Is this normal chicken behavior? I think she's sick!

[parkerpeeps7]

Thank you so much for the advice! I had to run my daughter somewhere and hubby beat me home, he said she was eating and moving more. I arrived as he was still in there & she is much more alert & was in the nest box moving around & checking things out. I did check her belly all the way up and down & the vent again and did not feel anything resembling an egg, so thank God for that! I have no idea what is going on now?? She is either fine or very good at hiding things all of a sudden. I'm going to keep checking her every couple of hours to see how she is. If she looks distressed again into the house she will go!

 

[parkerpeeps7]

Also, are there any meds for chickens that I should have on hand at all times? I don't have anything except for Sevindust that we had to use once for mites.

 

[parkerpeeps7]

Update on my girl: she seems to be perfectly fine now. Eating & drinking & hasn't been standing alone anymore or acting sluggish. Must have just been a fluke. I really appreciate all the advice you guys gave!!

 

[Kickin' Chickin']

I have a BO that every once in a while will be on what we call "pause". She'll stand facing the fence or coop for hours with her eyes closed, then, all of a sudden shes fine. Just like that. Chickens are really odd sometimes.

 

[parkerpeeps7]

Well she is back to the same thing again today so I just went ahead and brought her back in. I am going to upload some pics b/c it looked to me like she was standing puffed up, eyes closed & I tried to give her some meal worms & she wouldn't even give them the time of day; not normal!

 

[parkerpeeps7]

Note that she is standing in these pics although it's hard to tell.

 

[parkerpeeps7]

If it were me, I would watch her for another day or two. Segregating her, if she's well, will disrupt the social order that's in the process of getting established. She'd just have that much more trouble adjusting after being returned.

Nowhere did you mention if she is holding her tail down. If you did, I missed it. This is the most important clue to a hen's well-being. Holding the tail down, along with standing facing a wall or corner, and not being interested in eating or socializing, all point to a hen who is feeling rotten. But give her a day or two longer. I've had hens behave in this manner who come around in a couple of days. If she isn't well, it'll probably go down hill rapidly. I doubt that the others are going to benefit from segregating her. They've already been exposed to her, whatever it is.

If she doesn't improve in two more days, then place her in a crate and try to get her to eat some chicken soup. No kidding. It often brings them around.

Hi! I just saw this post, I don't know how I missed it! I'm so sorry. Yesterday she seemed great but then today is standing alone, head sunk into her body & eyes closing so I went ahead and brought her in. She didn't fight & I sat her down in bathroom while getting her bed ready & she didn't move the whole time, could have been scared but I just don't know. I'm glad she's in thought so I can actually see if she is eating & drinking on a regular basis.

 

[parkerpeeps7]

If it were me, I would watch her for another day or two. Segregating her, if she's well, will disrupt the social order that's in the process of getting established. She'd just have that much more trouble adjusting after being returned.

Nowhere did you mention if she is holding her tail down. If you did, I missed it. This is the most important clue to a hen's well-being. Holding the tail down, along with standing facing a wall or corner, and not being interested in eating or socializing, all point to a hen who is feeling rotten. But give her a day or two longer. I've had hens behave in this manner who come around in a couple of days. If she isn't well, it'll probably go down hill rapidly. I doubt that the others are going to benefit from segregating her. They've already been exposed to her, whatever it is.

If she doesn't improve in two more days, then place her in a crate and try to get her to eat some chicken soup. No kidding. It often brings them around.

And YES, she is holding her tail down, at times flat to her body.

 

[gryeyes]

I don't know how accurate the color is with your camera, but her comb and face look AWFULLY pale. She's not feeling well at all!

Get some poly-vi-sol (without iron) or check your feed store for chicken vitamins to add to her water, now that she's in the house with her own feed and water. Scramble some eggs and see if she'll eat those. (After all, eggs are the PERFECT food - we just don't want them eating them straight from the shell!)

I am not an expert on chicken maladies but I know vitamins and protein can help perk up a chicken feeling poorly. Others may have more suggestions.

Good luck with her - she looks like a fine hen and I bet, when she's feeling normal, she's a beauty!

 

[parkerpeeps7]

I don't know how accurate the color is with your camera, but her comb and face look AWFULLY pale. She's not feeling well at all!

Get some poly-vi-sol (without iron) or check your feed store for chicken vitamins to add to her water, now that she's in the house with her own feed and water. Scramble some eggs and see if she'll eat those. (After all, eggs are the PERFECT food - we just don't want them eating them straight from the shell!)

I am not an expert on chicken maladies but I know vitamins and protein can help perk up a chicken feeling poorly. Others may have more suggestions.

Good luck with her - she looks like a fine hen and I bet, when she's feeling normal, she's a beauty!

She does have a pale comb normally but she is paler than usual, not as pale as what is showing up on here. I had to take it with my camera phone. She has more color in her wattles than is showing on here. I don't have vitamins but I do have eggs to scramble! I will get vitamins tomorrow. She is a beauty, thank you!