Hen not laying consistently and now her one eye is closed

[kemnerg]

Hi,

I am new to chicken keeping. We have 10 hens, 3 of which have been laying consistently (1egg/day/chicken) for the last month or so and we have 7 others that are just getting to the point where they are ready to lay. We noticed about a week ago that one of the older hens was not laying everyday like she had been, but initially didn't think too much of it with the weather that we had. We noticed earlier this evening that her one eye is staying closed when she is up and about. She seems like she is eating and drinking ok, but her movements seem a little slower than usual. I'm not sure what I should be looking for or what I can do for her.

 

[N F C]

For now, put the girl in her own area and isolate her just in case she has something contagious or so none of the others bother her. You can put some electrolytes in her water to keep her hydrated.

Try posting over on the emergencies thread, give a complete description of the bird plus any/all symptoms you can. There are some members over there very good at diagnosing illnesses and they can give you more specific remedies for her.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/10/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures

I hope she's better soon.

 

[kemnerg]

Thanks for your advice. I'll post in emergencies now.

 

[drumstick diva]

Hope your hen will be alright? How old is she? Is it possible she is egg bound?

 

[kemnerg]

She is about 7.5 months old. Sorry to say I am really new at this, what is eggbound?

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[Cynthia12]

How is your girl doing? Did the emergency center help you out?

Egg bound is when a chicken needs to lay, but can't..the egg is stuck. Has she laid today?

 

[Peep-Chicken]

Hello and welcome to BYC!

How is your hen?

 

[kemnerg]

Posted to the emergencies board, but heard nothing back. I checked both her and one of my other 7.5 month olds yesterday, and could feel no difference... bellies and hind quarters soft. She seemed ok and content yesterday, but still an egg short out of the three of them. I'm starting to wonder if the changing weather could be playing a part in this, we had a pretty big temperature change last week, now it is cool, and wet.

 

[steven29128]

Welcome to Back Yard Chickens !

Good Luck with your hen.