What's wrong with my chicken?

[dunnsgirl7]

We just received 6 hens about a week and a half ago from my grandpa. We don't know too much about chickens yet, so I'm not quite sure what is wrong with her... Last night my husband went to close up the coop, and noticed her sitting/laying on the ground and not up on the roost. This morning when he went to let them out, she was still up on the roost, while all the others were on the ground and ready to be let out. They all rushed out for the morning treats, and she just stayed right there. So my husband placed her outside, and she just waddled over into the long grass and sat down again. They are pretty flighty birds since my grandpa never spent time with them, so they won't let us get very close to them or touch them. We don't know which hens lay eggs either, yet. Not sure if she's egg-bound or what is happening. It's been hot the last few days here, but the other chickens are doing fine. They're all a little over a year old, so I doubt she's just having a hard time dealing with the weather. Could she have an injury? We can't really afford a vet, so we're just not sure what to do.
Any ideas?

 

[ALRwild]

Hi, I'm new hear too! I bet your chicken is egg bound. Sometimes putting them in a warm bath for 20min. will help them relax, and get the egg out. Just make sure your chicken is dry before you put her back outside.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Someone is going to have to examine this chicken to get more information. First of all, is it possible to catch her and put her in a box or small cage? Isolating her so you can gather information is the first step. Give her food and water and watch to make sure she is eating and drinking. After that, watch her poo and report back here. There is a lot that can be gathered by the color and consistency of the poo.

If you are able to touch her, feel around her vent and see if you can feel an egg that needs to be laid. If they are having trouble passing an egg, you will generally see them straining and even be able to see an egg right inside. Also, check through the feathers to see if she has mites or lice. The easiest way i've found to do this is to hold the bird in one arm, then tip them forward, with their bottom up towards you. If they have mites or lice, you will generally see them around the feathers of the vent area. Also, ask your grandfather when the chickens were last wormed.

Let us know once you have gathered more information. There can be so many things that might be wrong. You're going to have to play detective. Let us know how it goes.

 

[dunnsgirl7]

Ok, so I just asked my hubby, and he said there is bright green diarrhea poop stuck to her feathers... I am off to get a kennel from my brother-in-law and see if I can get her in there.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i copied this from another post:

"according to Damerow's book "The Chicken Health Handbook"..
florescent green , or blue green droppings is caused by moldy grain..
green droppings can also be caused by undiluted bile from the liver..especially if they don't eat enough."


i experienced this with one of my silkie hens. Turns out she had liver cancer, which i did not discover until after she passed and we did a necropsy. Perhaps go with the notion that your chicken is not getting enough food. If you can container her and give her some extra special treats, like mashed hard boiled egg, that may help. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Jeeper1540]

Sonds egg bound, and with a broken egg inside. you need to act fast, here is the post from when mine was eggbound. they all seem to share the same symptoms.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=352762

 

[dunnsgirl7]

I have her isolated... she is barely moving... laying down and closing her eyes... not talking... not eating or drinking. When I've looked at her poop, she has liquid green stuck to her feathers, but what I've seen coming out is runny and white. Just kinda squirting out periodically. I can't feel any hard mass like a bound egg, but now I'm wondering if the egg broke inside? I tried to look for mites around her vent and didn't see any. Her nose doesn't look like it's runny either. The hubby did say that either yesterday or the day before he went to gather the eggs, and one of them had been completely eaten (we can't tell which one(s), but they have a bad habit of pecking/breaking/eating the eggs). Would this cause issues inside her, if she was the one to eat it? Maybe the shell is now stuck and won't let her pass any more eggs so the egg broke? I honestly don't know. I don't know what to do or how to help her! Should I try a warm bath? She is acting like she is dying... just kinda letting her head fall and closing her eyes... only opens them for a second when you touch her or try to move her.

Oh, one other thing: She is sort of favoring one leg. When I tried to get her to stand, she leaned to one side and seemed to limp while she took a step. I looked and one of her nails/talons is broken and hanging there. Would this injury cause all of this? I don't know if it's an old injury and she's just leaning/limping because she's in pain inside, or if she is now laying down because of her claw. But I wouldn't think that white runny poop is good... or that she wouldn't be eating or drinking...

 

[dunnsgirl7]

Bump

 

[dunnsgirl7]

Went to the feed store and got some powder to treat for mites. Also got some vitamin/electrolyte stuff to put in the water. She hasn't ate/drank all day... has stopped pooping as well. Had to feed her some of the water with a medicine dropper. Keeps tilting her head to the side/laying her head down, like she's just giving up. I can't figure it out if it's internal, or if it has something to do with her toenail/claw that is ripped. You'd think that if it was the toe, that she would still be eating/drinking a little bit more alert, but just limping or something. Hopefully tomorrow we'll see some improvement?!

 

[NWChicks]

Quote:
Hi there. Hope your girl is doing better. I was wondering if you've checked the poo for the other girls and how they're doing? If she has eaten moldy grain or is ill with a virus/bacterial illness the other hens would probably be exhibiting some symptoms. Especially if they are all consuming moldy grain. Are the others behaving normally; eating, drinking, pecking, not just standing around sleeping all day. How do their tails look? Up and perky or droopy looking? Are the neck feathers smooth or do they look fluffed out?

Were they free-ranged or in a run at grandpas and how are they kept now? I only ask this because if they are all kept in a run the others would definitely be effected if they had eaten something bad. If they are free ranged then your sick girl could have gotten into something not good for her. Sorry for so many questions but these are things I look for in mine to help determine what's going on. They all tell you something about how the bird is feeling (fluffed neck feathers can mean a fever). If only one bird is effected then it might be something related to the broken toe, if the others have symptoms then you are dealing with something viral/bacterial.

I hope you get it figured out soon.