Sick Golden Comet Hen, egg bound or organ failure?

[KayLynea]

Hi everyone!
I’m relatively new to having/raising chickens (approx. 2 years) and I’m encountering an issue with one of girls right now that I can’t seem to find good information on.

I acquired her from a guy who no longer wanted his 2 golden comets, so I’m not sure how old she is. If I had to guess, I would say 3 or 4 years.

Age: 3-4 yrs old
Type: Golden Comet Hen
Issue: Within the last few weeks, her comb has gotten pale, and over the last couple days it is extremely pale (I will post pics).
She has greenish/white poop, her tail is pointed down, she lays down frequently in random spots and seems to be sleeping, she’s not eating or drinking.

the last 2 Nights I have had to go out in the dark and carry her into the coop because she is too weak to walk there herself for bedtime. However, she leaves the coop as soon as the sun comes up. She is walking very slowly.

her crop is not full, no noticeable parasites in her feces, her vent is not dirty, she is not breathing abnormally, she doesn’t feel too hot or too cold, and no mites or bugs present. Her tail is pointed down, but not pulsing or signs of straining. She will walk a little bit and then lay down. I have been trying to give her water with electrolytes and yogurt.

could she be eggbound? I am unsure of the last time I observed her laying an egg.

 

[Eggcessive]

Golden comets are great layers for a shorter time. From the symptoms you have describe, and the yellow and white dropping, I would guess that she has a reproductive disorder, such as egg yolk peritonitis, internal laying from salpingitis, or ascites. Oviduct cancer is also possible, and another cause of ascites. A necropsy after death would probably be useful to see what was going on. I would think putting her down if she doesn’t eat, or she seems to be suffering. Sorry that it seems like she probably won’t live too much longer.

 

[KayLynea]

Golden comets are great layers for a shorter time. From the symptoms you have describe, and the yellow and white dropping, I would guess that she has a reproductive disorder, such as egg yolk peritonitis, internal laying from salpingitis, or ascites. Oviduct cancer is also possible, and another cause of ascites. A necropsy after death would probably be useful to see what was going on. I would think putting her down if she doesn’t eat, or she seems to be suffering. Sorry that it seems like she probably won’t live too much longer.

Thank you so much for the response! You gave me some great information.
I was unfortunately thinking this might be the case.

 

[Eggcessive]

You can insert a clean finger into her vent just to check for a stuck egg, to rule that out. Here is an article about EYP:
http://www.theveterinaryexpert.com/backyard-poultry/egg-yolk-peritonitis/

 

[KayLynea]

You can insert a clean finger into her vent just to check for a stuck egg, to rule that out. Here is an article about EYP:
http://www.theveterinaryexpert.com/backyard-poultry/egg-yolk-peritonitis/

Okay, so this is now day 5 of these symptoms and my hen (Beatrice) seems a little better.
I inserted a finger into the vent and no egg was found.
If this was her being egg-bound, her symptoms would’ve gotten worse by now, right?
She is drinking and eating a little bit on her own, and moving around a tiny bit. She gets out of the coop in the morning, and has been putting herself in the coop at night. She doesn’t have enough strength to roost, so she is just laying on the floor of the coop.
She still lays in the run all day long & is tired/week.
Her tail feathers are still pointed straight down.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry that she isn’t better. I doubt that she is or was eggbound, but is probably suffering from a reproductive disorder. If she keeps eating and getting around some, I would hope that she is not suffering.