Help! Lothargic and puffed up hen

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Albop

Albop

Chirping
Apr 21, 2016
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My welsummer is about a year old and I've noticed a big change in her lately. Yesterday afternoon and this morning she was standing all puffed up but did not have any other evidence of being egg bound. She ate some yogurt and there was immediate improvement. However after a few hours, now she is in a roosting state off by herself in the shade, very lothargic and eyes closed. If I go in their run she runs around and acts normal. She has not laid an egg in a few days and does not squat when I'm near her like she used to. Her body feels normal, and her comb looks normal. Any suggestions?
 
I'm having a similar problem in one of my hens, she's about 5 years old. I've brought her inside and I gave her a 20 minute soak in a warm bath and got her to drink some water, but, I just checked on her and she seems the same still. She won't eat anything. I'm really not sure what to do either.
400
 
Albop said:
My welsummer is about a year old and I've noticed a big change in her lately. Yesterday afternoon and this morning she was standing all puffed up but did not have any other evidence of being egg bound. She ate some yogurt and there was immediate improvement. However after a few hours, now she is in a roosting state off by herself in the shade, very lothargic and eyes closed. If I go in their run she runs around and acts normal. She has not laid an egg in a few days and does not squat when I'm near her like she used to. Her body feels normal, and her comb looks normal. Any suggestions?
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How do her droppings look? Have you ever wormed her?
You can get a fecal float test done (many vets will do this even if they don't treat birds) to check for worms and cocci.
These symptoms in my flock are often associated with worms or cocci.
Runny or mucousy droppings is a symptom of both (coccidiosis may have bloody droppings, but not always).
 
I've been watching her and I think she's constipated I haven't seen her poop. One of the girls has tar black droppings though.
 
I'd separate her, in a crate or other area where you can keep an eye on her and see for sure what her droppings are looking like.
Tar black in the other bird could be a normal cecal dropping, they can vary in darkness. Usually the darker they are the worse they smell.
Make sure she is eating and drinking. I'd put some electrolites and probiotics in her water. Try offering a scrambled egg if she's not eating.
If you can get the fecal done, that would confirm or rule out parasites as a possibility.
And obviously make sure no other birds develop any similar symptoms.
Here is a link with droppings pictures for reference:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/02/whats-scoop-on-chicken-poop-digestive.html
 
So, I kept Henny Penny inside for the weekend and returned her to the coop yesterday afternoon. She isn't quite 100% yet, but, she was starting to move around and eat and drink all on her own and her poop seems to be returning to normal. She also isn't laying around all puffed up anymore. I don't know exactly what's going on, but, she seems to be coming around well enough. I would like to treat my entire flock for worms and coccidiosis just to be on the safe side, though.
My other hens seem perfectly fine and are not showing any symptoms of anything.

Albop, how is your hen doing now?
 
I had a sample of her droppings tested, and it all came back clear so that made me feel better. I also noticed some black spots on her legs, and I think she may have had a small case of bumblefoot developing. I brought her inside over the weekend as well to keep a better eye on her, and sprayed an anti-fungal spray made for poultry on her legs. I also noticed her crop was pretty hard last night, and so I let her roost in her coop with her sisters so she would feel more normal in hopes of disposing of that matter in her crop throughout the evening. She is moving around a bit more, but still not 100%. Staying inside seemed to really stress her out, so I'm keeping an eye on her in the run today. Still worried about her not fully emptying her crop however, and the black spots have not gone away, but she's at least walking fine.

Best of luck to you BigRedChickie!! Keep us posted.
 
Hi,

I am experiencing the same thing with one of my hens. She scratches around and is eating/drinking but then she just sits and puffs up. She isn't laying eggs yet and she is roosting at nighttime. Something just seems off.
400
 
UPDATE: Henny Penny is still not quite 100%. She is scratching around and has been going out into the run with the other girls everyday, but, she hasn't been jumping up on any of the roost areas at night, she's just huddling down on the floor in the corner and is still having a bit of watery poops. This morning she had her feathers puffed up a bit.
I'm just keeping an eye on her for now so we'll see how she does over this weekend. I might bring her back into the house to give her another soak and a quick clean up. Where she's laying at night, she is a little bit underneath the other girls and one of them pooped on her
sad.png
so I want to clean the poor thing up a bit. She definitely seems to have more energy though, yesterday she ran away from my husband when he went to pick her up to look at her.
 

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