Chicken keeps falling over! Help!

[ANiceKaren]

Internal laying can go on for years. Or it can kill in just one week of ovulation. Last summer I lost a one-year old Blue Andelusian, and she went from free-ranging normally all morning to stepping inside the run at noon and falling over dead. She happened to fall right on top of two of my oldest hens who were resting on some feed sacks beside the pop hole.

That youngster isn't the necropsy hen in my photos at the above link. That was an older hen who had been acting lethargic for a while, but it wasn't anything I could diagnose. Judging from the hardboiled eggs, they had to have been cooking for weeks or months inside her.

The symptoms also fit a reproductive disease such as cancer or a bacterial infection such as salpingitis, neither being treatable.

I guess I’ll just keep treating the way I did my other hen and hope for the best. As long as her quality of life seems good I will keep hope. Do internal layers ever lay outside again?

 

[Kiki]

I guess I’ll just keep treating the way I did my other hen and hope for the best. As long as her quality of life seems good I will keep hope. Do internal layers ever lay outside again?

Usually no.


Do you mind if I ask you what you feed your birds?

 

[ANiceKaren]

Usually no.


Do you mind if I ask you what you feed your birds?

I was just going to ask if this was something I may have caused... too many snacks or something? My girls eat crumbled food from feed store mixed with a bit of the pellet feed, scratch from feed store and I usually sprinkle some black sun flower seeds as well. They free range in my front yard the majority of the day eating whatever...I also give them tomatoes, yogurt, cucumbers and some plain wheat pasta if I have some as left overs... oh and meal worms. I give them usually two-three treats per day. Could be any of the things I’ve listed. They always have fresh water with apple cider vinegar. I hate to think the treats caused this or my food? Both girls were great layers a few months ago. A few months ago one of my other chickens had these EXACT same symptoms but seems completely normal now except no eggs since November. The current sick girl was laying two weeks ago and now is not. I don’t think she is egg bound because I really can’t feel an egg and she is pushing or standing wide...

 

[Kiki]

I'm going to say it is highly likely that all of these extras/treats are the problem.

I'd stop everything immediately and feed ONLY the complete/balanced layer feed.

Every time you feed them something besides the formulated balanced poultry feed you are taking away from them getting a complete balanced diet.

Not getting a balanced diet causes exactly what you are seeing.

 

[ANiceKaren]

I'm going to say it is highly likely that all of these extras/treats are the problem.

I'd stop everything immediately and feed ONLY the complete/balanced layer feed.

Every time you feed them something besides the formulated balanced poultry feed you are taking away from them getting a complete balanced diet.

Not getting a balanced diet causes exactly what you are seeing.

That’s an easy fix! I’ll stop immediately. I never knew that treats could be an issue... I see soooo many chicken owners giving them treats all the time... way more than what I do... I feel bad if I made them sick. I sure do hope she can pull through! Do you think if I stop treats she could recover?

 

[Kiki]

That’s an easy fix! I’ll stop immediately. I never knew that treats could be an issue... I see soooo many chicken owners giving them treats all the time... way more than what I do... I feel bad if I made them sick. I sure do hope she can pull through! Do you think if I stop treats she could recover?

No I do not.
I find that once the damage is done it's not really reversable.

 

[Kiki]

Plain water is better too.
Layer feed only and plain water.

 

[ANiceKaren]

That’s an easy fix! I’ll stop immediately. I never knew that treats could be an issue... I see soooo many chicken owners giving them treats all the time... way more than what I do... I feel bad if I made them sick. I sure do hope she can pull through! Do you think if I stop treats she could recover?

Here are some pics of her today... like I said, she isn’t suffering by any means.. just not laying right and moving slower than normal... not her sassy self. The white one was my girl who had exact same symptoms a few months back...

 

[Kiki]

Here are some pics of her today... like I said, she isn’t suffering by any means.. just not laying right and moving slower than normal... not her sassy self. The white one was my girl who had exact same symptoms a few months back...

Holy moly that's a lot of feed...getting wasted.

How many birds do you have?
You really only need to put out a cup's worth per bird per day.

 

[ANiceKaren]

Holy moly that's a lot of feed...getting wasted.

How many birds do you have?
You really only need to put out a cup's worth per bird per day.

I only have four! I just fill that up and that’s it for the day. They certainly don’t eat it all.