28 week hen...suddenly lethargic....where do I do?

[schmunko]

I am a new chicken owner. I have 10 hens, all 28 weeks & bought at the same time. One is suddenly lethargic this afternoon. I have no clue where to start to address what's wrong.

She's a Barred Rock, 28 weeks, she's laying (not sure about today). My chickens have a large coop and big enclosed outdoor pin in which to run daily. They also have chicken recess each afternoon for a few hours in which to truly free range. I keep everything very clean and refreshed. They have a great life....lemme tell ya! The weather has started to cool quite a bit lately so I know heat is not an issue anymore.

She does have runny poop. When I let them out for recess today, they all ran across the yard to their favorite area and she just stood there. I carried her to the area, put her down and she stood there and eventually slowly walked to the sunny area, layed down and closed her eyes. I tried to feed her treats and offered her water out of a small water feeder. She just turned her head away.

Where do I start? The only vet around here charges $104 to see/exam a chicken.....

 

[CapricornFarm]

Has she been dewormed? Any blood in her stool? Any other symptoms?

 

[juliawitt]

This is a tough one. If you are sure she isn't just sleepy, (I've scared myself a couple of times thinking my girl was sick when she was actually just sleepy) then I would segregrate her immediately. All you can do is watch and wait for more symptoms to manifest. I would give some scrambled eggs and yogurt for a treat to see if she perks back up. Without any other symptoms, all you can do is keep an eye on her and the others. Everyday, I spend a few minutes just looking for any different behavour. This is a good thing to do, but I have caused myself undue alarm by being so hyper-vigilent. I'm going to cross my fingers for you and hope that she was just 'tired'.

 

[schmunko]

She has not been dewormed. I have checked the poop in the yard and under the roost and it all looks normal. I know that's not always indicative of worms though...
There is not any blood in stools.
She won't eat. I tried boiled egg and fruit. I held it right to her beak and she just turns her head away or sits there....will try yogurt today. I have gotten her to drink a few sips every couple of hours but it's only because I hold her in my arms and put the water dish right up to her beak. She will take a few sips and then sit there.
I have separated her from the other chickens. She's still in the coop but just in a large cage in the tack room. She just sits down and sleeps.

One odd thing she does is when I hold her, she keeps one eye closed and one eye open. Does this mean anything?!

I feel sooo helpless.

I wish I knew where to even start? Should I give her antibiotics? Should I treat the rest of my chickens?