Am I stupid or do i just not know what to do? Ten month old Blue Australorp hen laying down several times a day.

[vrollo81]

I so hope this girl doesn't die on me like my other hen. I literally just lost one a few days ago. Below is the link to that post and there are videos and pictures of Thumper last night and today.

She's been laying down several times starting yesterday afternoon. She's still walking around, scratching, eating, and drinking. I gave her half a tums last night, it's all she would let me give her. She does have some poop streaked below her vent but her vent looks clean. She's not contracting, panting, struggling to breath, but she does have a egg-like lump on her backside. Like inside but on the underbelly side.

Her last egg was laid Tuesday. She's never had any problems thus far. The girl I lost on Sunday was he best friend. They were the only ones left out of the second 'flock' I got.

I have three Buff Orpingtons, two years old, and have never had problems with them. Other than their mysterious LONG laying 'strike' fall through early winter.

I'm tagging @Wyorp Rock because of the responses given for my other hen.

Thread 'Lethargic, panting, laying down alot, not eating 9 month old Easter Egger. Laid an egg yesterday. Been like this for 3 days now but today is worse.' https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...is-for-3-days-now-but-today-is-worse.1574177/

 

[nuthatched]

What is her diet? Have you treated her for egg binding or for vitamin deficiency?

 

[TillyPeeps]

Did you deworm your chickens recently? Check for mites and lice too. If you feel a lump in her belly, it could be egg bound, tumor, or water belly. Is it hard or squishy? Did you get new chickens in last several months from other people (not including day old chicks from a hatchery)?

 

[vrollo81]

What is her diet? Have you treated her for egg binding or for vitamin deficiency?

What is her diet?

She is free range with fermented food in the morning and pellet food whenever she wants. The flock mainly eats bugs, dirt, grass (what little is left lol)

Have you treated her for egg binding or for vitamin deficiency?

I gave her about half a tums yesterday evening but nothing else.

 

[nuthatched]

What is her diet?

She is free range with fermented food in the morning and pellet food whenever she wants. The flock mainly eats bugs, dirt, grass (what little is left lol)

Have you treated her for egg binding or for vitamin deficiency?

I gave her about half a tums yesterday evening but nothing else.

Type of feed? What's the mix?
Yeah, lol, green things don't last long with chickens

 

[vrollo81]

Did you deworm your chickens recently? Check for mites and lice too. If you feel a lump in her belly, it could be egg bound, tumor, or water belly. Is it hard or squishy? Did you get new chickens in last several months from other people (not including day old chicks from a hatchery)?

Did you deworm your chickens recently?

I have not dewormed them.

Check for mites and lice too.

No mites or lice.

If you feel a lump in her belly, it could be egg bound, tumor, or water belly. Is it hard or squishy?

It's not super squishy but it's not hard either.

Did you get new chickens in last several months from other people (not including day old chicks from a hatchery)?

I got four new chicks from our local feed store. They are seven weeks old. I got them five weeks and three days ago. They were inside for the first four weeks and six days. I just put them outside in a separate coop and run, on Monday.

 

[vrollo81]

Type of feed? What's the mix?
Yeah, lol, green things don't last long with chickens

Type of feed?

NatureWise layer feed from Tractor Supply.

What's the mix?

Scratch grains from Tractor Supply, black sunflower seeds, crushed red pepper, cinnamon, oregano, rosemary, DE. I mix it all up, and let it ferment in hard for 24-48 hours.

Their treats consist of kitchen scraps, meal worms, black soldier fly larvae, and steel oats.

 

[TillyPeeps]

Feed stores usually get their chicks from hatcheries, so they should be mostly disease free. You can try to deworm them to see if it helps. I had a hen acted sick with watery poop and she was not interested in food either. I tried Corid first, no luck. Then she became much better in a day or two after I dewormed her. I used to deworm once a year. After this happened, I deworm twice a year now.

Unfortunately, that lump could be a tumor, which is very common in chickens. If that's the case, there's no cure. But I would try to treat for egg bound and deworm first to see if that helps. There are too many diseases in chickens. We just have to try our best to help. Of course, providing some vitamin supplies and/or herbs always help.

 

[nuthatched]

Scratch grains from Tractor Supply, black sunflower seeds, crushed red pepper, cinnamon, oregano, rosemary, DE. I mix it all up, and let it ferment in hard for 24-48 hours.

Does she get this every day? It's not good for her at all, treats like this should be less than 10% of her diet. Red pepper seeds contain antinutritional qualities that block vitamin absorption, so make sure there are no seeds in the flakes. If you're adding the pepper flakes and the DE for worming, please note that they do not contain any anthelmintic properties.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She's been laying down several times starting yesterday afternoon. She's still walking around, scratching, eating, and drinking.

She's not contracting, panting, struggling to breath, but she does have a egg-like lump on her backside. Like inside but on the underbelly side.

Walking around, scratching, eating, drinking, pooping, no contractions, no panting, no respiratory distress...she's not egg bound.

I would just monitor her. See that her crop is emptying overnight and look her over for lice/mites.
I may be missing something, but she looks o.k. in the videos to me.