Listless with poor comb colour

[The Harlequin]

Hi

One of our hens seems in a bad way. Yesterday I found her by a tree with her head on the ground. She stayed there until the others attacked her then moved.

I was on the point of dispatching her but Mrs Harlequin wanted me to wait until she had gone out, so I moved her (the hen, not Mrs Harlequin) into an isolated part of the run with some food and water. Close up she really seems to smell quite rank.

Kept her in a cage in the garage overnight and have put her in the isolation run this morning. Seems OK - she's eating, and standing up - but the comb is still dull and she seems thin and weak.

Don't really know what to do. I don't know exactly how old she is - we inherited her from a neighbour who moved and I think she's the last of that 5 left - but I certainly don't want to keep her apart from her mates indefinitely.

Any thoughts or other words of wisdom please? Picture of comb attached.

Thanks
H

 

[Shadrach]

Hi

One of our hens seems in a bad way. Yesterday I found her by a tree with her head on the ground. She stayed there until the others attacked her then moved.

I was on the point of dispatching her but Mrs Harlequin wanted me to wait until she had gone out, so I moved her (the hen, not Mrs Harlequin) into an isolated part of the run with some food and water. Close up she really seems to smell quite rank.

Kept her in a cage in the garage overnight and have put her in the isolation run this morning. Seems OK - she's eating, and standing up - but the comb is still dull and she seems thin and weak.

Don't really know what to do. I don't know exactly how old she is - we inherited her from a neighbour who moved and I think she's the last of that 5 left - but I certainly don't want to keep her apart from her mates indefinitely.

Any thoughts or other words of wisdom please? Picture of comb attached.

Thanks
H

Combs can and do change in color intensity. Sometimes it's a sign of illness, other times it could be the hen has gone off lay.
If she was attacked by the others this to me would be more of an indication of illness.
However, no healthy hen should smell 'rank', so you need to find out what is causing the smell.
Check her vent. It should be clean, pink and dry.
Check her mouth. If the smell is from her mouth then sour crop is a possibility.
Check under her wings for sores and wounds and mites.
In the short term hydration with a vitamin supplement such as Nutridrench would be a good idea.
Give her a thorough inspection, find the cause of the smell and post again.

 

[The Harlequin]

Combs can and do change in color intensity. Sometimes it's a sign of illness, other times it could be the hen has gone off lay.
If she was attacked by the others this to me would be more of an indication of illness.
However, no healthy hen should smell 'rank', so you need to find out what is causing the smell.
Check her vent. It should be clean, pink and dry.
Check her mouth. If the smell is from her mouth then sour crop is a possibility.
Check under her wings for sores and wounds and mites.
In the short term hydration with a vitamin supplement such as Nutridrench would be a good idea.
Give her a thorough inspection, find the cause of the smell and post again.

I've bought the supplement and applied it. No mites. The smell is gone but the comb is still shriveled and grey in parts.

She seemed brighter and we put her back in with the others. Within 5 minutes they all piled in and attacked her leaving her lying for dead. We pulled her back out into isolation and we're back to Square One. :-(.

 

[Shadrach]

I've bought the supplement and applied it. No mites. The smell is gone but the comb is still shriveled and grey in parts.

She seemed brighter and we put her back in with the others. Within 5 minutes they all piled in and attacked her leaving her lying for dead. We pulled her back out into isolation and we're back to Square One. :-(.

I'm sorry, I don't know what else to suggest if there are no obvious outward signs of illness.
There are so many possibilities anything else I might add would just be guesswork.
A visit to the vet would be best.

 

[The Harlequin]

No problem, thanks.

My thinking, if she can't be returned safely to the flock without them beating her up, is to cull her rather than keeping her in isolation and loneliness indefinitely. However, not sure if this is just being anthropomorphic.

 

[micstrachan]

How long was she separated from the flock? Does she have any friends? Can you put her in a dog crate inside the run?

 

[The Harlequin]

How long was she separated from the flock? Does she have any friends? Can you put her in a dog crate inside the run?

Hi. She was separated from the flock for about 3 days. At night time I put her in a crate in the garage. During the day I put her out with the flock, but I have created two separate runs with my poultry fence, so she was in one run and the rest of the flock in the other. They didn't take any notice of her when she was isolated in this way. Yesterday arvo I put her in the same run as the flock but back in the crate for an hour or so.

This morning, after spending the night in the garage, we put her free with the rest of the flock. There was an initial flurry with one hen, and she skulked off under a tree. About 15 mins later there was an almighty commotion as all 7 other hens attacked her, the rooster just standing by. We drove them off and the isolated chicken lay as if dead (as she had done when we first isolated her 3 days ago), but in fact isn't dead but does have a bleeding comb, and we're now back in the isolated run/overnight cage cycle.

To answer your question, yes we can put the dog crate in the run with the others. Perhaps we should have done that for longer when reintroducing. But I'm quite nervous now about trying to reintegrate her again and having her severely attacked again, and can't see an end to it other than dispatching her.

Thanks
H

 

[micstrachan]

Hmm... I’m sorry. The attack sounds to me like she’s pretty ill. I think you need to improve her health before the others can touch her. Have you added any new birds? I’m wondering if she could have any internal or external parasites making her weak.

 

[The Harlequin]

2 weeks on and she's still listless and still isolated.

Is there any harm in keeping this up indefinitely? Or do hens get miserable when isolated, and would it be kinder to dispatch her?

Thanks
H

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Close up she really seems to smell quite rank.

Seems OK - she's eating, and standing up - but the comb is still dull and she seems thin and weak.

2 weeks on and she's still listless and still isolated.
Is there any harm in keeping this up indefinitely? Or do hens get miserable when isolated, and would it be kinder to dispatch her?
Thanks
H

I'm sorry that she is not doing any better.
Can you post some photos of her poop and the way she stands?
How old is your hen? Do you know when she last laid an egg?
How long have you had her - you inherited her from a neighbor - is she "new" to your property?

You mentioned in your original post that she smelled rank, but that went away? Is her crop empty in the morning before she has had anything to eat/drink?
I would feel of her abdomen (between the legs below the vent) is there any swelling/bloat or feeling of fluid there?