Ill hen - again

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Morricl

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Hi all, I have been following advice from Marigold and others for what I thought was compacted crop over the w/e. We have been housebound over w/e with snow so vet wasn't an option. Noticed Hen was withdrawn and she appeared to have compacted crop. I picked her up and when I stroked her neck she expelled brown water - like a water pistol. I followed advice carefully about emptying her water, then using cod liver oil and yoghurt. The impaction disappeared and I thought she was better. She was eating and drinking again. Poo was very runny with small specks of blood but is now firmer and orange, I just went out and she is now dragging her feet, feels like she has lost a lot of weight and when I stroked her neck, all the water shot out again. She looks like she is on her way out. No vet til this evening. I didn't want to post another negative/pleeing message but this is our last chance. If Hen goes my hubbie won't have any more and Houdini who doesn't lay will have to go as well. We have had dreadful bad luck - 6 out of 8 have died of different causes and these were my last two with Houdini being a companion.

Any ideas would be most grateful. Many thanks
 
Hi Morrici, so sorry to hear your girl is poorly again. It sounds as if you successfully drained her crop and she made some progress, but maybe there was some residual gut infection as well which the manual treatment couldn't reach. What you have been doing was absolutely right, and you did all that was possible for her, so I do hope she makes it to the vet this evening. Possibly some antibiotics might help her. Can you keep her indoors in a box in the warm until you can take her to see the vet? I do hope she will be OK. Please let us know what happens.
 
Can do, I put her in her hutch but will go and get her and put her by rayburn. Ii just feels like i am watching her die. I am sposed to be a tough country girl but it breaks my heart watchingthem go down hill :(.

It's made so much worse because i thought i had cured her. Fingers crossed. Thanks Marigold
 
I am so sorry,what a heart-breaking experience for you. It would be shame to let this spoil your chicken -keeping experience or give up keeping chickens because of this.

I am afraid that most times when a bird has a crop problem, there is usually something underlying..it not the crop that is the issue..crop impaction is a symptom of the problem. These problems are usually either obstruction due to disease by this e.g., thrush or trichomoniasis, it's common name canker, or a physical obstruction due to binding of grass or fibrous material. The second group of causes are diseases such as Mareks or Lymphoid leucosis which can cause lesions or tumours. If you have lost the majority of a flock over a short period of time I would suspect there may have been an underlying infectious disease with a long incubation period.

Try and make her as comfortable as possible, as has been discussed and please keep us posted.
 
Hi Foxy, it hasn't really been a short period of time, it has been 2 years. Two died from prolapses (a year apart), three from illness but again with quite a lengthy period inbetween. We also have had two seperate runs. We were then left with two young warrens and within a year only one was laying, so we kept them both and bought eggs off friends. However......... our house is on site of old butcher/abbatoir - could that have anything to do with it? It has been shut as a business for over 10 years.

We took Hen to vet and there was no surgery tonight (not normal) so if she is still with us Hubbie will take her tomorrow.
 
I think 6 out of 8, possibly 7 if this one doesn't pull through, in two years is a very high rate of loss. What happened to the Warrens, I wonder? As Foxy says, this might indicate an underlying cause. Did you get them all from the same place? Two prolapses within that time in egg layers isn't unusual, but I'd be interested to know what affected the three that died from illnesses. I'm sure it's not the way you are keeping them, you obviously care for them very carefully, but if one or more brought in an infection it might have got passed on, and as Foxy says, some of these things can have a long incubation period and then emerge when the hen is perhaps stressed or under the weather from some other cause.
The idea that the ground might perhaps have some residual toxins or bacteria is an interesting one. I think Chris reported a lot of illness in his flock when he kept them on contaminated ground, and this seems to have cleared up I think, now he has moved to France.
Anyway, we shall be thinking of you tonight, and at least I'm sure your poor little girl is grateful for the warmth and company you are giving her - nobody could do any more.
 
I too would suspect some kind of blockage further down which is causing this projectile type fluid loss from the crop.
 
Hi Morrici. Sorry to hear of your sick hen. I agree with all that there is some kind of blockage. Could be tumour or perhaps swelling from an infection which needs injected antibiotics -oral administration isn't practical here. Orange poo says internal bleeding.

As Marigold says our land was a brown field site dating back to a brewery in 1800. Had cottages on it to 1920 and then was used as an allotment and rubbish dump by all the neighbours in the 1960's to 1980 when it was cleared. Had lots of fungal infection issues on the area where the cottages were which have all gone now. Our birds are noticeably healthier without any change in diet -we are still feeding Smallholder pellets. So there is a possibility your land is also contaminated in some way.
 
Well everyone, I had to go to work so my hubbie took her to the vet who diagnosed stomach infection gave her an injection of antibiotics and prescribed oral antibiotics and oral food supplement. Due to work I left her in hands of hubbie who duly administered oral meds drop by drop. We let her out in the day, but in warm shed with access to garden and brought her in at night. Today is first day I have been able to observe her. Not happy - either of us, she is thin, all puffed up and quiet but is no longer expelling fluid. Well she did a bit when I gave her a cuddle this morning - all over my clean clothes!! I have spent half the day sitting and watching her and giving her small amounts of food - even forgot to feed my son! Interesting about possibility of contaminated land. We had 3 from a friend and the other (later) from a breeder. I shall tell my hubbie we have to move so I can have more chickens!! She is sleeping in a dog cage in a box in our dining room. It was -7 here last night. I am also concerned that the cause is some kind of blockage but she has been eating. The poo is no longer orange but runny gree and white - is that any better? She doesn't appear distressed or in pain so will will persevere with Hen and hope for the best. You#ve all been so supportive - thanks
 
Great to hear she's still with you, Morrici, and being so well looked after. If you can keep her warm, that will help so she doesn't have to expend energy doing it for herself. And then it won't matter quite so much if her appetite is poor, and at least she is eating. It sounds as if her crop is draining better, as well. Runny green poo is a problem, evidently the infection, if there is one, is still affecting her. Just go on as you are doing, and see what happens.
Good luck, and do let us know how she does.
 
Green poo is a sign of infection but also is due to antibiotics. So looks good Morrici. Puffed up is sick but not dead yet.
 
Well Miss Hen appears to be completely recovered. I wanted to wait and see. Also Houdini has started laying again although sporadically. So all in all a happy result. Thanks for support. I have been using ACV and garlic in water plus grit and poultry spice. And so nice to be able to post a positive message. :)
 
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