Not sure why chicken is behaving strangely.

[farmgirl7]

I have brown leghorns and one of them has been acting strangely, like she didn't feel good. She will just stand in one spot by herself like a statue and not move, even though all the rest are busy being chickens. My husband went out to collect eggs late this afternoon and came back to tell me there was a hen still on the nest. We waited 30 minutes then we both went out so I could clean the poop deck. There she was, in the south nest, but standing up....just standing there! No egg. I went over and picked her up and checked her over. Checked her vent. Everything seems OK, but I went ahead and quarantined her for the night. I've never had a sick chicken and I really don't know what to look for. But there is definitely something wrong. She is almost a year old (49 wks). She was a late bloomer. Her comb is finally catching up to the rest and I'm not sure she is actually laying. I've gotten as many as 5 eggs per day from the six hens, but never 6. I'll be checking her again tomorrow, so can you suggest what to look for? I should have some poop in the quarantine coop. Wondering if she could be egg-bound?

 

[ochochicas]

She could be egg bound. She could also be sick with something else like a respiratory infection. Will she eat anything? Has she been de-wormed or checked for parasites?

 

[farmgirl7]

She hasn't been eating like the others. I did see her pecking around a bit, but not much. No she hasn't been de-wormed. What do I use for that? And should I just de-worm them all? If I have to catch them, I'll have to do it at night!

 

[ochochicas]

I use safegard goat dewormer. Give it to everyone for 5 days. I put 1 ml on a piece of bread, and each chicken gets one piece of bread a day for 5 days. Two of my chickens had tons of worms (I was surprised) and the rest were fine. It doesn't hurt to deworm them though.

You can also buy Wazine to put in the water, but it doesn't kill as many types of worms as the Safegard.

 

[farmgirl7]

Would Tractor Supply have the goat dewormer?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I suspect that this hen has an issue like Aspergillus or Mareks. The ugly truth is that there are dozens and dozens of causes of a hen not, or never laying. Worm every feather in your run, repeat as recommended and then see how your hens respond.

 

[farmgirl7]

She pooped a very large and ropey poop. I took a couple of pictures: Looks like she has an upset stomach. I cleaned it up so she wouldn't step in it. She isn't eating much, but she may be drinking since her water has gone down. I put a piece of bread out for her with some goat de-wormer on it. Hope she will eat it. She just looked at it while I was out there. I'll check later.

 

[Michael Apple]

Extra pens such as a vacant grow off pen come in handy for birds like this. If you can separate to an area such as that, withhold feed for a day, and add poultry vitamins-electrolytes with 1 tsp of Probios powder per gallon for her to drink during the day. Then give her a handful of feed mixed with applesauce to make a moist mash, or a little buttermilk soaked bread. Pay attention to the conditions of droppings for a few days to see if they return back to normal.

Deworming would be a good idea if you have not done so in the last 6 months. Valbazen suspension is .08 ml per lb of bird, so around .32 ml orally for a Leghorn hen would be sufficient. Dose again in 10 days. Safe-guard is a hassle since you have to dose 3-5 days in a row for it to be effective. But if that's what you have, .5 ml a day for 5 days would do the trick on a 4 lb Leghorn hen. Give about 2 weeks for withdrawal before collecting eggs to incubate or eat from your hens. I'd deworm all birds. If one has worms, they all should be dewormed.

Looking at that dropping, it look s like a bird that has been gorging on pasture grass, and may not be well hydrated enough, causing blockage. Keeping pasture grass cut short, and birds well fed before running loose on range helps prevent that. Not an accusation you are starving your birds either, just that chickens are less likely to gorge on grass if new feed is put out before letting them free range out of fenced enclosures.

 

[farmgirl7]

My chickens don't free range. I have a chicken garden and give them extra greens from time to time. She is already confined in an extra pen and I have started her on the goat de-wormer. She did eat the piece of bread that I put it on. Here's a picture of my chicken garden. They can only eat what grows above the hardcloth. I grow wheat in the garden.

 

[farmgirl7]

Well, 3 days of goat wormer so far and two more to go. She is up and about, eating and drinking, hunting for bugs. I think I'll Wazine the rest of the chickens, then put her back with the others. Since I can't tell most of my chickens apart, I can't figure out how to do the goat wormer so they are all getting the right amount. I'll probably use Valbazen the next time I worm them. Thanks to everyone.