A Sick Chicken

[The Molly]

Hello,

Hopefully one of you can help me figure this one out: I have a Marans hen that is just not quite herself. Lays down to eat and drink, takes a few steps lays down. She is a year old and there doesn't seem to be any lesions or raised scales on her feet or leggs. she jumped out of the coop and her leggs didn't hold her; she landed on her breast. she is one of my best layers (lays 9-10 days - take a day off) She hasn't laid in two to three days. Poops seems to be fine. She is not as clean as she normally keeps herself.

I've separated her form the others. The others seem to be fine.

 

[mzfancichicks]

I really don't much about layers. Have you tried a search for when the egg gets stuck inside of them? I'm sorry about your hen. Hopefully someone will come on here soon to help you.

Good luck

 

[threehorses]

First, what does she eat normally? Everything, including free-choice supplements like grit, etc.

I would lower the roost for one. Feel her weight; does she feel thin or fat to you? Check her for parasites (mites/lice) that can cause weakness. Is it very hot there?

I have some suspicions of what it can be, but saying so without more information would just be guessing and that wouldn't be fair to you.

So I'll wait for your reply.

 

[The Molly]

I looking into it, thanks.

 

[The Molly]

Her feed is laying mash and crushed corn 50/50 ratio. It is harvest season here so i've been spinkling milo,rice mixture 2 -3 cups in the yard daily. The locust are coming out and leaving the larve skin around the yard i've seen eating a few of these including a few locust. I leave a fine grit - bowl separate from the feeders. Fresh water daily.

She feels about the same weight. Before I separated her form the others noticed she was nesting as to roosting at night.

We have 90 - 100+ degrees (We are West of Houston about 1 hour)

Just checked her out again. She doesn't seem to have mites/lice. Last time I dewormed the flock was in May.

 

[threehorses]

Omigosh, ok - you're not far from me. So I know the weather. If she's heavy-ish, it could be that she's injured herself. If she's eating a good percentage of corn, more than 10% of her diet, it could be that she's not getting enough calcium and the squatting combined with sitting on a nest suggests that to me.

I'd recommend upping her diet to laying pellets, giving her 1 tablet of Tums crushed into a wet feeding (some smallish amount of something tempting for her to eat), oyster shell free choice to take care of her older bird needs. It wouldn't hurt to give them cod liver oil or fortified wheat germ oil (see horse sections of feed store for "fortified") sprayed twice weekly on their feed for a few weeks.

Corn raises the phos levels which depletes the available calcium levels. Sometimes over time that causes problems and the hen will actually take calcium from its legs and bones to make up for the extra phosphorus. So I'd try to get the calcium levels back up with the layer and free choice oyster shell. I just put mine next to my grit in the same bowl, unless I have a two hole cat feeder bowl (dollar store).

That's my first suspicion with the diet and lack of other clear symptoms. I would probably keep her close in a smaller area for a few days to let it kick in and make sure she gets her strength back, calcium or not.

I didn't know there were any Marans this close! Neat!

 

[The Molly]

Thanks for the feed info. I'll try that change up in her feed.

She is looking a little more lively today. She layed a strange colored egg. It dosen't resemble a Marans egg at all. It looks like a calaco paint with specks, about 2ozs a normal size for her. The shell and membrane are thick and tough- almost like a turkey egg.

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
how very weird! did you save it, possibly get a picture of it? Good that the membrane is thick. Did you open it? Possible an egg that got stuck in the area where membranes and shells are, a double layer? Or one layer just very thick?

 

[The Molly]

I thought about getting a pic after I broke it to check out the inside. Seems like 1 layer just thick. The yoke and white seem normal.

Missed getting a pic the shell is already out to the compost -

I checked on her a few min ago and she is walking around normal still going to keep her separted from the others and off the roost for another day. Do y ou think she was egg bound?

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
Well it might be possible. Did she skip a day?

What a strange egg, but sometimes these things happen.