Possible salpingitis. Practical advice--e. Coli risk for humans?

[Sack9963]

Hey all, we have had a second chicken start acting ill. First one drank excessively, then stopped moving, eating and drinking, had green, then yellow poop, and slowly died.
This one is an 10 month old green queen easter egger. She is lethargic, hunched, drinking CONSTANTLY, like 10oz in two hours if I let her. Poops are explosively watery (no surprise), and were very greenish. After putting charcoal and ropa poultry in her water for a day, poops are more brown (somehow not black!). When I took water away overnight poops looked normal, but are back to mostly water. Yesterday she ate, today she has not, like the first one who died. She is very thin, and it may have been weeks since she last laid an egg. I have done two days of Corid just in case, but it doesn't really look like coccidiosis.

Other posters have said all these symptoms are consistent w/ reproductive infection. If it's salpingitis, that can be salmonella or e. Coli.

Y'all, I'm pregnant, another family member had an organ transplant. Several other chickens in the flock are starting to look lethargic and "off." We love our chickens, but they are for egg laying. If this was you, would you throw in the towel, euthanize the sick bird, and get a necropsy to find out what's going on? Practically, is this a health and safety risk for the humans?

 

[Debbie292d]

Salpingitis is an inflammation of their oviduct. That in itself is not infectious but whatever caused it could be. it can cause lash eggs which is. If this is the case, she/they need a round of antibiotics.

To know for sure what this is, your idea of getting a necropsy is probably very prudent to do especially given the circumstances.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She is lethargic, hunched, drinking CONSTANTLY

Welcome To BYC

I'm sorry your hen is not doing well.
Does she lay eggs?

Photos of her poop and of her?
What do you feed?

Have you see any lash eggs/material?

Constantly drinking ---- check her crop to make sure it's emptying overnight. If it's not, then address that symptom according to the article below.

A crop not emptying is a symptom. Often there is something else going on that will cause the digestive system to slow - this could be a blockage/impaction (long grasses/something in the digestive systme that is hard to pass), worms, reproductive disorders, Coccidiosis and/or infection.

You don't mention what time period is involved in between the pullets getting sick. Check to make sure there's no mold in the feed or feed that is spilled and gotten moldy. Could they have eaten compost, something rotten or dead.

Getting a necropsy is a good option, this way you can get a better understanding of what's going on.

Crop
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Salpingitis Causes
https://the-chicken-chick.com/causes-of-lash-eggs-salpingitis-by/

More info Salpingitis
https://the-chicken-chick.com/salpingitis-lash-eggs-in-backyard/

Hey all, we have had a second chicken start acting ill. First one drank excessively, then stopped moving, eating and drinking, had green, then yellow poop, and slowly died.
This one is an 10 month old green queen easter egger. She is lethargic, hunched, drinking CONSTANTLY, like 10oz in two hours if I let her. Poops are explosively watery (no surprise), and were very greenish. After putting charcoal and ropa poultry in her water for a day, poops are more brown (somehow not black!). When I took water away overnight poops looked normal, but are back to mostly water. Yesterday she ate, today she has not, like the first one who died. She is very thin, and it may have been weeks since she last laid an egg. I have done two days of Corid just in case, but it doesn't really look like coccidiosis.

Other posters have said all these symptoms are consistent w/ reproductive infection. If it's salpingitis, that can be salmonella or e. Coli.

Y'all, I'm pregnant, another family member had an organ transplant. Several other chickens in the flock are starting to look lethargic and "off." We love our chickens, but they are for egg laying. If this was you, would you throw in the towel, euthanize the sick bird, and get a necropsy to find out what's going on? Practically, is this a health and safety risk for the humans?

 

[Sack9963]

Salpingitis is an inflammation of their oviduct. That in itself is not infectious but whatever caused it could be. it can cause lash eggs which is. If this is the case, she/they need a round of antibiotics.

To know for sure what this is, your idea of getting a necropsy is probably very prudent to do especially given the circumstances.

Thanks!! Yup, we're scheduling a necropsy for tomorrow. Hopefully we can sort out what the rest of them need.

 

[Sack9963]

Welcome To BYC

I'm sorry your hen is not doing well.
Does she lay eggs?

Photos of her poop and of her?
What do you feed?

Have you see any lash eggs/material?

Constantly drinking ---- check her crop to make sure it's emptying overnight. If it's not, then address that symptom according to the article below.

A crop not emptying is a symptom. Often there is something else going on that will cause the digestive system to slow - this could be a blockage/impaction (long grasses/something in the digestive systme that is hard to pass), worms, reproductive disorders, Coccidiosis and/or infection.

You don't mention what time period is involved in between the pullets getting sick. Check to make sure there's no mold in the feed or feed that is spilled and gotten moldy. Could they have eaten compost, something rotten or dead.

Getting a necropsy is a good option, this way you can get a better understanding of what's going on.

Crop
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Salpingitis Causes
https://the-chicken-chick.com/causes-of-lash-eggs-salpingitis-by/

More info Salpingitis
https://the-chicken-chick.com/salpingitis-lash-eggs-in-backyard/

Thank you, those are great questions. We haven't seen any eggs positively attributable to her in over 6 weeks.

We have been feeding a whole grain commercial layer feed. They have been picking through it, and we've been thinking the one who died first (the fussiest, pickiest hen in the flock) had cherry-picked her way to some nutritional deficiency. This one may have as well. We started to suspect feed might be a problem in some way over a month ago, but they have been eating through multiple bags that all smell clean. They don't have access to household/garden compost or livestock carcasses.

When I withheld water overnight, her crop did not empty. It was still squishy/watery feeling in the morning. They do free range and have access to growing grass.
We wormed with Safeguard at the end of Feb; there were some egg deformities, hens not looking thrifty then, and that helped. We didnot do a 10 day follow up. The same symptoms were returning, so we wormed with Valbazen two weeks ago and just did a 10 day follow up, and the hens look worse each time we treat them.

Thank you for the links!