Eyes closed, lethargic, tail down, falling asleep standing? Crop empty, just dewormed. Need advice please!

[Cinnaminute]

Hi, I need some help on what my first step should be to help my hen. I don't know if I should give her aqua mox or flush for toxins or what. Edit: Just gave her a calcium tablet just in case, since I know 3/6 of the EEs did return to laying after their molt and perhaps she's having some trouble getting started?

I found my 1yr 7mo old Easter Egger hen laying in the coop this morning around 11:50am. She doesn't want to open her eyes but has a couple times. She talks to me when I handle her. When I brought her in, she turns her head like she's looking around but won't open her eyes or she'll open just the right eye. One time she opened her left and I see no damage or cloudiness. Both eyes look bright.

When standing up after I brought her in, she looks like she's falling asleep. Her head will slowly drift down to her chest. Her poop was a bit green and icky but I think that's because she hasn't eaten or drank since sometimes late yesterday. She was fine at 10:30pm when I last checked on everyone. They did free range yesterday around 3pm - later than usual since I had a busy day and couldn't supervise.

I saw her this morning around 9am and she seemed fine but everyone stayed in the coop because of the storms so she likely already was unwell. I went out to check on everyone just about 10 minutes ago and found her like this.

I'm getting some Nutridrench down her. She willingly drinks some if I dip her beak. Turns her head around while she hears me typing this (have her on my lap, she's standing so she has some strength.

She was just dewormed. Finished her last dose of Safeguard on January 7th (I gave them the 5 day in a row treatment along with 4 others of her same age/breed flockmates and they're all fine). Has 3 days left of Corid prevention. She just molted in November/December and has not started laying again yet.

I have aqua mox on hand and electrolytes. Don't know what all I can administer to her at once (during the same day) Just trying to get food and water down her right now. Thank you for any help. I'm leaning on getting some aqua mox down her personally.

 

[Cinnaminute]

About her eyes: Yeah, all day she wouldn't open her eyes at all. And when dipping her beak in fluids, she'd start to walk with her eyes closed for the nearest dark place. Kept the living room light off and kept the dog carrier covered. I figured if the light was bothering her, I'd give her some reprieve from it. The few times she opened her eyes, they looked as they always do and I saw no signs of cloudiness or bubbles. But finally she's got her eyes open like normal!

Her eyes this morning (very hard to get a picture since she actually doesn't want to sit still now - and I accidentally used flash which didn't seem to bother her in the slightest):



As for toxic ingestion: I don't have any immediate suspicions of what she could've ate. They've free ranged the yard for almost a year now. I try to take time to remove any mushrooms or trash I find. We have some toxic plants like an azalea bush she and the others love to hang around underneath. But no one eats it. And they love to scratch through my compost pile of old straw and chicken poop. Usually they just eat bugs they find or leftover seed in the straw that they missed. Sometimes they've gotten into the dog's food... I'll have to see what my family fed him the other day. He gets table scraps and she might've eaten something that made her ill. I had to chase her and several others away the day before yesterday. My family didn't realize I had the chickens out and I didn't realize they put the dog's food out since I was busy working in the yard.

Definitely kept up her fluids! I harassed her all day yesterday, every 15-20 minutes dipping her beak into plain water, electrolytes, nutridrench, and raw egg yolk. She'd let some get in her beak and swallow. I got her a second dose of amoxicillin down her before bed. I could tell she wanted the food and water when I'd first offer it to her. She'd perk up and lean her beak towards it like she wanted to have a go. But then she'd quickly lose interest and I was basically getting drops in her. But I'd spend a good 10 minutes with her, getting as much as I could down her.

Around midnight she finally opened her eyes for the first time all day! She looked at me with such annoyance, turned away from the fluids, and walked herself back into the dog carrier to go to sleep! She was so aggravated with me, grumbling as she went, haha. But that was a very good sign!

Then at 2am I checked on her again. Her eyes were wide open and she started guzzling the water I offered on her own! Drank 1/4 cup of water (been giving her water in measuring cups to monitor her intake).

This morning around 8am I found her awake, eyes open, and she had already been drinking the water I left in the carrier with her! She didn't want her feed, dry or moist, so I cooked her some scrambled egg and she about half of the egg on her own.

Further treatment: So she definitely is on the up! I'm not sure if the amoxicillin is what helped or if whatever toxin entered her body is getting flushed out. I'll see what all food I can entice her with today, give her more amoxicillin, and keep giving her the fluids I was yesterday. I don't know how long I should give her the antibiotic. I'm giving 250mg twice daily as per this thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/amoxicillin-dosage-clarification.1595226/

This morning's poop (starting to see some actual normal in all that green!):


Her posture looks good and she's inquisitive (not 100% normal but huge improvement over yesterday!):

 

[Eggcessive]

I don’t have anything to add except that you could also grind the pills or capsules and mix into cream cheese, yogurt, or watery peanut butter, and squirt into the beak. Amoxicillin tastes pretty bad. Splitting the pill into 2 pieces given orally would be easiest, except most amoxicillin is in capsule form.
Yellow urates can be a sign of liver issues from egg yolk peritonitis, cancer fatty liver disease,, or e.coli infection.

