need some direction for a sick chicken

[awagnon]

@azygous, should she stop the Epsom salts now since her crop is empty, her droppings are pure fluid, and she is so weak? Do you have any NutriDrench or electrolytes? If not, can you feed some sugar water, 1 tsp per cup?

Hi @Eggcessive I mixed the Nutri-drench in her last two feedings. Some sugar was added to the food mixture too. I mixed thin cream of wheat, a tsp of sugar, nutri-drench and a raw egg as her food. Nothing is seeming to pep her up anymore.

 

[azygous]

I don't think she's going to get better. There should have been some noticeable improvement by now. She could surprise us in the morning with an uptick. But we need to prepare for the opposite.

I would stop all flushes and feedings other than what she will consume on her own.

 

[awagnon]

I don't think she's going to get better. There should have been some noticeable improvement by now. She could surprise us in the morning with an uptick. But we need to prepare for the opposite.

I would stop all flushes and feedings other than what she will consume on her own.

Yeah, I was preparing for the worst all day with her. She's just lying there with her eyes closed and her beak almost on the bottom of the crate. She opens her eyes when I walk by, but doesn't try to get up or move. I wasn't expecting this to happen for another couple of years. She would be 3 years old in March. I had read this hybrid breed's life expectancy was usually about 5 years because they lay so prolifically. I will miss her little tap dances & squats she did when she saw me coming out to the run.

 

[azygous]

Some years back I got four production breeds. Three died before they were three years old. Only one is still alive. Cancer and reproductive infection are the most common causes of death. These hens have very enjoyable personalities, but due to their tragically short lives, I won't ever get any more.

 

[awagnon]

Some years back I got four production breeds. Three died before they were three years old. Only one is still alive. Cancer and reproductive infection are the most common causes of death. These hens have very enjoyable personalities, but due to their tragically short lives, I won't ever get any more.

Yeah, I won't get this breed again either given their higher likelihood of these issues. I only have one other girl of the same breed. She is seemingly healthy although she's stopped laying several months ago when it got hot here and then of course now she's molting....sigh.

 

[awagnon]

RIP little Freckles. She passed overnight last night.

 

[azygous]

You and she put up a magnificent fight.

Are you up for doing a necropsy? You might see something obvious that was behind all this.

 

[awagnon]

You and she put up a magnificent fight.

Are you up for doing a necropsy? You might see something obvious that was behind all this.

I was planning to, but I have no idea what tools I need or how to do it and have already cremated her earlier this morning. I do want to know how and what I need to do this going forward though. Do you have any information on doing one?

 

[azygous]

I've done lots of them. There is a lot you can see with an untrained eye when you unzip a chicken's abdominal cavity. Internal laying evidenced by multiple "hard boiled" eggs, thousands of tiny tumors on organs pointing to cancer, soupy, smelly liquid in the abdominal cavity that points to reproductive infection are all easily recognized by an untrained eye.

 

[awagnon]

I've done lots of them. There is a lot you can see with an untrained eye when you unzip a chicken's abdominal cavity. Internal laying evidenced by multiple "hard boiled" eggs, thousands of tiny tumors on organs pointing to cancer, soupy, smelly liquid in the abdominal cavity that points to reproductive infection are all easily recognized by an untrained eye.

what types of tools do you need to do this and how do you go about it?