Vet couldn’t find anything wrong

[JB2020]

Looking for some advice if anyone can help please.

I have 3 chickens, all of which are two years old. One had been unwell now for a couple of weeks. Head tucked down, pale comb, lethargic and distancing herself from the other chickens and some diarrhoea.

This is the first time any of them have been sick so as a fairly inexperienced chicken keeper I went to a chicken vet to get her checked over last week. He checked her all over - crop, eyes, throat, feathers etc and checked she didn’t have lice or wasn’t egg bound. I wormed them around 8 weeks ago and have been checking for worms so I don’t think it’s that. He said she seemed ok and her weight was ok too. But she’s really not, it’s making me so sad to watch her. She just stands there all day on her own. I don’t think she’s laid for a few months, I wasn’t concerned originally as she moulted and it was the middle of winter.

The Vet gave us antibiotics which I’ve given her for 5 days but I don’t know if she’s drinking all that much as it’s cold. She’s not improved anyway but she hasn’t got worse either. I’ve kept her seperated from the other chickens for parts of the day to ensure she has full access food and water and bought her inside for a few hours in case she was cold.

Attached a few photos of her over the past few days. Including droppings from earlier today.

I’m not sure what to try next apart from another trip to the vet but what should I ask him to check for?

 

[sourland]

sorry for the circumstances. Given her age and breed, my gut instinct is that she is suffering reproductive tract issues.

 

[Kathy Golla]

Im thinking you dont live in the US (?) so forgive me if these US terms dont translate.
The antibiotics that the vet gave you, did he/she say to put it in the water? (Im making an assumption from your post). If the bird isnt regularly drinking putting the antibiotics in water wont help. She should be direct dosed. My first step would be to call the vet back and say the hen is not drinking regularly and you believe you would need the medicine (or dosage) for direct dosing her.
While you are talking to the vet, ask for a carprofen (US name) prescription. A hen usually gets half a tablet twice a day.
Carprofen is a fairly inexpensive prescription that is easy to administer and well tolerated by poultry. Its like a chicken ibuprofen and is for pain and inflammation. Try that on her for a couple of days, and if she improves you know some of cause of that stance is some pain and inflammation. If her stance improves, and you think pain is a significant part of the problem, you can possibly then ask for Tramadol (US name), which is stronger and also well tolerated by chickens, to add to the carprofen (carprofen would be used for inflammation at that point).
Unfortunately with a lot of chicken health problems there is not much you can do. For those that have reproductive or internal problems (kidney, gizzard, gastro tract), I have seen that pain management can help their quality of life.
Just my opinion based on some experience, trying a few different things to see if you hit on something, especially if you have access to a vet/medication.
But you are on the right track with the things you CAN do right now.

 

[Eggcessive]

How does her crop feel? Hard or puffy? It looks enlarged in the picture. Crop disorders can can make them very sick. They can be caused by a slowdown of the digestive system due to infection or cancer in the reproductive tract or elsewhere. She looks very sick, and weak. She probably needs fluids which the vet could give her under her skin. Sorry about your hen.

 

[JB2020]

Thank you all so much for your replies.

Im thinking you dont live in the US (?) so forgive me if these US terms dont translate.
The antibiotics that the vet gave you, did he/she say to put it in the water? (Im making an assumption from your post). If the bird isnt regularly drinking putting the antibiotics in water wont help. She should be direct dosed. My first step would be to call the vet back and say the hen is not drinking regularly and you believe you would need the medicine (or dosage) for direct dosing her.
While you are talking to the vet, ask for a carprofen (US name) prescription. A hen usually gets half a tablet twice a day.
Carprofen is a fairly inexpensive prescription that is easy to administer and well tolerated by poultry. Its like a chicken ibuprofen and is for pain and inflammation. Try that on her for a couple of days, and if she improves you know some of cause of that stance is some pain and inflammation. If her stance improves, and you think pain is a significant part of the problem, you can possibly then ask for Tramadol (US name), which is stronger and also well tolerated by chickens, to add to the carprofen (carprofen would be used for inflammation at that point).
Unfortunately with a lot of chicken health problems there is not much you can do. For those that have reproductive or internal problems (kidney, gizzard, gastro tract), I have seen that pain management can help their quality of life.
Just my opinion based on some experience, trying a few different things to see if you hit on something, especially if you have access to a vet/medication.
But you are on the right track with the things you CAN do right now.

