Hen lethargic, and throwing up

[Blue_Myst]

My hen took ill last night. She was huddled in a corner of the coop with her eyes closed and feathers fluffed. I took her inside and got her to eat and drink a little bit. She had yellowish-green watery poo all night but ate a little oatmeal this morning.

I checked her crop, and it was very small and watery, like she'd been drinking rather than eating. I've been giving my girls apple cider vinegar in their water everyday, so it probably isn't sour crop.

Her abdomen isn't extended--though she hasn't laid an egg in months.

She is very skinny, and clearly hasn't eaten much in days.

Long story short, tonight I found her huddled in a corner of the coop again, but this time when I went to pick her up to bring her inside, everytime her head lowered a thick mucousy liquid poured from her beak.

I feel awful that I didn't notice how skinny she was. Does this sound like a crop problem? Worms? Any suggestions or advice are appreciated, I'm at a loss

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I have seen that clear vomit with worms.

Weight loss could be worms, too. If it were me I'd worm her and give her some tlc like feeding scrambled eggs and plain unsweetened yogurt for treats. They do stop eating so much with worms after they have had them awhile from my experience, even though the books say "eat more" with worms.

Some vets do a fecal test for worms for a small fee. Remember to toss eggs (egg withdrawal period) after wormers. Wazine only gets rid of roundworms.

 

[teach1rusl]

Gosh, I don't know. When I think of vomiting, I always think of crop issues. But if you're not feeling a blockage, then....??? Any smell coming from the mouth/beak area??

Other than the throwing up (at least I don't recall it), the symptoms you're describing make me think of internal laying issues. I had a salmon faverolle who eventually died from that. She was not laying, but would appear normal for a while - then act sick (puffed up, not eating, low energy). The first time she went through it, I was shocked at how little she weighed - I didn't realize she hadn't been eating. She'd peck a bit here and there at the feed or at grass, but wasn't really eating. But then I'd baby her and she'd improve - put weight back on and seem to have more energy. In a 4 month period, she got pretty down 3 or 4 times. The last time she just couldn't pull out of it. I do remember watery/greenish poo too each time she went through it. You might do a search on "internal laying" and see if that sounds anything like your girl.

 

[Blue_Myst]

Thanks for the information everyone. I've wondered about internal laying issues, and she may very well have them since she hasn't laid in so long, but her abdomen isn't distended like it usually is with internal laying. It's still a good possibility.

She may very well have worms then. I don't worm my chickens regularly, though I give them probiotics a few times a month and always keep ACV in their water. I had a chicken die a few months back, and no worms were found in her intestines, but I know she doesn't represent all of my chickens.

I did more reading and found that vomiting can be caused by a bacterial or fungal crop infection. I'll either start her on worm treatment or antibiotics tomorrow (I don't have fungal meds). I'll have to examine her condition and see what she's capable of handling.

Thank you again for the helpful advice!

 

[CobaltChick]

I know this post was years and years ago, but I have a question, because I recently culled my hen that had these exact symptoms because I didn't have anywhere to keep her separated. Are worms contagious? What can I put in my flocks water or food that could help? One of the other posts mentioned ACV, but does that really help? I don't want the rest of my flock getting sick (30 other hens), so if you could recommend anything I'd be grateful