Buff Orpington acting strange

[Madison Lorenzen]

My Buff Orpington is 3 years old. Sunday morning we noticed she was just standing around and if she walked it was really slowly. Her tail is also pointed downward. We moved her to our "quarantine coop" and she would just stand in one spot and isn't eating any food we bring her. I took her out and she walked around a little bit outside and scratched and pecked at the ground a bit. She's usually very social and happy, but she's just moving slowly or not at all and not eating or drinking. We noticed discoloration of her feathers and were thinking maybe she's molting and it's not making her feel well? I've already checked for mites/lice, and eggbinding. Any other ideas of what it could be? Or could it be a molt?

 

[mestenos]

Chickens would not act so poorly if they were just molting. Something is hurting her inside. I've had a couple of hens die because of egg binding and they acted just like that.
Perhaps she ate something toxic.
Make sure she gets water inside her. Fasting for a little while is good, but after some time you should try feeding her yogurt and other soft foods.

 

[micstrachan]

I’m glad you’ve ruled out egg binding. That can take a hen down quickly. I am concerned about the possibility of internal laying.
Can you bring her in so you can monitor her more closely? Is she eating, drinking, pooping, breathing, laying normally? Please feel her over. Does she feel thin and bony? Is her abdomen (fluffy butt) bloated and squishy? How does her vent look? Is her crop empty in the morning?
Minimally, I would start with supportive care. Safe, warm, indoor environment and poultry vitamins and electrolytes in her water. If she isn’t eating well, aprotein treat (chopped egg, tuna, live meal worms, canbed cat food, etc.) might give her a littke boost. If you can answer sone of these questions, there are several experienced people on these forumswho can help you. Please do act quickly, as chickensdon’t usually show outward symptoms until they are quite ill. Good luck and let us know how she does. Of course, avian veterinary care is always best if that is an option. We will do our best to help you here.

 

[Madison Lorenzen]

Thank you for the reply! I do take my girls to the vet if I can, but I'm broke. She doesn't feel thin at all. She's actually pretty chubby. Haha. She picked at a couple blueberries, but not eating much. I don't know if she's drinking or not. Her crop felt pretty empty today when I checked cause she hasn't eaten much. I haven't seen her poop, but I was only out with her for about 15 minutes. As far as laying, I'm not sure about that either because i can't tell the difference. She's quarantined in a separate coop, so I'll be able to keep an eye out for bowel movements and eggs. What signs should I look out for to be internal laying? I can't figure out what's wrong. She's just not as social and outgoing as she normally is. Walking slow and not moving much. When I took her out in the yard she was scratching and pecking at the ground which was a good sign.

 

[Madison Lorenzen]

Could her feathers be discolored from a molt? And could that cause this behavior? I'll try to get some pictures tomorrow

 

[micstrachan]

My chicken had egg yolk peritonitis (inflammatory response to egg yolk material in the abdomen, sonetimes infected) which progressed very quickly. Same symptoms, but the tell tale sign was the ascites (fluid build up in her abdomen). My girl was in VERY bad shape, so it’s good you are catching this before she gets to that state.
Please keep an eye on her poop and look for any weird stuff in her dropping (fatty tissue looking things or other weird stuff) which could be indicative of salpingitis (inflammation of the oviduct.) Either condition is likely to require antibiotics. Honestly, I would quarantine her for observation and so she can rest, but also let her have time with the flock so she doesnotger lonely or depressed. Hopefully some more people will chine in.

 

[Madison Lorenzen]

We have 2 coops and she is quarantined in one of them. How would I check her abdomen for fluid build up?

 

[junebuggena]

A picture could tell us so much more.

 

[Madison Lorenzen]

 

[Madison Lorenzen]

Sorry i posted the same pictures several times. She's in our bathroom to stay warm. Won't eat or drink anything. She just pooped and I have 2 pictures of it. Does it look weird? She's standing normal and looks fine. Just won't eat and acting different. Won't move much