Very sick hen.

[sierradasilva]

So, I have a barred rock hen who is very sick right now. She is around 2 years old, and has had ongoing pasty butt situation for at least six months, and no matter how we have cared for her (cleaning it thoroughly, acv in the water) it always comes back. So yesterday I noticed this same hen was acting funny, last out of the coop (usually she is first) and just standing still and uninterested in the scraps I threw the flock. Today I can see that both eyes are swollen shut. So I can tell she is very sick, and it is chilly out and I want her to conserve her energy as much as possible, so I separated her from the flock in a giant cardboard box in our utility room. She is on some layers of newspaper and pine shavings. I gave her sugar water with a dropper onto her beak, which she drank readily and perked up a lot, and a little jar lid of plain yogurt, which she ate a bit of. She appears just sickly and mostly blinded by some truly gross looking eye infection, and her pasty butt is bad as ever. The rest of the flock is, and has always been, healthy. I'm about to go clean out the whole coop and put fresh bedding for the rest of the flock, in hopes they won't catch whatever might be infectious. My husband is planning to wash the pasty butt situation this evening (which we have done in the past), unless it seems like it would stress her too much. I don't even know if that is related to the eye problem. Anyway...what would you do next?

 

[MGG]

She probably has vent gleet. I think pasty butt is only in chicks. I'll tag some people for you. They might have a better idea of what's going on. @Eggcessive , @azygous, @Wyorp Rock @casportpony . Anyone else know what's going on?

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you get some pictures of her eyes, her poop, and her vent area? Is there any evidence that her eyes have been pecked? Does she have any bubbles or pus in either eye, or any noisy breathing? I would mix some chicken feed with water, and add some bits of scrambled egg, and offer it up to her beak in a small cup or bowl several times a day. Also give plain water as well. She needs to be kept warm.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She is around 2 years old, and has had ongoing pasty butt situation for at least six months, and no matter how we have cared for her (cleaning it thoroughly, acv in the water) it always comes back.

yesterday I noticed this same hen was acting funny, last out of the coop (usually she is first) and just standing still and uninterested in the scraps I threw the flock. Today I can see that both eyes are swollen shut.

I gave her sugar water with a dropper onto her beak, which she drank readily and perked up a lot, and a little jar lid of plain yogurt, which she ate a bit of. She appears just sickly and mostly blinded by some truly gross looking eye infection, and her pasty butt is bad as ever.

I'm sorry about your hen.
Can you post some photos of her, the facial swelling, of her vent and of her poop?
Have you added any new birds to the flock in the last 30 days?
Does she lay eggs?
Have you noticed if she's got any swelling/bloat or feeling of fluid in the abdomen between the legs below the vent?
Have you ever wormed her? If so, when was that and what did you use?

The swollen eyes - do you notice a discharge, pus, watery/bubbly eyes?
Any odor from the swelling?
Look inside her beak - any yellow/white lesions, canker or mucous?
Does she have lice or mites on her body?
What's her crop like - sour smell from her breath, empty, full, liquid or air filled, hard, squishy, doughy, etc.?

It's good that she will drink. I would continue to encourage that - hydration is very important. Once she is hydrated, then offer her a bit of wet feed.

You mention gross eye infection. Likely it's pus? That needs to come out. Chicken pus won't dry up on it's own. Flush the eye well with saline and pick out/squeeze out the pus. Re-flush well. Apply an eye ointment (like Terramycin) or you can put a dab of plain Neosporin in the eye. The eyes may need to be worked on for several days, removing pus, etc. Flush the eyes and apply ointment at least 2 times a day.

As for the pasty vent. Let's get a look at that. Vent Gleet is a good suggestion. It may be that she's got a reproductive problem going on...really hard to know.

It would be good to get her cleaned up, but if she's really lethargic, giving a soaking in water may send her over the edge. You will have to make that judgment call if she's able to handle soaking or not.

Look forward to more information and photos - as that comes in, hopefully we can offer more suggestions.