Thank you so much for the detailed response. I am

sorry for the circumstances. Given her age and breed, my gut instinct is that she is suffering reproductive tract issues.

Thank you for taking the time to reply. We were hoping to have a few more years with her but it does

Im thinking you dont live in the US (?) so forgive me if these US terms dont translate.
The antibiotics that the vet gave you, did he/she say to put it in the water? (Im making an assumption from your post). If the bird isnt regularly drinking putting the antibiotics in water wont help. She should be direct dosed. My first step would be to call the vet back and say the hen is not drinking regularly and you believe you would need the medicine (or dosage) for direct dosing her.
While you are talking to the vet, ask for a carprofen (US name) prescription. A hen usually gets half a tablet twice a day.
Carprofen is a fairly inexpensive prescription that is easy to administer and well tolerated by poultry. Its like a chicken ibuprofen and is for pain and inflammation. Try that on her for a couple of days, and if she improves you know some of cause of that stance is some pain and inflammation. If her stance improves, and you think pain is a significant part of the problem, you can possibly then ask for Tramadol (US name), which is stronger and also well tolerated by chickens, to add to the carprofen (carprofen would be used for inflammation at that point).
Unfortunately with a lot of chicken health problems there is not much you can do. For those that have reproductive or internal problems (kidney, gizzard, gastro tract), I have seen that pain management can help their quality of life.
Just my opinion based on some experience, trying a few different things to see if you hit on something, especially if you have access to a vet/medication.
But you are on the right track with the things you CAN do right now.

Thank you so much for the detailed reply. What an amazing forum this is. You’re correct in thinking I’m not from the US, sorry I should have mentioned this in my post. I’m in England.
The vet prescribed Tylan which is added to her water. I will give him a call tomorrow and request something for direct dosing. Will also discuss something for pain and inflammation as suggested. I‘ve been feeling so helpless so thank you for giving me some further steps I can take.

 

[JB2020]

How does her crop feel? Hard or puffy? It looks enlarged in the picture. Crop disorders can can make them very sick. They can be caused by a slowdown of the digestive system due to infection or cancer in the reproductive tract or elsewhere. She looks very sick, and weak. She probably needs fluids which the vet could give her under her skin. Sorry about your hen.

I was home all day today and she definitely wasn’t drinking or eating as much as she has been. I had her inside for a few hours to keep a close eye on her and she didn’t poo at all so it does seem as things are slowing down. I haven’t noticed her crop is particularly hard or soft and the vet said it was clear last week. Appreciate things might have changed since then though so will definitely check her crop again in the morning.

 

[JB2020]

sorry for the circumstances. Given her age and breed, my gut instinct is that she is suffering reproductive tract issues.

Thank you for taking the time to reply, I was hoping she would bounce back but it’s looking like she is seriously poorly

 

[Eggcessive]

The Tylan water would be good to dip her beak into often or offer some up to her beak in a small cup. You could mix a smaller amount of the Tylan powder into a syringe of water and give a few drops thoughout the day. I hope that she starts getting better soon.

 

[hayley3]

Thank you all so much for your replies.

Thank you so much for the detailed response. I am

Thank you for taking the time to reply. We were hoping to have a few more years with her but it does

Thank you so much for the detailed reply. What an amazing forum this is. You’re correct in thinking I’m not from the US, sorry I should have mentioned this in my post. I’m in England.
The vet prescribed Tylan which is added to her water. I will give him a call tomorrow and request something for direct dosing. Will also discuss something for pain and inflammation as suggested. I‘ve been feeling so helpless so thank you for giving me some further steps I can take.

Did the vet give you an antibiotic that doesn't go into the water, one that you can dose her with? I may have missed that. She is definitely looking quite ill...