Chicken is out of sorts

[Gailze]

Hi there! I am new to chicken care, but I have 4 hens, all about 5.5 months old. Today one of them won't leave the coop. She is listless and won't eat. We made her come out and she took a sip of water and went right back in. I'm not sure if she has laid eggs yet. Somebody has but not sure who! Is she sick, or broody?
Thanks!:/

 

[eenie114]

What color is her wattle/comb? Bright red or a duller pink?

 

[Imachicklvr2]

I would suspect some sort of health issue over being broody. Have you seen any odd looking poops? It could be coccidiosis. I had a couple of chicks get it and that was exactly what they did. They sat around with their feathers fluffed out and had little interest in eating. There was also blood in their poops. If you think it could possibly be coccidiosis I would start treating as soon as possible, they can go downhill very quickly.

It could also be a myriad of other things like mites, lice, or an infection.

I am pretty new to keeping chickens myself, hopefully someone more experienced will stop in and give you some imput. I hope your girl feels better soon.

 

[Gailze]

I am heartbroken to say that she has died. We did not see any bloody poops. Yesterday she was her usual self, and today she was just sick. Now I'm worried the others will get sick, although they all seem fine. There poos look ok though.

 

[Imachicklvr2]

I am so sorry to hear that your girl has passed.

If you are really worried about what caused her to die and whether it is something contagious, you could always have a necropsy done. I know it is hard to think about now but it can give you peace of mind just knowing what happened.

 

[Gailze]

Thanks for the condolence. She was our most lively chicken and we really have loved her. So, someone mentioned UC Davis on this site....is that person out there? We live close, I may be willing to investigate a necroscopy, soon obviously.
My two worries are, poisoning from plants or rat poison. She was convulsing toward the end. Her eyes clouded up and she couldn't hold herself up. It was so sudden!
I appreciate this forum!

 

[Imachicklvr2]

You might want to start another thread asking about UC Davis or you could contact your vet tomorrow and see what they have to say. You will need to keep her body cool (like in the refrigerator) but not freezing as it damages the tissues for the most accurate results. It is scary when an illness hits so fast like that. Do the hens have access to an area that may have contained rat poison? I am not sure what types of plants are poisonous to chickens but it would be good to know. I hope this is just an odd occurrence and all your other girls stay well.