots of hydration. Put some sugar in her water and it can boost her glucose and make her feel a bit better, and maybe even give her the energy to push the egg out with the help of the calcium for contractions.

I have put pre-biotics and pro-biotics in her water but I will put some sugar in it as well. She really hated me putting the crushed Tums down her throat. Could I dissolve it in water then give her that? I don't know if it has the same effectiveness as giving her the powder.