Yellow/Green poop, dirty butt, lethargic, breathing sounds like rattling

[Brownix Hobby Farm]

New chicken mom here! In my flock of 22, I have 1 hen that has a poopy butt, yellowy green in color, very lethargic, rattling breathing. I believe her belly feels firm and full, but I'm not quite an expert on that, yet. It's hard to tell in the picture, but her comb is not as red as her sisters.

What could this be? What should my plan of action be? Secondary plan of action? Thank you!

 

[RedHillChicken]

New chicken mom here! In my flock of 22, I have 1 hen that has a poopy butt, yellowy green in color, very lethargic, rattling breathing. I believe her belly feels firm and full, but I'm not quite an expert on that, yet. It's hard to tell in the picture, but her comb is not as red as her sisters.

What could this be? What should my plan of action be? Secondary plan of action? Thank you!

Try to post pictures of her poop. These experts may be able to help.

@Eggcessive
@coach723 @Wyorp Rock

 

[Wyorp Rock]

New chicken mom here! In my flock of 22, I have 1 hen that has a poopy butt, yellowy green in color, very lethargic, rattling breathing. I believe her belly feels firm and full, but I'm not quite an expert on that, yet. It's hard to tell in the picture, but her comb is not as red as her sisters.

What could this be? What should my plan of action be? Secondary plan of action? Thank you!

Welcome To BYC

Give her bum a good wash up and get all the dried poop off. While you're doing that, inspect her for lice/mites.

Have you added any new birds recently?
She has a bit of a sunken eye and it's hard to tell if she has dirt of mucous in the in her nares. You may want to check that out too.

Rattling breathing can be due to respiratory illness, but I'd check her crop to make sure it's emptying overnight. Feel her abdomen below the vent between her legs for any bloat or feeling of fluid.
When was her last egg?
When was she dewormed?
What do you feed, including treats?

I notice you mentioned on another thread you took birds to a fair, were those birds quarantined for a few weeks of observation when you brought them back home?

 

[Eggcessive]

Pictures of her droppings to look for yellow urates would be good. Yellow urates could be a sign of water belly/ascites or liver problems. How old is this hen, and does she still lay eggs? Where did your chickens come from. I agree that her eye looks like some that may have had a respiratory disease in the past, and those can be chronic. Look for any gunk or bubbles in either eye. In hot weather a soiled vent can attract flies who lay maggot eggs and can cause flystrike, a deadly condition. When hens have an enlarged lower belly, their droppings may be messy and get stuck below the vent. I would try to keep it clean if possible. Probiotics or plain Greek yogurt with live cultures (Fage, Greek Gods, Stonyfield and other brands) would be good. Probios or the generic probiotic from feed stores is also good.

 

[RedHillChicken]

Pictures of her droppings to look for yellow urates would be good. Yellow urates could be a sign of water belly/ascites or liver problems. How old is this hen, and does she still lay eggs? Where did your chickens come from. I agree that her eye looks like some that may have had a respiratory disease in the past, and those can be chronic. Look for any gunk or bubbles in either eye. In hot weather a soiled vent can attract flies who lay maggot eggs and can cause flystrike, a deadly condition. When hens have an enlarged lower belly, their droppings may be messy and get stuck below the vent. I would try to keep it clean if possible. Probiotics or plain Greek yogurt with live cultures (Fage, Greek Gods, Stonyfield and other brands) would be good. Probios or the generic probiotic from feed stores is also good.

@Eggcessive , here's some good info I found on salpingitis.

https://nexusacademicpublishers.com/table_contents_detail/4/428/html#google_vignette

 

[Brownix Hobby Farm]

I have now separated her from the rest of the flock. I soaked her in a warm epsom salt soak for about 25 minutes. She has electrolytes, vitamins, and lactobacillus added to her water. I'm not sure when her last egg was. And when I get a pic of her poops, I will post it. We did not quarantine the chickens we brought home from fair, before putting them with the flock. I will always do that from now forward. She seems to have trouble keeping her eyes open for long. Her breathing is rattling. I cleaned her butt as much as I could during her epsom soak.

Thank you for those that have replied. I have now turned on the notifications so I will be better up to speed to reply.

 

[Brownix Hobby Farm]

@Eggcessive , here's some good info I found on salpingitis.

https://nexusacademicpublishers.com/table_contents_detail/4/428/html#google_vignette

Thank you. Her belly doesn't visually look swollen. I felt around, I'm not sure how to identify what I'm really feeling, but nothing seems out of the ordinary. I will keep her clean, and take pics and check her urates. We bought our chickens from Valley Hatchery online 1 year ago In Aug. 2024. The were vaccinated for Marecks.

 

[Brownix Hobby Farm]

Welcome To BYC

Give her bum a good wash up and get all the dried poop off. While you're doing that, inspect her for lice/mites.

Have you added any new birds recently?
She has a bit of a sunken eye and it's hard to tell if she has dirt of mucous in the in her nares. You may want to check that out too.

Rattling breathing can be due to respiratory illness, but I'd check her crop to make sure it's emptying overnight. Feel her abdomen below the vent between her legs for any bloat or feeling of fluid.
When was her last egg?
When was she dewormed?
What do you feed, including treats?

I notice you mentioned on another thread you took birds to a fair, were those birds quarantined for a few weeks of observation when you brought them back home?

View attachment 4202675

Like a fool, we did not quarantine our fair birds before releasing them at home. I will always quarantine moving forward. I'm not sure when her last egg was. She is now separated, and caged for rest, so I will watch for eggs and for poops. I am picking up a flock dewormer tomorrow.
All birds were treated for lice and mites, as a preventative measure before fair. We feed our flock Purina Flock Raiser. And a variety of dried worms, cracked corn, seeds, dried fruit, and frozen sweet corn as treats.
I didn't notice any swelling or firmness in her belly or around her vent. But, I'm very new at this.

 

[Brownix Hobby Farm]

Definitely yellow urates.

 

[Eggcessive]

Let us know how she gets along.