sick chicken. again!

[Tanzchicken]

Hello all,

Ive been on here a number of times reading up on how to treat my flock and everyone seems to be very knowledgeable. SO here my problem...i had a sick chicken that sadly passed away 5 months ago. i thought she was egg bound as she had all the symptoms, but i could never feel an egg and she lasted for months before she passed. Just this week it seems i have another hen showing the same symptoms she hasn't laid an egg in a couple days so i gave her a nice warm bath last night and did not feel an egg in her either. Then i noticed she was having a hard time breathing. The poor thing just sits upstairs in her coop while all the others are downstairs playing and eating all day. She was just sitting there looking so sad the other day and i want to help her the best i can. What could be wrong?? would i see/feel the egg if she was egg bound? and what are the chances i have two egg bound chickens in 6 months? The previous hen that passed away and this one were not in the same coop either. Any help/suggestions?!
I couldn't smell anything either for it to be sour crop.
Thank you in advance.

 

[DobieLover]

Welcome to BYC. Sorry that you joined under these circumstances.
You must not have had a necropsy done on the first girl so it's a guessing game as to what actually killed her. How old was she when she passed?
How old is the current chicken that is having trouble? Does she have a swollen abdomen? Have you checked her crop function to see if it is full at night and empty in the morning? I realize you said you don't smell the sour breath associated with sour crop.
If she will eat and drink on her own, giving her a boost with Poultry nutri-drench or Rooster Booster with electrolytes in her water will help her.

 

[Kiki]

Welcome to BYC.

Couple of questions:

What exactly do you feed your flock?
How old are they?
Have you ever dewormed your birds?

And where about are you located?

 

[Tanzchicken]

Welcome to BYC. Sorry that you joined under these circumstances.
You must not have had a necropsy done on the first girl so it's a guessing game as to what actually killed her. How old was she when she passed?
How old is the current chicken that is having trouble? Does she have a swollen abdomen? Have you checked her crop function to see if it is full at night and empty in the morning? I realize you said you don't smell the sour breath associated with sour crop.
If she will eat and drink on her own, giving her a boost with Poultry nutri-drench or Rooster Booster with electrolytes in her water will help her.

Thank you. No i didn't do a necropsy on the other one. i assumed she passed cause she was egg bound and the egg perhaps broke in her, but now with this next hen showing the same symptoms i'm thinking it may have been something different. The current chicken is about 1 and a half and the chicken that passed was about 2 years old. She is a pretty big healthy chicken to begin with (buff orpington) so i can't really tell if he abdomen is swollen or not. it seems a bit mushy? i'll have to check her crop tonight and in the morning. i've been trying to give her some poultry nutri drench. she eats a little, but not much. I appreciate your response. thank you.

 

[Tanzchicken]

Welcome to BYC.

Couple of questions:

What exactly do you feed your flock?
How old are they?
Have you ever dewormed your birds?

And where about are you located?

Hello,

thanks for your response.
i feed that particular flock crumble layer feed (i have a cross beak so she needs to eat the crumbles so i just give that to them all) i also mush the crumbles with water for her and the others eat some of that as well, along with treats and bread.
They are about 1 and a half years old.
i have not dewormed them. not sure how to go about doing that and i was thinking maybe worms could possible be the issue??
I am located in Massachusetts.

 

[Eggcessive]

How is she sitting? Is she roosting? Can you bring her outside and place her down to see if she is walking normally? While you have her, feel of her crop in her right upper chest to check if it is empty and flat, full and firm chicken crumbles inside, doughy, or puffy/boggy. Then check her lower belly between her legs to see if it appears larger than the others, if it is soft or firm, or tight. Offer some electrolytes, Gatorade, or Poultry NutriDrench orally. Offer cooked egg and wet chicken feed. Is she molting?

 

[Kiki]

Hello,

thanks for your response.
i feed that particular flock crumble layer feed (i have a cross beak so she needs to eat the crumbles so i just give that to them all) i also mush the crumbles with water for her and the others eat some of that as well, along with treats and bread.
They are about 1 and a half years old.
i have not dewormed them. not sure how to go about doing that and i was thinking maybe worms could possible be the issue??
I am located in Massachusetts.

Thank you.
I am thinking (guessing) that they are having reproductive tract problems which can be caused by being over weight from too many treats.

Of course this is just a guess but it is highly probable.

The squishy belly can be internal laying or ascites, both of which can be caused by too many treats (over weight).

If you have been feeding more than one tablespoon of any combination of treats a day you have been feeding too much.

 

[Eggcessive]

Pictures can be helpful.