 

[Cinnaminute]

Thank you dawg53 and Eggcessive for your inputs! I appreciate all the advice! And the link, thank you.

I'm suspicious I have more than one thing going on. Mim is the only one with yellow urates. Plus her lethargy is different than the others. She seems actually lethargic whereas Hazel & Gretchen just seem tired but have a ton of spunk the moment you bother them. Plus her appetite isn't normal like theirs is.

I'll go ahead and do what I can for them, without overdoing it. Make sure they're eating plenty, drinking plenty, offer the buttermilk+rice, and some electroylytes. Let things run their course for now, see how things go, and hope I don't regret it. Everyone else is still fine so far.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

If they are all having issues after deworming, then it may be worm toxicity.
I'd definitely get the rice and buttermilk into them, see if they perk up. Work on them drinking well too.

@dawg53 may want to chime in, take a look at atleast your last post and photos.

Hopefully since Stitch did come through and is feeling better the others will too. Not sure if you'll need to give them antibiotics like you did with Stitch, do you have enough Amoxicillin on hand just in case?

 

[dawg53]

I dont believe it's toxic dead worm overload. You've got something else going on with your birds. I recommend that you contact the Georgia Poultry Lab in Tifton, Ga and inquire about sending a bird(s) for necropsy. Here's a link, call them if you wish.
https://www.gapoultrylab.org/Locations/Tifton/

 

[NikTR]

This morning I let my hens out for some fresh air, she was full of energy roaming around for quite a bit. I've also noticed her poop was little green meaning that she hasn't eaten enough to.
She has been eating and drinking as normal but as the day goes on it seams this sleepy head is still under stress, shivering and perhaps on occasions moaning to the other hens that she may be cold or sick.
I'm trying my best to take good care of her. Hopefully she pulls through.

 

[Cinnaminute]

Update: Just wanted to let everyone know how things have gone. I'm relieved to share that my flock of 20 has been normal for over a week now. It's been a little over 2 weeks since I dewormed everyone. They all are active, seemingly healthy, and happy little goofs as they always are.

Cleo - From my other post is currently going through a hard molt but she's her same old self, just very raggedy!



Stitch - Is 100% back to normal and doing great. Seems the aqua mox cleared up whatever was ailing her.




Gretchen - I didn't do much for her. She got electrolytes, buttermilk with rice, and moistened feed from time to time along with everyone else. I let her take her sleepy naps and just made sure she was eating/drinking enough. She perked right back up to her normal self by January 22nd and within a few days began dropping feathers like crazy. She is 100% normal, no weird napping or anything. Just molting super hard. Everywhere she walks she leaves a white feather trail. And by today, the poor dear is nearly bald with tons of prickly new feathers everywhere.

January 22nd

January 23rd

January 25th



Hazel - That one sleepy episode day was the only day she was off. She bounced back and has been great ever since, so that was more of a freak episode.



Mim - I waited nearly a week but the yellow urates continued. So I put her on aqua mox for a week. Within a couple days her urates began turning more off-white and less yellow. She perked back up and is back to her normal self. No more moping in a corner or tail down. She's doing so well, in fact, that I'm back to having a hard time telling between her and Yzma who she's nearly identical to! Her poop blends in with everyone else's now too so I believe she's back to normal!

Some of the last of the yellow urates.


Mim back to her normal self!


All in all, good news all around. No one else has acted strange or off. Everyone who was off is better. Thank you again for the assistance everyone!

So good seeing all of them dust bathing and enjoying themselves again.

 

[HannahCarter]

Sorry these are the only pics my husband took for me today. I planned on getting some with her down, but life got in the way. Will take plenty more tomorrow as well.

 

[Cinnaminute]

@Wyorp Rock Thank you for your response. I greatly appreciate it. No, this is a different hen. The other hen from that thread is completely better now thanks to the advice I got! Seems parasites and starting a molt were to blame for that other hen.

This hen I gave 5 days of Safeguard .23ml per lb of body weight (she got about 1ml per day). Did the same with my others. Final dose was on the 7th.

I've gotten some electrolytes, nutridrench, and plain water down her. Also gave a calcium tablet and about to give the antibiotic just in case that'll help.

She refuses to open her eyes. She stands or lays. She did groom a bit, laying down now taking a nap with all her feathers on her hind fluffed up and head drawn to her.