Chicken acting weak, not really moving

[nthasama]

That is a great idea, thank you. I don't have anything like that set up at the moment, but I think I could build something for her. I want to build a new coop sometime soon and I want to have a section that can be shut off to use as a nursery. In the mean time I might just have to use some spare chicken wire to section off a little bit of the coop for her.

I also wanted to say that I really appreciate all the help. I freaked out a little because I have never dealt with a sick bird and wanted to make sure I was doing the right things. I did what seemed to be common sense (isolating the hen in a warm, dry place with food and water), but I felt like there was more that I should be doing, I just didn't know what.

Also, can I give chickens baths? The hen has just been sitting, pooping, and sitting in her own poop, so she is filthy right now. Will she clean herself or should I do something?

 

[azygous]

Absolutely, you can bathe a chicken. Usually, the butt feathers below the vent are all that are soiled and you can just back them up to a basin of warm water and splash rinse them. Sometimes, I use baby shampoo for a crusted-on mess to dissolve and loosen the grime. In winter, they get patted dry and then blow dried before going back out into the cold.

If she's soiled on her abdominal area, you can immerse her in about two inches of warm water to soak off the mess, then rinse well with a spray. I know it's gross, but my kitchen sink doubles as a chicken bathing station in winter. In summer, on warm days, I have a butt washing stand with an old discarded sink mounted on it to wash my soiled chicken butts. I use the garden hose to spray off the grime and they get to air dry.