What could be wrong with my chicken?

[SammyJo425]

I’ve looked through all the posts and I’m at a loss..

This morning I found her all fluffed up, hunched, pink comb, eyes closed standing on a one leg, refused to leave the coop. When I got her out she tried to hide under the coop.

I brought her inside, set up a cage, examined her, gave her scrambled egg, soaked mashed feed and water with electrolytes.

Her crop was empty this morning, vent is clear pulsing as normal, I can’t feel an egg, so I don’t think she’s egg bound, she’s eating and drinking, tail up. No mites, no worms… but she’s still kinda fluffed up, although her comb is returning to normal red.

She’s been broody, I’ve had to break her broodiness once. But this time she was still leaving the coop to eat and drink so I didn’t think anything of it. I did notice she was being bullied by the other hens.

Could she just have needed a break to eat and drink? What could be wrong with her? First two pics of her are from this morning, this last pic is from this evening. Yellow poop is from the morning, 2nd poop pic is from after she ate

 

[SammyJo425]

I got my chickens april 22, so I’m new at this. All my other hens are acting normal. We did have a big rain storm, muddy run (even though it’s covered) put down saw dust in the run yesterday (wet down wood pellets)

 

[Perris]

She may be going into moult - some tail feathers gone apparently, and it's that time of year if you are in the northern hemisphere. That will be making her feel rotten, and some birds don't eat normally when they feel poorly (they respond differently, like people do when they're out of sorts). She's holding her wings quite low too, which also suggests she's sub par. Try offering her some high protein food like tinned sardines, dairy products or more egg; she needs it to grow new feathers.

 

[BDutch]

Is this a young hen? Then she shouldn’t moult and maybe she is sick.
Personally I would recommend wetted organic chick feed.

 

[SammyJo425]

Is this a young hen? Then she shouldn’t moult and maybe she is sick.
Personally I would recommend wetted organic chick feed.

I got her last last April 2022, so she’s about a year and a half old. Her comb is returning to normal and she’s eating and drinking. The other hens have been picking on her a lot because she’s had bouts of broodiness and I’ve had to break her out of it. She wasn’t sleeping in the roost and somehow the flock took it as now you’re at the bottom of the pecking order. Keeping her from eating and drinking, I have actually witnessed a hen (who is rather aggressive, I think she’s taking on rooster roles) grab her by the neck and make an aggressive sound I’ve never heard before as if to “put her in her place”. I would have to stay out there to make sure she ate and would shoo the others away so she had a fair chance.

 

[SammyJo425]

She’s been separated now for 24 hours, given soaked wet mash organic feed and scrambled eggs and water with electrolytes

 

[SammyJo425]

She may be going into moult - some tail feathers gone apparently, and it's that time of year if you are in the northern hemisphere. That will be making her feel rotten, and some birds don't eat normally when they feel poorly (they respond differently, like people do when they're out of sorts). She's holding her wings quite low too, which also suggests she's sub par. Try offering her some high protein food like tinned sardines, dairy products or more egg; she needs it to grow new feathers.

I mean besides a few missing feathers she has no bald spots and pretty feathered. I give the whole flock extra protein because one of them is molting and has missing heathers in the front. She was broody so she plucked her belly feathers, maybe she plucked a few tail feathers?

 

[Perris]

I mean besides a few missing feathers she has no bald spots and pretty feathered. I give the whole flock extra protein because one of them is molting and has missing heathers in the front. She was broody so she plucked her belly feathers, maybe she plucked a few tail feathers?

broodies pull feathers out over the broody patch, not their tails. At 18 months old I would be expecting her to moult now. That apart, a bully can only dominate one feeder/waterer at one time, so if you put out multiple food bowls and waterers, some distance apart, a bully can't prevent another flock member from eating.

 

[SmiYa0126]

X2 @Perris ! @SammyJo425 a hidden feeder and watering station with easy way to run away would be good too have! Also, you could also put bully in time out if she's getting too rough.

 

[BDutch]

She’s been separated now for 24 hours, given soaked wet mash organic feed and scrambled eggs and water with electrolytes

If you are sure she isn’t sick, but that the reason she is not feeling well is bullying , then you better handle the agressors. Locking up agressors is better to change the flock dynamics.