20 week old EE laying down or squatting?

[MawerFamily]

The last couple days, our 20 week old EE, the smallest and least likely to lay an egg first, seems a little off. She walks normally, eats and drinks, but she seems to be behind the other 3 and lays down a lot, like every 10 steps or so. She walks up normally to the others, lies down and eats grass or just hangs out. Then they move, she gets up follows behind then lies down again. I was watching from the window and this just seems odd plus she lets us pick her up now, and she's usually the hardest to catch.

None of our chickens have laid yet any day, but she still has a pale/no comb, the others are plump, red, and ready, yet nobody else is squatting, if that is what she is doing is called.

Normal? Hot maybe, it's been warm? Lazy? Or sick?

 

[aart]

Squatting is usually only done in the presence of another bird displaying dominance or a human approaching(which can be inferred as dominance by chicken).

Could definitely be the heat, they tend to lie down and 'lounge' more when it's hot out.



Signs of onset of lay---I've found the pelvic points to be the most accurate.
Squatting:
If you touch their back they will hunker down on the ground, then shake their tail feathers when they get back up.
This shows they are sexually mature and egg laying is close at hand.

Combs and Wattles:
Plump, shiny red - usually means laying.
Shriveled, dryish looking and pale - usually means not laying.
Tho I have found that the combs and wattles can look full and red one minute then pale back out the next due to exertion or excitement, can drive ya nuts when waiting for a pullet to lay!

2 bony points on either side of vent:
Less than 2 fingertip widths apart usually means not laying.
More than 2 fingertip widths apart usually means laying.

 

[MawerFamily]

I'm beginning to think she is sick/weak/lethargic. Although other than frequent laying down and tagging far behind the other 3, she seems fine... Normal poop, drinking, eating... I really hope she snaps out of it. We lost our Dominique a few weeks ago to falling off the roost... This is not the same as losing fish, that's for sure.

Does anyone have a chicken who constantly lays down? She even eats and drinks while lying down.

 

[Jesusfreak101]

I have one bird who just lazy some days and will lay down and eat the next thing i know she running after a frog or bug.

 

[aart]

I'm beginning to think she is sick/weak/lethargic. Although other than frequent laying down and tagging far behind the other 3, she seems fine... Normal poop, drinking, eating... I really hope she snaps out of it. We lost our Dominique a few weeks ago to falling off the roost... This is not the same as losing fish, that's for sure.

Does anyone have a chicken who constantly lays down? She even eats and drinks while lying down.

Meat birds will do that. My feeders are off the ground hanging.
If you had a bird drop dead a few weeks ago, you may have some disease in the flock.
Birds can hide illnesses pretty well until the symptoms are severe or they drop dead.

 

[MawerFamily]

She is still hanging in there, doesn't seem any worse or better... I'm honestly thinking that she might have a hurt foot or leg. We had two sets of roosts and the top one was pretty high, after we lost Peanut, we took the top one down even lower than their original low one... and we make them sleep in their coop now, instead of on the roosts which I wondered if they were getting any sleep at all, because they seemed awake even if I checked on them late at night... My thought here is that Penny have have jumped down too hard and hurt her leg... that she is simply nursing... this is also my hope.

on the brighter side... Our 24 Week Black Australorp, just laid her first egg! WTG Happy!


Her interesting location choice, right by our back door on the lawn chair makes me think she wasn't expecting it. Still proud of her!