Chicken Acting Lethargic and Sick

[cadenrupp]

A couple of hours ago, I went outside to feed our chickens and noticed one of them was lying in the middle of the run with her head tucked underneath her wing. I didn’t think much of it because of how cold it’s been (around 0°F). When the chickens noticed the food, they all chased me around until I set it down as per usual. Although, the same chicken lying down before didn’t move at all. She almost got stepped on by a couple of the chickens and I noticed she still wasn’t moving. So, after I set down the food, I moved her closer to it. Despite moving her, she still wouldn’t eat. That’s when I started to notice something was wrong. Then, about an hour later, I come back outside to shut their coop door. I notice that the same chicken is still lying outside, but in a different place than earlier. So, I pick her up and place her on a roost inside. She moves a little bit and lies back down. I wasn’t really able to observe any other symptoms because I didn’t notice until later in the day and it had already gotten pretty dark outside. I don’t know if it’s worth bringing her in and keeping her isolated so that she can get better or if I should just let her stay outside. Normally, I would bring her in, but I don’t want her to have to get adjusted to the freezing temperatures after being inside. Should I bring her inside or leave her outside until I can further observe what may be causing her to act this way? And, if I do bring her inside, what can I do for her overnight?

 

[azygous]

Bring her inside unless you want to brave below freezing weather trying to treat her. Even in mild weather, it's often more convenient to bring a sick chicken indoors so you can monitor it more closely, and it will make it easier for the sick chicken to recover if it isn't exhausting all its body reserves trying to stay warm.

Set her up in a dog crate on a thick absorbent towel. You can place paper towels under her so it's easier to remove the poop. Poop is the first thing you want to note. Is it watery, full of mucous, bloody, unusually smelly, black, brown, yellow, white, or clear, or solid and normal?

Let her have food and water until you get ready to go to bed, then remove it. You will want to check her crop first thing in the morning to see if it has emptied overnight. If it's full in the morning, is it soft and spongy like a water balloon or hard and lumpy? A crop disorder could be making her sick. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Is she currently laying? Do you know when she may have laid her most recent egg? Have you had any shell-less eggs lately? This hen could have a stuck egg. Look at her vent. Is it leaking fluids? Is her butt fluff very wet? Is it covered in white urates?

Check over her eyes, nares, ears, inside of her mouth for any crusty buildup or swelling or discharges. Listen to her breathing. Do you hear whistling, rattling, or wheezing?

Is she able to stand? How is her balance? Can she walk? Are her eyes closed all of the time, or does she open them? Are the pupils round and normal or irregular?

When you finally have a diagnosis, are you willing and able to put in the time and energy to treat her? Some illnesses can take quite a while for recovery and treatment. I have a pullet that has been sick for two months, and it's required daily care to bring her from the edge of death to the present, and she still has a long way to go until she recovers fully. The reason I ask is because not everyone has the luxury of being able to spend the time to nurse a sick chicken back to health. In that case, euthanasia is a reasonable alternative.

 

[aart]

Good to check for all the things @azygous laid out.

Might just be cold stress too.
Some electrolyte/vitamins works here to battle that:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-extreme-weather-spiel.75893/