Very sick chickie. I need advice.

[Jessiegoose]

My chicken was all puffed up sitting in the corner of the run yesterday. She would walk if prompted but laid back down immediately. I quarantined her and gave her 2 soaks in a warm bath for about 20min each. I checked her vent and don't feel an egg. She ate a little scratch yesterday and drank a lot. Today she isn't interested in food or water at and now she isn't using her legs. She won't walk or even stand up. I dont have an avian vet near me. I need some help! What can I do??

 

[azygous]

Give her some warm sugar water with electrolytes immediately. (Gatoraid) Try to get at minimum one/fourth cup into her. Dip her beak and get her to drink on her own.

Meanwhile, what is her age?

When was the last time she laid an egg? Any shell quality issues? Double yolks?

What does her poop look Like?

Photos, whole chicken, closeup of eyes, poop.

Can she stand if you set her upright? Is there any resistance when you manipulate her legs or are they limp and floppy?

What is you location?

Copy these questions onto a new message window and answer each one, please.

 

[Jessiegoose]

Give her some warm sugar water with electrolytes immediately. (Gatoraid) Try to get at minimum one/fourth cup into her. Dip her beak and get her to drink on her own.

Meanwhile, what is her age?

When was the last time she laid an egg? Any shell quality issues? Double yolks?

What does her poop look Like?

Photos, whole chicken, closeup of eyes, poop.

Can she stand if you set her upright? Is there any resistance when you manipulate her legs or are they limp and floppy?

What is you location?

Copy these questions onto a new message window and answer each one, please.

I'm thinking she has an impacted crop. Its full and she hasn't eaten in over 24 hours. I've been massaging it and giving her electrolyte water with a syringe and some olive oil but she seems to be getting worse. Her breathing is labored and she's wheezing and making a clicking noise when breathing. Her cheeks are puffing out with each breath.

Meanwhile, what is her age? She's a rescue chick so I'm not exactly sure. Approx 4 yrs

When was the last time she laid an egg? Any shell quality issues? Double yolks? She just went through a rough molt so hasn't been laying much. I've been getting only an egg or 2 a day from my 4 girls. No egg quality issues.

What does her poop look Like? She pooped once yesterday around 3 pm and it was watery.

Photos, whole chicken, closeup of eyes, poop.

Can she stand if you set her upright? Is there any resistance when you manipulate her legs or are they limp and floppy? She cannot stand. Barely opens her eyes and her breathing is labored.

What is you location? NE Ohio

 

[azygous]

Have you checked her crop first thing in the morning? That's the only accurate way to identify a crop disorder. It's important to nail this down. Please refresh your mind about crop disorders so we'll be on the same page. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Right now we have a bunch of dangling symptoms we can't really nail to any one cause. She has symptoms of starvation and weakness, symptoms of a static crop that may be overflowing into her larynx, symptoms of possible avian virus such as leucosis, symptoms of a possible respiratory disease, symptoms of a general bacterial infection. See what I mean?

We need to start at the top and rule things out so we just have a few to choose from. Otherwise, we'll be chasing treatments and not really focusing on a problem that could be killing her.

First of all, let's rule out starvation caused weakness. Give her a cup of warm water with a teaspoon of sugar mixed in. If you have any poultry vitamins such as Nutri-drench or Poultry Cell or Rooster booster, dump some in this cup of sugar water and give it to her. If she's too weak to drink on her own, you need to syringe it into her. Get at least a fourth of a cup into her right now. If you syringe, this is the safe way to do it.

Avoid the airway in the center of the throat just behind the tongue. If you insert the syringe into the esophagus as shown, no fluid will get into the airway. This will tell us her problem not being able to stand is weakness from starvation if she gains strength from the sugar water.

That in turn will point us to a crop disorder as the cause of starvation.

If she fails to revive after the sugar water after giving her a couple hours for it to work, then she may have a much more serious underlying condition such as an avian virus with its accompanying tumors on organs or a respiratory infection.

 

[Jessiegoose]

She just passed away Thank you for your help.