 

[sierradasilva]

Yes, you're right, vent gleet. I think maybe the eye thing is unrelated but she has a separate infection going on because maybe she was already weakened by ongoing vent gleet...not sure though.




QUOTE="MGG, post: 22203457, member: 556746"]
She probably has vent gleet. I think pasty butt is only in chicks. I'll tag some people for you. They might have a better idea of what's going on. @Eggcessive , @azygous, @Wyorp Rock @casportpony . Anyone else know what's going on?
[/QUOTE]

 

[sierradasilva]

I don't think she has been pecked. Both eyes have a lot of pus. I can hear her breathing audibly a bit, she sounds a tiny bit congested or something, but not heavily. The room I have her in is about 68 degrees. Is that warm enough? Or might she need a heat lamp?

Can you get some pictures of her eyes, her poop, and her vent area? Is there any evidence that her eyes have been pecked? Does she have any bubbles or pus in either eye, or any noisy breathing? I would mix some chicken feed with water, and add some bits of scrambled egg, and offer it up to her beak in a small cup or bowl several times a day. Also give plain water as well. She needs to be kept warm.

 

[MGG]

She should be somewhere around 80 degrees

 

[MGG]

Get her a heat lamp

 

[sierradasilva]

Really good info, thank you.
She hasn't laid eggs since last spring. No new introductions to the flock since last autumn, and all the other birds appear healthy. I have never wormed her. I will investigate the other things you asked about and try to get pics. It is tough timing as I am home with my toddler and we are both sick. But these are good questions, and I will do what I can for her.
Thank you!

I'm sorry about your hen.
Can you post some photos of her, the facial swelling, of her vent and of her poop?
Have you added any new birds to the flock in the last 30 days?
Does she lay eggs?
Have you noticed if she's got any swelling/bloat or feeling of fluid in the abdomen between the legs below the vent?
Have you ever wormed her? If so, when was that and what did you use?

The swollen eyes - do you notice a discharge, pus, watery/bubbly eyes?
Any odor from the swelling?
Look inside her beak - any yellow/white lesions, canker or mucous?
Does she have lice or mites on her body?
What's her crop like - sour smell from her breath, empty, full, liquid or air filled, hard, squishy, doughy, etc.?

It's good that she will drink. I would continue to encourage that - hydration is very important. Once she is hydrated, then offer her a bit of wet feed.

You mention gross eye infection. Likely it's pus? That needs to come out. Chicken pus won't dry up on it's own. Flush the eye well with saline and pick out/squeeze out the pus. Re-flush well. Apply an eye ointment (like Terramycin) or you can put a dab of plain Neosporin in the eye. The eyes may need to be worked on for several days, removing pus, etc. Flush the eyes and apply ointment at least 2 times a day.

As for the pasty vent. Let's get a look at that. Vent Gleet is a good suggestion. It may be that she's got a reproductive problem going on...really hard to know.

It would be good to get her cleaned up, but if she's really lethargic, giving a soaking in water may send her over the edge. You will have to make that judgment call if she's able to handle soaking or not.

Look forward to more information and photos - as that comes in, hopefully we can offer more suggestions.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Both eyes have a lot of pus. I can hear her breathing audibly a bit, she sounds a tiny bit congested or something, but not heavily. The room I have her in is about 68 degrees. Is that warm enough? Or might she need a heat lamp?

I would try to get her a bit warmer, but she does need to be alert enough to move away from a heat source, so if she's unable to move around on her own a lamp may not be a good idea unless you can monitor her closely. Another option would be to use a heating pad set on low - place in between some old towels and then underneath her. I use one to brood chicks, so it's a dedicated heating pad. I do cover the cloth with Press and Seal to help protect it, then I use old or cheap towels/cloth to cover that.

You can hear her breathing? She's got congestion?
Do you happen to have any antibiotics on hand? If so, what do you have?

I'm sorry to hear that you and your toddler are not well, this must be stressful for you.
Just do the best you can