Cindig Posted September 17, 2023 Share Posted September 17, 2023 Indiana has been looking poorly since yesterday. She has puffed up all her feathers, has her head tucked into her body and has not been eating or drinking, her poos have been runny and mostly white. Her crop is empty (yesterday it seemed a bit hard like it had a grit in it although not big, this morning it was similar but as the day has gone on I'm confident that seems to have cleared). I'm wondering if something is working its way through her system? I'm confident she isn't egg bound. I'm not sure what else to look out for. Oh yes, eye are clear (although she's been closing them a lot today) and no sneezing. I'm wondering whether to just see how she is in the morning or try feeding her some watery mash this evening or any other suggestions? Thank you in advance everyone, I always feel less alone when I'm trying to work out what to do, when i post on here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted September 17, 2023 Share Posted September 17, 2023 I'd make sure she has some water and that will mean using a dropper. Just 2 or 3mL administered a drop at a time or so giving her time to swallow, which she will do by reflex. No food at this stage. Tomorrow perhaps try a little wet mash, but the important thing is keeping her hydrated. When they are dehydrated their brain shuts down and they won't eat or drink, preferring just to fluff their feathers up and stand motionless. Presumably she is inside in a cage being kept warm and draught free? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindig Posted September 17, 2023 Author Share Posted September 17, 2023 Thank you Beantree! I'll do exactly that. I don't have a cage to put her in indoors (I use a cardboard box to go to the vet), but she's in the run which is covered and very sheltered - it's between our house and the garden wall, and our garden is very sheltered from wind by surrounding trees. I may need to lift her into the coop tonight as I suspect she might not go up. I could put her in a cardboard box indoors but honestly I wonder if that might only add stress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted September 17, 2023 Share Posted September 17, 2023 You are quite right; it may well add stress which won't help. Warm, dry and draught free in familiar surroundings is best. My last post was disrupted by a call from the garden. A large whip snake on the drive. Over a metre long I'd say so probably a female, which is a second because we have another at the side of the house a good metre and a half long. They seem to be thriving here, perhaps helped by numerous drinkers around the place for the frogs, lizards, toads and birds. They will all be glad of the downpour we are having at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindig Posted September 17, 2023 Author Share Posted September 17, 2023 Great - I've managed to give her some water at least! Wow - how cool to see a snake! I've had to google to see what a whip snake looks like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted September 18, 2023 Share Posted September 18, 2023 How is Indiana today @Cindig? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindig Posted September 18, 2023 Author Share Posted September 18, 2023 She was still alive this morning which to be honest I wasn't expecting because she really looked dreadful. I started to wonder if she'd found some foxglove in the garden. I took her to the vet after work today. Heart was racing so definitely not digitalis. Turns out she had two eggs stuck in her oviduct. One which I think the vet said was a lash egg although I thought they weren't eggs at all? And then one massive shell-less egg that was stuck and the vet had to burst to get out. The vet crop-fed her some fluids. I have antibiotics to add to the water. She still looks dreadfully poorly and the vet said she was hopeful she might recover but really it's 50:50. I feel really badly I couldn't have taken her to the vet sooner, or done more for her earlier. Anyway, we are where we are and at least we're doing what we can. The vet said it's probably an issue with her gland (I can't remember what gland - egg-gland?) and that, if she recovers, we might want to consider an ovarian implant in the future but that they are expensive. Also thank you for asking - I really appreciate it! ❤️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindig Posted September 18, 2023 Author Share Posted September 18, 2023 Oh, also the vet said it wasn't peritonitis. I need to read up more on what that is, but anyway it wasn't that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindig Posted September 19, 2023 Author Share Posted September 19, 2023 Indiana didn't make it overnight. I feel terribly, terribly sad. She would hold her head up high and she had a very smart comb - she looked so handsome. She was still in the process of re-growing her feathers and I was really looking forward to seeing how beautiful she was going to look once they were all re-grown. Now she'll never reach that potential. I feel so badly that I didn't manage to get her treated in time. Poor little Indiana. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted September 19, 2023 Share Posted September 19, 2023 I'm sorry to hear that @Cindig, but you did your best and that's all that can be expected. Chickens are fragile creatures really; particularly their egg laying system. As you pointed out a 'lash' isn't an egg, but a roll of shed oviduct lining. Now if that hadn't detached completely and remained in the oviduct it would block the passage of an egg, but that isn't something I've experienced. In fact we've had very few lashes, considering how many chickens we've had, so they are pretty unusual and why they occur is a mystery? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
