Chicken lays down all the time.

[Farm life101]

Hey y’all!
I have a hen named Lorelei who will just randomly lay down anywhere in the yard (even in the open) and just stay there for 30 minutes to an hour. She has been doing this for the past couple months. I’m worried about her because she came from a bad hatchery. We got 14 chicks (including her) expecting them to all be females, ended up with 9 males and 5 females. We kept one make but he died from respiratory or liver failure. 1 of the hens is very odd I think she has brain damage. Another one of the hens got extremely sick when she was a year old and was down for 3 weeks. And one of the hens is a mixed breed. So there are a lot of issues with these girls. All my other chickens were healthy growing up and are healthy now. Anyone have a clue why she lays down all the time?

 

[azygous]

Yes, but this is not a diagnosis. Tumors on the joints from Marek's or lymphotic leucosis can cause these symptoms. If you have any chicken die from your flock, have a necropsy done by a state agricultural lab and they con confirm if one of these viruses is in your flock. If one has it, they all have it. The hen sitting like a dog with feet and shanks out in front is one of the symptoms.

Your guess that brain damage can cause this is a good one. Exposure to toxins can cause brain damage. These toxins include molds and petroleum distillates such as hydraulic fluid or motor oil leaking onto the soil where chickens pick up grit and bugs. Or being fed moldy feed can also cause brain damage.

There are also infections that affect the legs. Synovitis, perosis, and viral arthritis are possibilities, but actually less likely than the first two avian viruses I mentioned.

 

[Farm life101]

Yes, but this is not a diagnosis. Tumors on the joints from Marek's or lymphotic leucosis can cause these symptoms. If you have any chicken die from your flock, have a necropsy done by a state agricultural lab and they con confirm if one of these viruses is in your flock. If one has it, they all have it. The hen sitting like a dog with feet and shanks out in front is one of the symptoms.

Your guess that brain damage can cause this is a good one. Exposure to toxins can cause brain damage. These toxins include molds and petroleum distillates such as hydraulic fluid or motor oil leaking onto the soil where chickens pick up grit and bugs. Or being fed moldy feed can also cause brain damage.

There are also infections that affect the legs. Synovitis, perosis, and viral arthritis are possibilities, but actually less likely than the first two avian viruses I mentioned.

She dosent lay in an abnormal way though. She lays down normal but she just randomly lays down for long periods of time anywhere in the yard. That’s why I’m confused on why she is doing this

 

[Farm life101]

This is how she lays:

 

[aart]

Maybe she's hot and trying to cool down...or is dehydrated.

When I have a bird that is acting 'off'.....
I isolate bird in a wire cage within the coop for a day or two....so you can closely monitor their intake of food and water, crop function(checking at night and in morning before providing more feed), and their poops. Feel their abdomen, from below vent to between legs, for squishy or hard swelling.

Best to put crate right in coop or run so bird is still 'with' the flock.
I like to use a fold-able wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller mesh(1x2) on bottom of crate under tray.
Then you can put tray underneath crate to better observe droppings without it being stepped in. If smaller mesh is carefully installed, tray can still be used inside crate.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Some chickens just like to lounge, mine just plop down randomly in the run from time to time and they tend to stay put for a while unless something makes them move.

Is there any other signs she's giving that indicate she might be ill, such as poor appetite, unusual walking/stance, feather loss, not laying, etc?

 

[50-45-1]

What breed are your chickens?

 

[CityslickerHomestead]

What hatchery? So I know to avoid using them.

 

[Mybackyardpeepers]

My chickens do that just to bask.

 

[50-45-1]

Well that looks normal to me. Chickens like to lay the sun sometimes, especially if they are full and contented.
My concern was if they are cornish or heavy breeds for meat. Those breeds get so heavy there legs literally can not support their weight at a certain point. Very sad to see.