Very Sick chic

[Lacey11]

Hello this is Karen I have had my chickens since nov 2016. I have a problem with one of them now. She laid a latch egg about 4 months ago. She seems to be ok but she started sitting on the ground. She is a road island Red.

Then she was better now 2 months later she is not eating, drinking or very little. I don’t know what to do for her. I have been trying to get her to eat or drink today. She has done very little. I have put her in an area by herself.

Question is do hens recover from latch eggs.

Thanks

 

[coach723]

Lash eggs are caused by salpingitis, and sadly, no they do not usually recover. It is an infection/inflammation in the oviduct, and by the time symptoms are apparent it's usually pretty advanced. It will eventually be fatal. Some birds can live for quite some time with it, some do not. I have read of a few people that treated with antibiotics and claimed their birds recovered, I've personally never had one recover, treatment has to be done very early on, and usually the bird hides it so well that it's not found until much too late. The matter can build up inside them and put pressure on internal organs and can cause blockages. I'm sorry for your hen, and that the news is not better. I've lost several to this.
Here is some more info, you can search for more if you are interested:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/salpingitis-lash-eggs-in-backyard/

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. Unfortunately hens like your RIR who are bred to lay a lot of eggs in their first few years of life, tend to suffer from reproductive disorders, such as internsl laying, salpingitis, egg yolk peritonitis and others. Coach is right to say that hens with lash eggs and salpingitis will eventually die of the disease. She sounds like she is going down hill rapidly. They may be in pain, have problems walking, and food may not be properly digested due to pressure from the abdoninal masses. I would try to keep her comfortable, offer food, such as chopped egg and her usual feed, and water. If she appears to be suffering or refusing food, I would prepare to put her down or take her to the vet for euthanizing.

 

[Lacey11]

Hello this is Karen I have had my chickens since nov 2016. I have a problem with one of them now. She laid a latch egg about 4 months ago. She seems to be ok but she started sitting on the ground. She is a road island Red.

Then she was better now 2 months later she is not eating, drinking or very little. I don’t know what to do for her. I have been trying to get her to eat or drink today. She has done very little. I have put her in an area by herself.

Question is do hens recover from latch eggs.

Thanks

 

[Lacey11]

Ty very much for this info. I was almost sure that was the answer but could not find any where. Should I keep her by herself I only have 3 chickens. Ty for your kind words.

 

[Lacey11]

Welcome to BYC. Unfortunately hens like your RIR who are bred to lay a lot of eggs in their first few years of life, tend to suffer from reproductive disorders, such as internsl laying, salpingitis, egg yolk peritonitis and others. Coach is right to say that hens with lash eggs and salpingitis will eventually die of the disease. She sounds like she is going down hill rapidly. They may be in pain, have problems walking, and food may not be properly digested due to pressure from the abdoninal masses. I would try to keep her comfortable, offer food, such as chopped egg and her usual feed, and water. If she appears to be suffering or refusing food, I would prepare to put her down or take her to the vet for euthanizing.

Ty I don’t want here to suffer.

 

[coach723]

I leave mine with the flock unless they are being picked on or kept from food and water. If those things are happening, then it's likely that she's nearing the end anyway. I let mine live until they are no longer acting like a normal chicken and staying with the flock doing normal chicken things. Then when it's obvious that they are not feeling well, it's time to make the decision not to let them suffer, since there is really nothing that can be done to help them. I'm sorry.

 

[Lacey11]

I’m new to this site but am glad I have join. This is the 2nd one I have lost. She had vent issue and had to be put down. What chickens should I get we don’t need a huge amount of eggs. Thanks again for your support.

 

[coach723]

It can happen to any laying hen, but most people feel that buying heritage breeds that have not been bred to be prolific layers gives hens that tend to have a lower percentage of reproductive problems overall. True RIR's are harder to find, most out there are hatchery birds and mostly production reds, which are often sold as RIR's. Many hatchery birds can also live long healthy lives, but the percentage of problems seems to be higher over all. I have a mix, and have to say that my heritage breeds and my EE's have been my healthiest over all.
https://livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/heritage-chicken

 

[Lacey11]

Lash eggs are caused by salpingitis, and sadly, no they do not usually recover. It is an infection/inflammation in the oviduct, and by the time symptoms are apparent it's usually pretty advanced. It will eventually be fatal. Some birds can live for quite some time with it, some do not. I have read of a few people that treated with antibiotics and claimed their birds recovered, I've personally never had one recover, treatment has to be done very early on, and usually the bird hides it so well that it's not found until much too late. The matter can build up inside them and put pressure on internal organs and can cause blockages. I'm sorry for your hen, and that the news is not better. I've lost several to this.
Here is some more info, you can search for more if you are interested:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/salpingitis-lash-eggs-in-backyard/