My chicken is Isolating and not eating or drinking, please help!

[Chicksandme]

She is a 1 1/2 yr old Orpington/sikie/sussex mixed breed from my flock and she has been a sweet girl. She has been separating herself away from the flock for last couple weeks. About a week ago she went into the smaller coop where I keep the 6 rescued chickens from my neighbor to get them acclimated to a new environment and make sure they are not sick. She went there i think to get away from some of the dominate girls in the big coop at first but noticed she didn't roost but was on the bottom on the opposite side.

Symptoms: Isolating, roosting low and nesting box if hiding from others, not eating, not drinking, she is lethargic, Loose poop has clear and white liquid with thin green pellet-ish looking stuff.

It doesn't look like leg problem, she is able to get around but she look very low in energy and seems very lethargic. I finally got her out of the coop and she is in the house in a cage but i can't get her to eat or drink. I made her a low perch where she sits and not really eating drinking or moving, PLEASE HELP!

I have attached some picture of her and the poop that is clear and white liquid with thin green pellet looking things. I read somewhere where the poop is similar to a girl that was dying of cancer or Egg Yolk Peritonitis, i hope it isn't either of them.

 

[Little Chicken Girl]

I am not an expert but this might help...

• Has your hen been getting thin (i.e. you can feel her breastbone sticking out)?
• When was the last time she was dewormed and what did you use? (Internal parasitic overgrowths often lead to digestive problems/bacterial infections/illness. Plus, most dewormers only cover a certain spectrum of internal parasites)
• Does she have nasal discharge/congestion?
• Do you know if she has laid any eggs recently?

Here is a link that might help you identify chicken illnesses via droppings (I have found it helpful): http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/02/whats-scoop-on-chicken-poop-digestive.html

My opinion: I would check her for external parasites (particularly near the vent and under the wings). I would also feel her abdomen (bellow the vent area) for any swelling (which could mean egg-laying issues).

 

[Chicksandme]

I am not an expert but this might help...

• Has your hen been getting thin (i.e. you can feel her breastbone sticking out)?
• When was the last time she was dewormed and what did you use? (Internal parasitic overgrowths often lead to digestive problems/bacterial infections/illness. Plus, most dewormers only cover a certain spectrum of internal parasites)
• Does she have nasal discharge/congestion?
• Do you know if she has laid any eggs recently?

Here is a link that might help you identify chicken illnesses via droppings (I have found it helpful): http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/02/whats-scoop-on-chicken-poop-digestive.html

My opinion: I would check her for external parasites (particularly near the vent and under the wings). I would also feel her abdomen (bellow the vent area) for any swelling (which could mean egg-laying issues).

Little chicken girl,
Thanks for responding to my post, i'm so depressed about the situation on her. I'm getting ready to do an exam on her to see if I can see anything that would give a better idea, this particular girl has not been handled too much so I hope she doesn't fight me too much.

She does not have any discharge and I'm not sure if she has really lost weight, so hard to tell when you have to keep track of 33 hens and 4 chicks, i actually lost about 3 chickens from predator that we have here. I actually am wondering if its a bacteria infection or worm issue because i really haven't officially do a de-worming process for a long time. In the warmer season i gave them pumpkin and give them ACV in there water couple times for a week every other month or so. I do have the Wazine that I used sometime earlier when I started my flock over 2 years ago. Far as her egg laying, i don't think she has, i thought maybe with the colder weather she stopped but that also can be a reason.

We did have some mite issues while back in the summer time but i thought i had it under control but i must check for that again. I did call the local vets to see if they would do a fecal float for my birds. I did get an appointment to drive out of town to take my chicken to a aviary Vet in Placerville tomorrow morning, i really was hoping I can do something on my own because of the cost. I hope she is not too far gone for that....

 

[crazychick26201]

Little chicken girl,
Thanks for responding to my post, i'm so depressed about the situation on her. I'm getting ready to do an exam on her to see if I can see anything that would give a better idea, this particular girl has not been handled too much so I hope she doesn't fight me too much.

She does not have any discharge and I'm not sure if she has really lost weight, so hard to tell when you have to keep track of 33 hens and 4 chicks, i actually lost about 3 chickens from predator that we have here. I actually am wondering if its a bacteria infection or worm issue because i really haven't officially do a de-worming process for a long time. In the warmer season i gave them pumpkin and give them ACV in there water couple times for a week every other month or so. I do have the Wazine that I used sometime earlier when I started my flock over 2 years ago. Far as her egg laying, i don't think she has, i thought maybe with the colder weather she stopped but that also can be a reason.

We did have some mite issues while back in the summer time but i thought i had it under control but i must check for that again. I did call the local vets to see if they would do a fecal float for my birds. I did get an appointment to drive out of town to take my chicken to a aviary Vet in Placerville tomorrow morning, i really was hoping I can do something on my own because of the cost. I hope she is not too far gone for that....

 

[crazychick26201]

I have a chicken who is acting just like that. Can you please update and tell me what happened? What did the vet find?

 

[Eggcessive]

If she has not been laying, it might be a reproductive disorder such as internal laying, egg yolk peritonitis, salpingitis, ascites, cancer, or something like fatty liver disease. Unfortunately most of those diseases are not easy to diagnose until the hen is dead when you can perform a necropsy yourself at home, or get one done by your state vet. Most of the hens I have had who suffer from those things will eat a cooked egg chopped up.

I would feel of her crop to see if it is empty, or full and hard or puffy. Crop problems can themselves be separate, but many chickens with reproductive problems suffer the slow or impacted crop symptoms. Feel of her lower belly for enlargement or swelling. The droppings in the picture look like some I have seen.

Baytril is an antibiotic that vets are not supposed to prescribe to chickens in the US, but some will treat chickens with salpingitis with it if you promise not to eat the meat or eggs. Some get Baytril online and treat the chicken themselves, just to see if the hen will get better. Most of the diseases above are not curable even with antibiotics, but it may prolong her life. You can get it here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/baytril-enrofloxacin-sources.959119/

If she is suffering and still not eating or drinking, I would think about putting her down.

 

[Eggcessive]

Oops, I just realized this is an old thread, so it may be too late for the original bird.

I have a chicken who is acting just like that. Can you please update and tell me what happened? What did the vet find?

You may get more response on your chicken with starting a new thread.

 

[crazychick26201]

Thanks, eggsessive! My problem is current. My hen does have a slow crop, but not a sour crop. I have treated her with Oxytetracycline for 4 days, but she showed no improvement. Her tail is up, her comb is red. But she has no appetite, eating little else but rice. She does not want to eat anything gritty or crunchy. She will eat cooked rice, small pieces of apple, and that’s about it. She won’t eat yogurt, scrambled egg, or moistened mash. She is still drinking. Her place in the pecking order has dropped to bottom and the other girls are now harassing her. I have had blood work done but the report has not come back.i need to keep her alive until we find out something. If she continues into next week, I will have to have her put down, but for now she is attempting all things the others do, except dust bathing, which I also find strange. Thanks for your help.

 

[Eggcessive]

I live next to WV just over the border. I have never had a necropsy done, but I would recommend sending her refrigerated body into the state poultry vet for a necropsy if you lose or cull her., to get a diagnosis. If that is not possible, you can try doing a necropsy yourself to look at and take pictures of her liver and other organs. Post any here for help. The WV state vet is at the bottom of this link: http://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

 

[crazychick26201]

Thanks. I called the number for the WV state in Moorefield. Guess what! They don’t do necropsy in WV. I have to have my local vet do it. I thought every state had to have this available. She is doing a little better, by the way, so I hope she pulls through.