Lazy or sick chicken?

[MrsBrooke]

Is your mama missing a bunch of feathers on her chest and stomach? That's usually a good indicator.

MrsB

 

[LaneyNZ]

Nope, no feathers missing. She's beautiful and fluffy all around. Looks lovely and healthy. And I don't think she's broody. She goes in to lay an egg, comes out and lies down somewhere. She doesn't have any particular spot... I've often found her just lying in the middle of the garden. She will lie there for hours unless she's disturbed and then walks off to find a new spot to lie down.

She does get a little bullied from my smaller chicken (Peckles.... she earned her name!!!) but not that bad and the top hen usually snaps at Peckles where she's being naughty or tries to pick on her.

Very weird indeed. I've had my girls almost 2 years now and I'm completely dumbfounded by this odd behaviour. She is loving this extra attention being taken inside twice a day for antibiotics and treats. Haha!

 

[MrsBrooke]

Have you checked the bottom of her feet for black scabs (Bumblefoot)? Any lifting or crusty stuff around her leg scales (Scaly Leg Mites)?

And how long did you say she's been doing this?

I'm trying to think of anything in the world that would make a chicken not want to walk and scratch around. :/

MrsB

 

[LaneyNZ]

She's been like this for about a month now.

Nope, her feet are all good. The vet gave her a thorough physical check (to her horror!), including under her feet, her legs, took samples of her feathers to trace any signs of mites. No signs of any scabs, cuts, sores.... nothing. She's completely clean inside and out of any parasites and sores. She's almost finished her antibiotics now too, and there's no change in her behaviour, so the "imbalance of bacteria" in her poop must not have been too serious. She found herself a dirt hole to lie in this morning in the corner of the garden so I suspect she will stay there for most of the day.

I know, I cannot figure out what could be up with her at all!!! Haha! Neither can the vet. So so weird. I lost a chicken last year to egg peritonitis and it was very obvious she was sick. And I had a chicken a few months ago with giardia and she had a scratch on her foot which was bothering her, and again, very obvious she was not well (she's ok now though), but this one doesn't act sick at all. Just acting lazy.

 

[kimberley848]

Is it possible she's preparing to molt? My girls will be 3yrs next month and two of them act very sad, very out of sorts and quiet for a several weeks before starting their molts, (1 lays right up until she molts, the other stops laying a couple weeks prior to actually starting her molt). It scared me when they first did it, but now I just give them some vitamins during this time and it seems to be working fine. (knock on wood!)

 

[LaneyNZ]

Oh, I hadn't considered molting. The other two are fine though. When do they normally molt? It's coming into summer here in New Zealand

 

[kimberley848]

From what I understand, most chickens molt in fall, in preparation of winter to keep them warm with new feathers. One of my girls is a very slow molter and it doesn't bother her at all. She never acts weird or anything, but she has been molting for over 4 months now, but she's still laying(???). She's my weirdo girl! But the other two, they just act sad and are very quiet right before they start molting.
If your girls are 2yrs, did they have an adult molt last year?

 

[MrsBrooke]

Ha! She certainly could be molting.

MrsB

 

[LaneyNZ]

Well, it's coming into summer here in New Zealand right now, so they wouldn't molt coming into summer, could they? And nope, they didn't molt over winter this year or last year. Saying that, our winters here in Auckland are very mild and still reasonably warmish (average winter temperatures 14°C/57°F). Our current Spring temps are about 20°C/68°F at the moment.

 

[kimberley848]

I think "most" will annually molt in fall, however they can molt anytime. Lola, my weirdo had her first mini adult molt in late spring/early summer (2015) at 18 months old, and molted for 6 months last year, (while laying the whole time too!). This year, she started her molt mid-summer, and is still growing in new feathers now, although she never got "naked". She also picks old feathers off and eats them, so it's hard to tell she's molting without any visible bare spots and no loose feathers anywhere. I only know for certain she's growing new feathers because she's a nice black and white again, instead of brown and tan from dirty old feathers.

(She's a Plymouth Barred Rock). Whereas the other two molted/molt in fall. Gabby just finished and Hazel is starting "sad" mode now.... and they both have hard and fast molts, and stop laying a couple weeks beforehand.
I'm in southern California and our weather is pretty mild over all as well, if not a little warmer than yours is currently. I've always figured Lola was just confused, but she's such a great layer I can't complain.