A hen and a pullet acting strange

[The Cuckoo Nest66]

Yesterday I was a bit concerned about our Australorp (a hen who has laid eggs before but not since being here three months) because she stayed in or near the coop literally all day despite having 5 acres to roam. She slept most of the day and barely ate. When it came time to roost for the night, she stayed on the ground instead of flying up like she usually does. Today she seemed way better and appeared to be back to normal. Her comb is pale but I've always assumed it meant she just wasn't actively laying.
Our little pullet is now acting weird. Today i noticed her wings looked like they were longer than usual and seemed to hang down a tiny bit. Then at roost time, she tried to fly up to the roost but couldnt. Then i saw her fly right into the wall and she just sat there on the ground and started to sleep. I picked her up and she didnt even try to run. Didn't squirm when i moved her wings.
Neither chicken has obvious signs of injury, neither appear sick to me but maybe im missing something.
Any ideas what could be happening?

 

[ashlierami]

@aart
@Wyorp Rock
@Eggcessive
@TwoCrows

 

[azygous]

Something is definitely "off" with these two chickens and you're astute to pick up on it. You will need to be an investigator and try to discover what they could have been exposed to.

Since two chickens are experiencing similar symptoms, we should be able to rule out reproductive disorders or even crop disorders. The symptoms point to a neuro toxin, so try to think what and where the chickens could have run into it.

Toxins affecting the nervous system include molds, petroleum distillates, and poisonous plants. Check the feed for mold. It will smell spoiled. Look around for rotting compost that might include moldy vegetable matter. Look around the yard for machinery leaking fluids onto the ground such as tractors, log splitters, mowers, etc. Try to think of any insecticide use lately. Has any paint thinner been tossed onto the ground where the chickens may have picked up contaminated grit?

 

[The Cuckoo Nest66]

Something is definitely "off" with these two chickens and you're astute to pick up on it. You will need to be an investigator and try to discover what they could have been exposed to.

Since two chickens are experiencing similar symptoms, we should be able to rule out reproductive disorders or even crop disorders. The symptoms point to a neuro toxin, so try to think what and where the chickens could have run into it.

Toxins affecting the nervous system include molds, petroleum distillates, and poisonous plants. Check the feed for mold. It will smell spoiled. Look around for rotting compost that might include moldy vegetable matter. Look around the yard for machinery leaking fluids onto the ground such as tractors, log splitters, mowers, etc. Try to think of any insecticide use lately. Has any paint thinner been tossed onto the ground where the chickens may have picked up contaminated grit?

Now that I've read your response, it got my wheels turning. My husband is a mechanic and has a shop at our house, so theres definitely fluids out there. I wouldn't be surprised if they were drinking from rain puddles like they usually do and maybe one of them was mixed with oil or something. I will go check it out in the morning. What is the course of action if they ingested oil or coolant etc? Is this something they can likely recover from?
Our hen who was super lethargic two days ago was acting more normal today but still cant use her wings.

 

[aart]

Not sure about the toxin aspect,
but this is what I do when a bird is acting 'off'.....

I isolate bird in a wire cage within the coop for a day or two....so I can closely monitor their intake of food and water, crop function(checking at night and in morning before providing more feed), and their poops. Feel their abdomen, from below vent to between legs, for squishy or hard swelling. Check for external parasites or any other abnormalities.

Best to put crate right in coop or run so bird is still 'with' the flock.
I like to use a fold-able wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller mesh(1x2) on bottom of crate under tray.
Then you can put tray underneath crate to better observe droppings without it being stepped in. If smaller mesh is carefully installed, tray can still be used inside crate.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Yesterday I was a bit concerned about our Australorp (a hen who has laid eggs before but not since being here three months) because she stayed in or near the coop literally all day despite having 5 acres to roam. She slept most of the day and barely ate. When it came time to roost for the night, she stayed on the ground instead of flying up like she usually does. Today she seemed way better and appeared to be back to normal. Her comb is pale but I've always assumed it meant she just wasn't actively laying.
Our little pullet is now acting weird. Today i noticed her wings looked like they were longer than usual and seemed to hang down a tiny bit. Then at roost time, she tried to fly up to the roost but couldnt. Then i saw her fly right into the wall and she just sat there on the ground and started to sleep. I picked her up and she didnt even try to run. Didn't squirm when i moved her wings.
Neither chicken has obvious signs of injury, neither appear sick to me but maybe im missing something.
Any ideas what could be happening?

Is the pullet new to you as well - how old is she? How long have you had her?
What do you feed?
The BA have you felt of her abdomen to see if there's any bloat or fluid?
The pullet anything odd about her eyes?

 

[azygous]

It depends on the toxin. If it was petroleum distillates, there may be nothing you can do. But any chicken you suspect may have ingested poison, give them activated charcoal and hope for the best.

This has happened to me more times than I like to admit. Tracking down the source of the poisoning is crucial, so try your best to find it and eliminate it. Chickens are extremely vulnerable to even the tiniest amount.

 

[The Cuckoo Nest66]

We lost the pullet over night. Im so incredibly sad. I feel like i let her down. We're going to do a better job about keeping the shop closed more often and keeping fluids off the gravel. Im almost certain that's what did this. Everyone else is 100% fine. The other hen seems to be fine too but still keeping a close eye on her.

 

[The Cuckoo Nest66]

I just spoke with my husband who was home with them all day yesterday, and he said she stayed on the house side of the property literally all day and drank water constantly. Then at night time he had to carry her to the coop because she wouldnt go on her own. He set her by the water in there and apparently thats where he found her this morning. Does extreme thirst happen more with a toxin or illness usually?

 

[azygous]

It's very hard to quantify thirst. It's a somewhat significant symptom with certain crop disorders, but other than rat poison, I don't think it's very telling. With toxins, balance is affected very soon after ingestion, followed closely by weakness in the legs causing inability to walk.

I once observed this rapid onset of symptoms when a four-week old chick picked up grit under my log splitter that was leaking hydraulic (transmission) fluid. It was an awful experience. It took me two days to finally figure out what had caused it. Then I really felt awful.