Sick chicken, what should I look for..?

[Agathe]

Not looking for a diagnosis but suggestions for what I might have missed when examining her. Found her fluffed up and hunched over yesterday. She was like this all day but perked up when I offered her treats so she has an appetite. When she didn't get better I brought her inside. Her crop feels normal, can't feel anything strange in her abdomen, no liquid from nostrils, no sneezing or anything else visible or audible. All the other chickens seem fine and I understand coccidiosis mainly occurs during rain? We had rain yesterday but not a lot and she was like this before it started and otherwise it's been very dry for a long time so no drinking from puddles. She has not pooped at all overnight. She still has an appetite. Haven't seen her drink though. When I lift her she may seem lighter than I'd expect as she's number 2 in pecking order and therefore has first dibs on food, but she's not alarmingly skinny. I've had a chicken with sour crop before and she was light like a feather. Can't think of anything else significant. She is about 3 years so no spring chicken and she is an australops/lohman mix, and I believe these breeds that lay a lot also tend to not live as long?

 

[Agathe]

Update: She just pooped. Looks like a normal poop other than more pee than poo, not runny, but more smelly than normal for it being an ordinary poop.

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you be more specific about how her crop feels? Is it empty first thing in the morning, or is it still full, firm, or squishy? Does she lay eggs with normal shells? Poop pictures and one of the hen would be helpful. Can you offer some watery chicken feed and scrambled egg? I would get her drinking by holding a cup up to her beak.

 

[Agathe]

Can you be more specific about how her crop feels? Is it empty first thing in the morning, or is it still full, firm, or squishy? Does she lay eggs with normal shells? Poop pictures and one of the hen would be helpful. Can you offer some watery chicken feed and scrambled egg? I would get her drinking by holding a cup up to her beak.

I didn't think to feel her crop in the early morning, but will do so tomorrow. It's more firm than squishy. I believe she laid an egg yesterday and it was normal, no abnormal eggs recently, haven't seen any abnormal poops either. I can totally make her some scrambled eggs. She seems to have perked up a bit today and I've had her out on the grass, but she's not back to her normal self. All normal poops with dark and white, not runny at all.

 

[Eggcessive]

Let us know how she gets along. Worming using with Valbazen or SafeGuard liquid goat wormer or horse paste, might be something to do. I have dosages. Coccidiosis is more common in very young chickens unless the chickens has poor immunity or is sickly. Older ones have built up tolerance for coccidia in their environment. But Corid is safe to use if you fell like that is a problem.

 

[Agathe]

Let us know how she gets along. Worming using with Valbazen or SafeGuard liquid goat wormer or horse paste, might be something to do. I have dosages. Coccidiosis is more common in very young chickens unless the chickens has poor immunity or is sickly. Older ones have built up tolerance for coccidia in their environment. But Corid is safe to use if you fell like that is a problem.

Thank you! She eats her scrambled eggs but not as enthusiastically as she normally would. She’s laid no eggs today. My guess is she has something going on internally and with no local vets with a clue about chickens I doubt she’ll make it. But I’ll care for her as long as there’s still hope.

 

[Eggcessive]

Check her crop during the day to tell us if it is puffy or firm, and again in the am to see if it has emptied overnight. Crop problems can make them ill, and may accompany another illness.

 

[Agathe]

Check her crop during the day to tell us if it is puffy or firm, and again in the am to see if it has emptied overnight. Crop problems can make them ill, and may accompany another illness.

Her crop has not emptied overnight and is still firm. She's not interested in food this morning. Poops still look normal. Is there anything I can do if there is a crop issue? My one sour crop hen last year did not make it. I tried the cream and all tips I could find but she got so skinny in the end that I had to put her down. This one does not have the same symptoms though, no squishy crop and no sour smell.

 

[Agathe]

Check her crop during the day to tell us if it is puffy or firm, and again in the am to see if it has emptied overnight. Crop problems can make them ill, and may accompany another illness.

It seems to always be firm. She hasn't pooped or eaten all day. I'm feeding her water with a syringe.

 

[Agathe]

She still won’t eat or drink on her own. She’ll eat scrambled eggs once or twice a day but only plain scrambled eggs. If I try to put herbs or something potentially helpful in it, she won’t have it. Poop still normal, crop still firm. She’ll come outside with me and bathe and peck around but she won’t really eat anything other than a small pebble now and then. She purrs when she hears me coming and seems to not be overly troubled but just won’t eat or drink.