Chicken down! help please

[ChixPix]

I have a flock of 16 hens, one rooster. Most of the chicikens are 1.5 years old, and 2 are 2.5 years old. They were treated for coccidiosis at about 4-6 months
I'm in Missouri and it's very cold here right now (freezing temps but no snow).
Chickens were out today, and I did not check in the coop until tonight when it was time to put them up. One of the hens was laying on the floor. she has no wounds, her comb is red, her feet are normal color. She's just twitching every few seconds.

I checked her vent to see if she was egg bound and I felt no eggs.
I felt her crop and it feels normal to me, but not sure, it's kind of hard to tell as she's lathargic and not holding herself up like a normal chick of course. I'm having a hard time telling what I'm feeling.
Any ideas?

 

[ChixPix]

Also, they've hardly been laying at all - I think they were molting. I upped their protein hoping that would help. I put them on a game bird feed but they don't seem to like it much, I was going to switch them back to the regular layer feed.

 

[ChixPix]

anyone?

 

[LindsayB]

I really don't know...I hope someone can chime in soon. One of my easter eggers started sleeping on the floor in the nest box when she was going through her molt, but the twitching thing has me thinking its some kind of trauma

 

[ChirpNEggBaby]

Any gurgling or respitory signs or runny eyes?? Probably NOT a good sign, but trying offering some hard boilded egg...if she turns that down I'd move her to a sick cage and prepare for a parting of the ways. Then again, she might just be REALLY REALLY cold...but twitching sounds like trauma, could have a broken back or neck....or maybe you have some over eager roos???? Just typing outloud.

 

[ChixPix]

I feel confident her back isn't broken. I've brought her in the house so she can be warm and put her in a box with a cover. When I sat her down, she moved herself a bit. I gave her a little bit of water but she wouldn't even swallow, it just ran back out of her mouth

The twitching almost seems like a hickup.. it's not really big movement.

I feel pretty confident she won't make it, but I thought maybe if someone knew "Oh I know what that is!" I'd give it a shot.

 

[WooingWyandotte]

Maybe a roo mounted her awry? Have you been noticing any chickens acting a little strange lately? Or perhaps not eating a drinking? What breed is she? How old, do you know? Has she had issues before? I agree with Chirpneggbaby, if she was twitching, maybe some sort of trauma. For now, I would isolate her and keep her indoors (in a cardboard box or something simple with some fresh hay or pine shavings) I'm so sorry. I had a chicken just 'die' on me a couple days ago. It sucks and I hope she won't die on you.

 

[ChixPix]

I had one other hen the other day making a funny chirping noise, but she stopped, otherwise nothing weird I've noticed. My roo is pretty docile, I haven't ever seen him be rough, but I'm not out there all the time. She's stopped twitching, just sleeping now. She's a barred rock, born April '10.

 

[WooingWyandotte]

Quote:
I don't know.

It's been a couple days, update..?