I have a hen who I got a month ago to go with my lone boy. For the first week she was fine, then she started withdrawing into herself and stopped being interested in food and water and just perched in the doorway to the coop all day.
I started pushing her out into the run, where she'd peck and scratch for a bit before retreating huddled onto a perch. On close inspection I noticed that her head was missing some feathers and was scabby where the roo had been pulling her around and pecking her. After time spent watching from a distance I noticed that every single time she bent her head to feed, the roo was pulling her around by her head.
I seperated her to give her a break and she started eating and drinking again. She is painfully thin still. After two days she hadn't picked up, she was eating and drinking but remaining huddled the rest of the time and doing nothing, so I put her out on the lawn without a run and watched her carefully. She took a few wobbly steps, obviously interested but was very unsteady. After around 30 secs maximum, she sat down again and stayed put.
Yesterday I took her to the vet who can't find anything wrong with her. Her eyes are clear and bright, her crop feels normal, her comb and face are good and red, her tongue is moist and pink, her heart and chest are clear, her droppings are normal, she doesn't appear to have egg peritonitis and she's not showing classic signs of Mareks.
She's alert, not puffed up, eating and drinking well, I'm stumped as to what is wrong. She can barely stand or walk and props herself against the wall to feed as her legs won't hold her up or steady for long enough to do so. She is still very thin, but she's been treated for external and internal parasites and has now been on Baytril antibiotics since yesterday to see if it helps at all.
Anyone have a clue whats up with her?
At some point I tried giving her hen company but they immediatly sensed weakness and wouldn't leave her be, attacking her relentlessly. She hides away if she's in sight of hens. She's interested in the chicks and sits down as near them as she can when I have them out in the sunshine.
I started pushing her out into the run, where she'd peck and scratch for a bit before retreating huddled onto a perch. On close inspection I noticed that her head was missing some feathers and was scabby where the roo had been pulling her around and pecking her. After time spent watching from a distance I noticed that every single time she bent her head to feed, the roo was pulling her around by her head.
I seperated her to give her a break and she started eating and drinking again. She is painfully thin still. After two days she hadn't picked up, she was eating and drinking but remaining huddled the rest of the time and doing nothing, so I put her out on the lawn without a run and watched her carefully. She took a few wobbly steps, obviously interested but was very unsteady. After around 30 secs maximum, she sat down again and stayed put.
Yesterday I took her to the vet who can't find anything wrong with her. Her eyes are clear and bright, her crop feels normal, her comb and face are good and red, her tongue is moist and pink, her heart and chest are clear, her droppings are normal, she doesn't appear to have egg peritonitis and she's not showing classic signs of Mareks.
She's alert, not puffed up, eating and drinking well, I'm stumped as to what is wrong. She can barely stand or walk and props herself against the wall to feed as her legs won't hold her up or steady for long enough to do so. She is still very thin, but she's been treated for external and internal parasites and has now been on Baytril antibiotics since yesterday to see if it helps at all.
Anyone have a clue whats up with her?
At some point I tried giving her hen company but they immediatly sensed weakness and wouldn't leave her be, attacking her relentlessly. She hides away if she's in sight of hens. She's interested in the chicks and sits down as near them as she can when I have them out in the sunshine.