Very very sick one-year-old Salmon Faverolle hen-- Internal Layer?? Please help!

[Mkaz]

Hello!

My hens are pets, I only have 4, a mixed flock.

My Salmon Faverolle has possibly never laid; at best, maybe VERY seldom laid. She's always been much slower and far less high-strung than the others. I've suspected her of being blind or deaf or maybe a little mentally challenged. But she'd had great quality of life and never actually seemed sick up until a couple of days ago.

For the past couple of nights, I noticed she wasn't roosting. She was just laying on the floor. Yesterday she wouldn't move and at and when I moved her, she would just sit wherever I put her. She wouldn't stand or walk.

Today she's just laying and sleeping, on her side even, and seems to not even have much control of her feet. She won't open her eyes for more than a few seconds, didn't eat yesterday or today, and is only drinking what I'm giving her (some pedialyte, some water with crushed up calcium, some water with ACV....yes I've tried it all). I also gave her an Epsom salt bath which she seemed really content with and happy but I don't know that it actually helped anything.

Her poop is white and watery (no surprise) with just a little dark green. I had a couple actual droppings during the bath, but other than that, just white runny stuff.

Her crop is totally empty.

When I feel her lower underside, I do feel a large egg-shaped (but smaller/not as hard) mass. Do you think she is an internal layer? Is there anything I can do?

If not, please help me with when and how I should put her down. I don't want her suffering, but I have never had to kill a chicken before and I don't know the best way to do it, or when "it's time."

Thank you so much!

 

[Mkaz]

And, mostly because it's cute, here she is in her epsom salt bath.

 

[Terri O]

She could have ascites in which she has a great quantity of fluid in her abomen. If you want to you can poke it with a large gauge syringe and press it out into the sink. It will give her some relief and she may start eating again. IMHO it gives them a little more life; but they usually do it again and again.
If she is an internal layer she will probably die of egg yolk peritonitis though.
Not much you can do I think if she hasnt eaten in two days. THe fastest way to "take care of her" is to chop off her head. (sounds terrible) but once done it is done. Next time it will be less traumatic for you.
I am sorry...TerriO

 

[Eggcessive]

I have salmon faverolles, and they are very sweet, meek, and mild birds, and yes maybe not the brightest bulbs, but we love them. I love your picture. Have you tried a lubricated gloved up finger to try and feel for an egg inside her vent? She may well be an internal layer, but she could have other problems too. I suppose you have checked for lice and mites. Do you worm your chickens? Could she have coccidiosis? Older chickens can get it from a recently acquired hen or rooster from another farm where the strains of cocci are different. As far a ways of putting them down, I think it is a personal choice. My husband chooses to shoot them, and I haven't decided what I would do if he was not here at the time. I don't think she will live long if she is not eating/drinking, so you might just want to keep her comfortable.

 

[Gen9]

I just had to cull my Buff Orpington because of this. She was showing signs in Oct. with odd egg shapes, calcium deposits clumped up on the egg shell, thin egg shells... No egg shells... Sometimes I'd find yoke remnants, usually when it was just after I cleaned out the coop & nesting boxes... Didn't appear sick until May (that is when I knew it was her laying all these funny eggs). I gave her Duramycin & did the bath soaks 30 minutes 3 days in a row. Then she laid a lash egg. Was sick for a few more days then bounced back. Things were great until last week, so we culled her before it got too bad. I've read all the stories, some get the hysterectomy & live, some die during the procedure. A lot of people have tried draining the abdomen, then they have to drain more & more frequently until the hen succumbs to the illness... Like TerriO said. I just didn't want to prolong her suffering. The more I care for a sick/injured bird, the more attached I get & from that point on IMO becomes selfish to keep them alive after a certain point. It would be more humane to cull. I am so sorry & it's probably not the answer you're looking for. I truly hope this helps

 

[Mkaz]

I appreciate all your input so much.

We decided to put her down so I went to spend some time with her and say my goodbyes and, when petting her, I felt that (what I'm guess is) her crop was filled with liquid. I massaged it and held her beak down and a lot of it came out (just clear liquid). It feels empty now.

I don't know whether this was the original problem or just a symptom of whatever the bigger problem is, or maybe it's something that happens when they're dying... Does anyone know?

She was really looking like any breath might be her last... and she still does. It's not strained breathing at all, but very shallow, eyes closed, and sprawled out on her side or back. Every once in awhile she'll jerk her neck around or open and close her beak a little but that's about it.

Now I'm just hesitant to cull her in case "sour crop" or whatever was the problem and now it's been fixed. UGH, I don't want to keep her alive if she's suffering, but I don't want to cull her if she could rally. Do they every really rally for good though?....

This sucks.

 

[Mkaz]

I'm guessing the fluid-filled crop isn't the original problem... but, if it is, does that mean she'd perk up pretty soon? I just don't know how long to wait to determine whether that was the issue.

Thanks again for all your help.

 

[Gen9]

Right before I culled my hen, I held her upside down & clear liquid came right out of her beak. She went surprisingly quicker than I thought. A friend of mine, had an a really old RIR same clear liquid came out of her easily when she first had symptoms, she died probably a week or teo later. Since this is her first time showing symptoms you may be able to get her back to her regular self but of its really internal laying she'll go downhill again & you should definitely consider culling. You still have some time to find out what's wrong, if she dies before you find out - it is what it is - but in my experience, if I were to go through something like this again, I'd just cull to keep it simple. Internal laying is an awful thing to happen to chickens. & for that reason, I am no longer naming anymore or thinking of them as "pets". I really do enjoy them but I had to cull 2 of my "pets" & possibly another soon & it has been really hard for me emotionally. I really hope this is not the case for your hen - usually internal laying happens in common egg laying breeds due to poor genetics from hatchery practices. I also heard that hens can recover from lash eggs, it's their way of going through menopause (or something similar -just something I've read about lash eggs) & after that no longer lay eggs, just a regular chicken after that..

 

[Gen9]

I'm not saying all hatcheries have poor breeding practices but the major ones (as far as I've read in these forums) have had this problem. If she lays a lash egg it might take her a few days to recover from it, but you should see an improvement as the day progresses. It could be something else. I did do an autopsy on my hen after I culled & I did see a lot of yokes inside her that should have came out & looked like cooked egg yolk the further into her abdomen, so my hen was definitely suffering from this.

Eta - Speckled Hen. Has some very good threads on the topic of internal laying. I'm not so sure about your question on sour crop though. Maybe someone else will chime in here soon

 

[Mkaz]

We put her down. My husband did it and said it was easy and instantaneous. She was already so lethargic and out of it. It was definitely the right decision. Would love to have known the true cause but it was more important for us let her rest in peace. We buried her as the sun set. Thanks for all your help.