Lethargic Hen, Overdrinking and Weird Smell

[Rachel504]

Hello o/ Yesterday morning I noticed one of my Easter Egger hens was walking very slowly and staying away from the flock. I gave her some Nutri-drench which usually helps (I suspected it was due to the heat and she had similar problems last year), but she was doing no better today. This morning I felt her stomach and it was full. When I set her on my lap, she suddenly vomited and it smelled like something rotten. I am suspecting sour crop. Right now she is in the house with some electrolyte water and yogurt.

She is also drinking a lot, like every minute, and having very watery, smelly poop. She nibbled at the yogurt a bit, but I don't think it was enough to help. Would it be safe to syringe the yogurt? I also heard you can make the chicken vomit, but that it is very dangerous. I am not sure what else to do and would really appreciate any advice with this. Thank you

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Slow crop or sour crop, maybe thrush or what they call vent gleet. I always try yogurt first to see if it will get them back on track, but she may need additional help. Let me find the article that will help you.

How old is she?

This is a lot to read, but will help you make the proper diagnosis and treatment.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/vent-gleet-aka-nasty-chicken-butt.64647/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/vent-gleet-aka-nasty-chicken-butt.64647/

 

[Rachel504]

Thank you for the links. My hen is 4 years old. Her vent is clear, just a bit messy from all the watery poop. So I doubt it's vent gleet. This morning her stomach was still full and she is acting the same. I replaced her water and syringe fed her yogurt. I'll keep feeding her yogurt throughout the day, really hoping she pulls through.

 

[rebrascora]

When you say her stomach is full, whereabouts do you mean ie between her legs and or below her vent. Some people occasionally and mistakenly refer to the crop as the stomach. I am guessing you are meaning her abdomen. Fullness there is often caused by reproductive problems but can be down to other health issues like liver and heart trouble. Does it feel like a water balloon (ascites) or more of a solid mass? Is it sort of hanging between her legs or higher and further back below her vent?
The problem with all of these ailments means that sooner or later things start to get tight for space in the abdominal cavity and that starts to put pressure on the gut and can constrict it, causing the birds digestive tract to get stopped back and the crop to become slow and possibly go sour which would make her breath smell bad. Nasty smelling poop usually indicates an infection, perhaps because she is unable to get rid of waste. Usually such birds will poop mostly clear or white urates and very little proper faeces. They are also prone to fly strike at this time of year because their vents get soiled, so important to keep them clean and a fly repellent salve (horse wound salve) works well.
Unfortunately these issues are usually untreatable and prove fatal sooner or later. If it feels like the swelling is at least partly fluid, then it can be drained to give significant and almost instant relief but the fluid will build up again because the underlying issue (usually a reproductive problem) is still there. There is a really good You Tube video on draining a hen if you feel you want to try that. I will try to find it for you. Actually there are many You Tube videos on the subject but this one is the best I have seen....

 

[Wishing4Wings]

So sorry. The first article was supposed to be about sour crop. It is worth the read.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...d-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments.67194/

4 years old does not surprise me. That was the age some of my layer hens first started having health problems. I hope your little hens gets better.

 

[rebrascora]

Here is a link to the video.....

 

[Rachel504]

Oh sorry, by stomach I meant her crop. I'm not really comfortable draining her, though. I got some Sav-A-Chick probiotic from the feed store today that I put in her water. I have heard of people using Monistat to treat sour crop and I will try to get some tomorrow, but I'll probably use it as a last resort since I'm worried about giving her a human medicine. My mom suggested baking soda too. Would baking soda help at all? And how much would be ok to give her? Thank you all for the help.

 

[Rachel504]

I gave her some nutri-drench this morning, but she immediately started vomiting badly. She was also shivering a bit before this and was not drinking at all. I picked up some Monistat today and gave her 1mL with some water added. I will give her another dose in the evening. She is a lot less active today, worried she might not make it.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

It sounds like she is pretty bad off. It you look through that article I linked about sour crop, it will give you some ideas to try. I know the article is long, but scroll down until you get to the slow crop and sour crop sections. You may want to try to empty her crop. I know it is dangerous, but she doesn't seem to be getting better at this point, and the stuff in her crop has turned toxic and needs to be removed. It's a tough choice.

Sometimes older hens have egg problems, like internal laying. That in turn can cause digestive problems as their abdomen fills with yolk. Has this hen laid an egg recently? It may be a clue to why she is having problems.

 

[Rachel504]

I'd like to empty her crop, I'm just not sure if I should give the monistat time or go through with vomiting her. I don't want to accidentally kill her if she has a chance. And no, I didn't see any eggs from her before this started. But I checked her abdomen when I first brought her in and it wasn't swollen, so I assumed she wasn't egg bound.