Sick chicken help, please 😭

[Pyriel127]

Hello everyone, I’m new here, and also new to chicken issues. My hen was doing just fine yesterday running open range when we let the flock out, eating drinking, etc. today she was lethargic and just plopping herself down. Sometimes even slightly to one side. She is drinking her probiotic electrolytes water mix I made her, and kinda pecked a few times at her food. Her crop is not really full
But it feels like hard marbles, not sure what to do. She had a really nasty smelling diarrhea poo, no blood. We just treated them for worms as some have exhibited tape worms, but this ended, about 2 days ago. She didn’t have worms in her poo. I’m not sure what could be going on with my poor girl. Any thoughts?

 

[Pyriel127]

 

[DobieLover]

But it feels like hard marbles

Do they feel like they will break up if you gently massage them?
What has she had access to?
I would feed her about a teaspoon of coconut oil then massage the crop to try to break up the contents. And give her water via syringe or tubing. You need to be very careful syringing water into a chicken to prevent aspirating them. This is what their throat looks like:

The hole in the tongue leads to the airway. Syringe carefully with a 1cc syringe as shown. You will want to try to get at least 20ccs into the crop for a massage.

The only food with her should be a very wet mash made from her normal feed along with a container of fresh water for her to drink.

How old is your hen?

She had a really nasty smelling diarrhea poo

This could mean she has an infection. I might consider running her through a course of amoxicillin. I use Fishmox or other amoxicillin for fish that comes in 250mg capsules. Give a 5# bird one 250mg capsule, twice daily for 5 to 7 days.

 

[Pyriel127]

Do they feel like they will break up if you gently massage them?
What has she had access to?
I would feed her about a teaspoon of coconut oil then massage the crop to try to break up the contents. And give her water via syringe or tubing. You need to be very careful syringing water into a chicken to prevent aspirating them. This is what their throat looks like:
View attachment 4088394
The hole in the tongue leads to the airway. Syringe carefully with a 1cc syringe as shown. You will want to try to get at least 20ccs into the crop for a massage.

The only food with her should be a very wet mash made from her normal feed along with a container of fresh water for her to drink.

How old is your hen?

This could mean she has an infection. I might consider running her through a course of amoxicillin. I use Fishmox or other amoxicillin for fish that comes in 250mg capsules. Give a 5# bird one 250mg capsule, twice daily for 5 to 7 days.

Hi thank you for the response. She is a year old. So I think what I’m feeling might be her anatomy as it feels symmetrical. She just poo’d again. And it was not as bad as the first. Just before she did that she was breathing with her beak open, but no sounds of struggle or rasp. After the poo her beak is back to closed. She is happily taking water from a syringe without the need to open her mouth. I photographed the poo if you want me to share

Lastly someone on Facebook recommended Tigard. Not sure what direction to go in

 

[DobieLover]

Hi thank you for the response. She is a year old. So I think what I’m feeling might be her anatomy as it feels symmetrical. She just poo’d again. And it was not as bad as the first. Just before she did that she was breathing with her beak open, but no sounds of struggle or rasp. After the poo her beak is back to closed. She is happily taking water from a syringe without the need to open her mouth. I photographed the poo if you want me to share

Lastly someone on Facebook recommended Tigard. Not sure what direction to go in

I wouldn't jump to a respiratory issue just yet. They mouth breath when stressed/struggling. Have you checked her for a stuck egg?
None of us are bothered by poop pictures. We look at mountains of the stuff daily.

 

[Pyriel127]

Hi thank you for the response. She is a year old. So I think what I’m feeling might be her anatomy as it feels symmetrical. She just poo’d again. And it was not as bad as the first. Just before she did that she was breathing with her beak open, but no sounds of struggle or rasp. After the poo her beak is back to closed. She is happily taking water from a syringe without the need to open her mouth. I photographed the poo if you want me to share

I wouldn't jump to a respiratory issue just yet. They mouth breath when stressed/struggling. Have you checked her for a stuck egg?
None of us are bothered by poop pictures. We look at mountains of the stuff daily.

Lastly someone on Facebook recommended Tigard. Not sure what direction to go in

Aside from feeling her underside, which feels nice and squishy, I read to actually stick my finger in her vent but not really sure what to check for how to handle it etc.
Here is the poo.
Also she seems a lot more relaxed after that last poo

 

[DobieLover]

To check for a stuck egg, lube up your gloved or ungloved finger and insert it in her vent. Just go slowly and aim upwards. If there's an egg in there you're going to feel it.
After doing that I would do what you can to get the coconut oil into her and do a crop massage. If you say she's been drinking she should have enough water in there to help break things up and thin out the harder mass. The coconut oil is to help lube the works and get it moving.

 

[Pyriel127]

To check for a stuck egg, lube up your gloved or ungloved finger and insert it in her vent. Just go slowly and aim upwards. If there's an egg in there you're going to feel it.
After doing that I would do what you can to get the coconut oil into her and do a crop massage. If you say she's been drinking she should have enough water in there to help break things up and thin out the harder mass. The coconut oil is to help lube the works and get it moving.

Is this for the egg or the possible crop impaction? What are you using for lube? What happens if I feel an egg? Thank you so much btw! She’s been real mellow and sleepy since her last poo

 

[Pyriel127]

Is this for the egg or the possible crop impaction? What are you using for lube? What happens if I feel an egg? Thank you so much btw! She’s been real mellow and sleepy since her last poo

I didn’t feel an egg, and gave her some coco oil as well. Others on FB recommend Tiagard. What are your thoughts. She’s been pretty sleep all day. Am I gonna lose my bird?

 

[Bawkbok]

Have you given her electrolytes to give her a boost? For electrolytes you can use Rooster Booster, Poultry Recovery 911, Nutri Drench, there a different products available at TSC and feed stores that includes vitamins and amino acids. Or you can make your own electrolyte solution by using one cup of water, add to it one teaspoon of sugar, a small pinch of salt and a small pinch of baking soda. Mix it all up and offer it - syringe if you need to but be careful doing this and only offer one drop at a time on her tongue. In an emergency, we just mixed the sugar and water, skipping the salt and baking soda as we didn't want to take the extra time - we had to act quickly to save a dying chicken. This method worked but the circumstances were different. I am not familiar with Tiagard.

Does she have a sour smell in her mouth? If so, it could be sour crop. The coconut oil should help the impaction, as DobiLover suggested.