Idk if this is the right place for this, but my hen is acting strange.
She drinks excessively. As in, 30 minutes non stop if I don't take her out. She's also lighter than before, her nails are growing out which could mean she isn't as active, she stands half asleep with either foot tucked in, and I scattered seeds but she was the only one disinterested, despite having next to nothing on her crop.
Any ideas as to what's causing this weird behavior?
Welcome To BYC
Can you post photos of her and her poop?
She was attacked by a Possum, did she suffer any injuries, have any wounds? Any signs of infection, swelling, bad odors, pus, angry red tissue, etc.?
Where on the body?
When was her last egg?
Ime, drinking excessively is usually due to a crop/digestive issue. You mention next to nothing in the crop, but sometimes there can be a partial blockage in the digestive system. I'd re-check the crop to see if it's emptying by morning (check before she drinks or eat after a full night's sleep).
I'd try offering some wet mushy feed. See if you can interest her in eating. Other things to try would be bits of egg, fish (sardines/mackerel), a little beef, etc. Sometimes when one is very ill, watermelon or tomato are interesting. Just small bits to see if you can entice her.
If the crop is not emptying or you feel that the digestive system is a bit sluggish, then I'd start with giving her 1tsp coconut oil chunks twice a day. This will make for a bit of loose stool sometimes, but it can sometimes get things moving.
She's standing with a foot tucked in. Either one? She doesn't favor one or the other?
Any lice/mites?
I'm not sure, but she did get attacked by an opossum a few weeks ago and has a lot of feathers to grow. I haven't seen any of my other chickens act like this during their moult, or her in previous moults
