chicken acting tired on hot day

[filmcmahon]

hello all! so we live in southern ontario and it is our first very hot day this year. well anyways, one of my 11 month old columbian rocks is acting very strange today. (for reference, she has dwarfism and doesn’t lay eggs, gets picked on sometimes) when i went to let them out of the run to free range, she was roosting where they go to sleep, and when i put her in the run for some water she went straight into the nesting box where it’s dark. note that the entire time she hasn’t let out a single sound, no chirps no chatter etc.
well i put her outside with the others and her bully came towards her and she didn’t even run like she normally does. the bulky chicken jumped on her and then she ran away. she made her way into a bush and stood there, closing her eyes after a while. she lied down and has been in that exact spot ever since.
i let them out at 11 and it is now 3:30 and she is still lying there.
i put a water dish and food bowl in the bush with her but i have not seen her eat or drink with my own eyes, she might of when i left.
does anyone know what this could be from? she appears very healthy, red comb and all.
my family member who let them out of the coop this morning says she didn’t notice anything was wrong.

 

[azygous]

When a coincidence such as this occurs, it isn't unwarranted to take immediate action to treat for something very obvious - heat stroke. It can't hurt her if you're wrong, and if you treat her for it, it could save her life if you are right.

If you have Gatoraid on hand pour some out and let her drink that. You may need to dip her beak to get her started. I've found chickens adore the red Gatoraid, but the other flavors will do.

If you have no electrolytes, mix some sugar water with a pinch of salt and baking soda and give her that.

If this is indeed her problem, she will respond very quickly and return to normal. If not, you will need to look further for the cause of her lethargic behavior.

 

[filmcmahon]

When a coincidence such as this occurs, it isn't unwarranted to take immediate action to treat for something very obvious - heat stroke. It can't hurt her if you're wrong, and if you treat her for it, it could save her life if you are right.

If you have Gatoraid on hand pour some out and let her drink that. You may need to dip her beak to get her started. I've found chickens adore the red Gatoraid, but the other flavors will do.

If you have no electrolytes, mix some sugar water with a pinch of salt and baking soda and give her that.

If this is indeed her problem, she will respond very quickly and return to normal. If not, you will need to look further for the cause of her lethargic behavior.

Thank you for your quick reply. What is the typical temperature for heat stroke? it is 27 celsius here today. we also gave her some honey and dipped her beak in it and she licked it off.

 

[filmcmahon]

Thank you for your quick reply. What is the typical temperature for heat stroke? it is 27 celsius here today. we also gave her some honey and dipped her beak in it and she licked it off.

we just made a homemade electrolyte drink with sugar lemon juice baking soda and salt and we dipped her beak in and she drank. she seems to be at least making some noises a few mins after, but not moving that much still. still has a healthy looking comb and body

 

[azygous]

It doesn't need to be raging hot for any creature to suffer heat sickness. If the electrolyte balance is disturbed by dehydration, it can happen quickly, and death can occur. Before that happens there are signs of weakness, trouble with balance, stumbling, acting "drunk".

But beware of continuous use of electrolytes in the water. That can cause its own set of health issues.

 

[filmcmahon]

It doesn't need to be raging hot for any creature to suffer heat sickness. If the electrolyte balance is disturbed by dehydration, it can happen quickly, and death can occur. Before that happens there are signs of weakness, trouble with balance, stumbling, acting "drunk".

But beware of continuous use of electrolytes in the water. That can cause its own set of health issues.

Okay, thank you. I have her electrolytes and it is now quite cool and she won’t eat but will drink occasionally. Her crop feels very squishy and she has white liquid poop so maybe something to do with her crop?

 

[azygous]

Yes, do check her crop in the morning to see if it's still full and squishy. If it is, you'll probably need to treat for sour crop.

 

[filmcmahon]

Yes, do check her crop in the morning to see if it's still full and squishy. If it is, you'll probably need to treat for sour crop.

I checked it, it wasn’t super swollen (maybe because she’s so small?) but it was squishy. I am giving her some yogurt as well as some water. should i not give her food? she has also perked up quite a bit and is squeaking and walking around!

 

[azygous]

I would check it again tomorrow morning and if it hasn't emptied completely, you should probably start her on miconazole. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...d-how-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73

 

[aart]

When I have a bird 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.

Just got a bird thru sour crop, was easier to keep an eye on things by keeping her crated.