Chicken bald back

[auntielizzie]

I'm really not sure what's up with Bertha; she has been off lay for a while following a run of softies since a moult from which she never seems to have feathered up from. This may not be relevant to what's going on this last couple of days...

 

Yesterday I noticed that she had a very mucky bottom; also, she was doing watery poos. Today, she is very lethargic and keeps taking herself off on her own, either in to the hen house (not even on the roosting bars, just sitting on the aubiose bedding) or standing around in the FR area. She seems to have a full crop but wasn't interested in any mealworms this morning (very unusual).

 

I bathed her bottom this afternoon and got some nutri drops into her, but she took herself into the henhouse again. I keep checking on her and she's just sitting there.

 

Crop feels fine, not squishy or hot. Comb is red. She may be ever so slightly wheezy but I'm not sure. I do wonder if she's just struggling in this heat rather than anything else. Her tail isn't down and she's not closing her eyes or looking miserable, although just seems very quiet. The other girls seem to being a little bit mean to her today as well. One of them also has been doing watery poos, but they have been drinking a lot in this heat.

 

Any ideas anyone?

[SueChick]

Hi - sorry to hear you're struggling - it's such a worry when they aren't themselves isn't it?

 

When were they last wormed? Recently? Could explain dirty bottoms.

Calcium deficiency gave my ladies really runny poos and they just sat down

all the time (the vet said they were stripping calcium from the muscles/bones for their eggs!).

 

We gave them limestone flour and they bounced back so quickly.

 

Hope this might help.

[Space Chick]

If she had a full crop in the morning, did it feel fairly hard? It could be impacted. Check again first thing tomorrow and if it is feed her some live maggots as they will eat through the blockage.

 

As for runny poos, I'm seeing a lot more at the moment and generally do at this time of year as they are drinking more.

 

Hope she perks up soon.

[auntielizzie]

Bessie is the same today. She didn't come out of the coop until I went down at coaxed her out. She has a mucky bottom again - got a slight greenish tinge and a bit slimy looking. Her crop feels full but it's not hard - quite squishy.

 

They are due to be wormed, but I don't think that's the problem somehow.

 

Could it be sour crop even though there isn't a smell that I can detect?

[SueChick]

Oh dear poor little lady. Sounds like a crop issue to me. I would strongly suggest a vet visit sooner rather than later as if the crop gets too stretched out it can lead to poor tone in the crop muscles and it can then become a chronic reoccurring problem. That's what happened to one of ours . If they medicate quickly before it gets too distended I think you stand a better chance of a full recovery. That's just my experience though and I know a lot of other people have cleared crop problems without the vets help - I wasn't lucky enough to manage to do that though. Plus also they can check her over properly and get the right diagnosis.

[auntielizzie]

I had a go at emptying her crop by massaging it gently whilst putting her head down. A fair bit of brownish liquid came out. She doesn't seem to feel any better for it though

[Beantree]

Greenish tinge to the poo could be an infection or stress Auntielizzie. Slimy says sour crop. Now it could be sour due to slow digestive transit, because of a restriction somewhere. Is her abdomen swollen and hot?

 

First thing I would do is put her on a water only diet for 24-48 hours and try to massage the crop empty every hour or so. Now this may mean giving her water by syringe because you can't rely on her drinking enough. So it is a two person job which can be done by one with the aid of a towel wrapped round the hen and then tucking her between your knees. As a guide we generally give sour crop birds 50mL of water a day in 10mL doses.

 

If she doesn't pick up the vet is the best option. Time is of the essence with chickens I have found. It could be worms but you won't be able to treat her with pellets because she won't eat them now. The vet will need to give an injection.

[auntielizzie]

Well I took Bertha to see a vet today (not my usual chicken vets as they were closed) - I just wanted to rule out anything serious in case she was suffering. She couldnt really find anything obvious (although since I got home Ive discovered that she has lice!) - didnt think she has sour crop or an egg/peritonitis problem. She prescribed some antibiotics and Im going to see if that helps and if not, will take her to the chicken vet.

 

She gave her baytril, but liquid form that has to be mixed with water. Very difficult with a chicken who wont eat or drink! but I managed to get some in to her using a syringe.

 

She suggested to separate her from the other girls, which ive done and she did eat a little bit of pellet porridge this evening.

 

Fingers crossed