Chicken looks and acts strange

[Emrosenagel]

Hello!

One of my ladies suddenly started acting a bit strange yesterday. Her comb is drooping over, she has kind of a dazed look, and sleeping more than usual. She still scratches and forages but very slowly and almost uninterested (and yes she is drinking and eating, just not so enthusiastically) Yesterday her face and comb were very pale but have since got back there redness.
This happened to another hen a few months ago, except she was much worse - she wouldn’t move at all, she wouldn’t eat or drink. But she dropped a pretty nasty egg right in front of me and got back to normal in a few minutes. I assumed she had a bound egg and managed to pass it.
But I’m worried about my little Amy now because it’s been a day now and no sign of getting better.

Her poop has been pretty watery and not a whole lot of it. Could she be constipated ? Or is she bound with an egg, too? I felt for an egg but I don’t feel anything. The only other thing I believe it could have been were tomatoe leaves; three days ago they were foraging in our garden, and they normally like to pick their own tomatoes. But that was days ago and I assume it would have a quicker effect.

If there isn’t anything I can do, I’ll probably take her to the avian vet in the morning.

 

[Emrosenagel]

I just read that she could probably use some calcium so I gave her a tums (somebody said to do that) my ladies have been laying slow and thinner shells since it’s gotten so hot, so maybe I need some extra calcium. Problem is they refuse to eat oyster shells. Is there another supplement?

 

[Saveria]

You can give her calcium citrate powder, has the same effect as tums, but might be easier to administer. It isn't a long term solution, but you can try that and see if that brings about any changes.

You can also grind their eggshells and feed them back. My girls eat that more readily, but you really want both, since the shells will only have as much calcium as they have in their bodies. Some people cook them at 250 degrees, but I just wash them with water and let them dry completely.

An avian vet is a better bet to know what is wrong, because they can use diagnostic tests. I would schedule an appointment that you could cancel in case something you try works.

Some of the chicken ailments have very similar symptoms, but here are some things you can look into.

- Check her for lice and mites
- Could she have internal parasites? Have you ever used de-wormer on her?
- Is her crop empty in the morning? (That is the first chicken stomach that you can feel by rubbing their chest. It should feel a little hard, round, small and like it doesn't have grains in it in the AM)
- Could she have coccidiosis? They usually looked fluffed up and have foamy droppings, but maybe there is more than one thing going on.
- Is there any changes in the flock dynamics? Do any other birds seem off? Any changes in the environment?

You could also try giving her some electrolytes, or a nutri-drench sort of supplement. They can help you find some at your local feed store.

Keep us posted if anything changes, or if you think of more details or questions.

 

[Emrosenagel]

You can give her calcium citrate powder, has the same effect as tums, but might be easier to administer. It isn't a long term solution, but you can try that and see if that brings about any changes.

You can also grind their eggshells and feed them back. My girls eat that more readily, but you really want both, since the shells will only have as much calcium as they have in their bodies. Some people cook them at 250 degrees, but I just wash them with water and let them dry completely.

An avian vet is a better bet to know what is wrong, because they can use diagnostic tests. I would schedule an appointment that you could cancel in case something you try works.

Some of the chicken ailments have very similar symptoms, but here are some things you can look into.

- Check her for lice and mites
- Could she have internal parasites? Have you ever used de-wormer on her?
- Is her crop empty in the morning? (That is the first chicken stomach that you can feel by rubbing their chest. It should feel a little hard, round, small and like it doesn't have grains in it in the AM)
- Could she have coccidiosis? They usually looked fluffed up and have foamy droppings, but maybe there is more than one thing going on.
- Is there any changes in the flock dynamics? Do any other birds seem off? Any changes in the environment?

You could also try giving her some electrolytes, or a nutri-drench sort of supplement. They can help you find some at your local feed store.

Keep us posted if anything changes, or if you think of more details or questions.

I have not checked for mites or lice, but I will. I will check her crop tomorrow morning but it was empty today. She isn’t really pooping that much but it isn’t foamy. And all the other birds are perfectly normal, I’ve seen no change in rank or anything. Thanks for the response! I’ll keep posted about how she’s doing and take all you’ve said into consideration.

 

[Saveria]

Yeah, can you get some nutri-drench for her, or a chicken vitamin supplement? Here is an electrolyte recipe in case your feed store is closed.

You want to try one of these tonight so you can see if it helps any so you can act tomorrow in case it doesn't.

https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2017/02/homemade-electrolyte-recipe-chicks.html

You can put a dropper by her beak if she won't drink on her own, but she might drink this more readily than water.

Write an update here tomorrow if she doesn't seem any better, too.

 

[Saveria]

Definitely do the calcium, too, in case it is a stuck egg.

 

[Emrosenagel]

Hello!

One of my ladies suddenly started acting a bit strange yesterday. Her comb is drooping over, she has kind of a dazed look, and sleeping more than usual. She still scratches and forages but very slowly and almost uninterested (and yes she is drinking and eating, just not so enthusiastically) Yesterday her face and comb were very pale but have since got back there redness.
This happened to another hen a few months ago, except she was much worse - she wouldn’t move at all, she wouldn’t eat or drink. But she dropped a pretty nasty egg right in front of me and got back to normal in a few minutes. I assumed she had a bound egg and managed to pass it.
But I’m worried about my little Amy now because it’s been a day now and no sign of getting better.

Her poop has been pretty watery and not a whole lot of it. Could she be constipated ? Or is she bound with an egg, too? I felt for an egg but I don’t feel anything. The only other thing I believe it could have been were tomatoe leaves; three days ago they were foraging in our garden, and they normally like to pick their own tomatoes. But that was days ago and I assume it would have a quicker effect.

If there isn’t anything I can do, I’ll probably take her to the avian vet in the morning.

Just an update: she got out a shell of an egg, very soft, almost like wet paper. Hopefully that’s a good sign she might be on her way to recovery.

 

[Saveria]

Keep up with the calcium. I'm not sure how long you can/need to do it for, but I would stick with it for the moment.

If she passes only part of an egg, that means that the rest is left in her and could cause infection. If you can, try to get your hands on this stuff. It is good to have on hand with chickens. You can find it at a pet supply store that services fish, or chewy can get it to you quickly.

https://www.chewy.com/midland-vet-s...0&clickref=1101ljkBpezY&utm_term=1101ljkBpezY

The dose is 125 mg/kg (57 mg per pound) twice a day. (Thank you casportpony!)

I would continue feeding electrolyte water and fresh water if you can.

Just write any updates here, and if you have time you can look at the other egg bound threads on here for more info.

 

[Saveria]

This is a good one to start with.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...g-from-hens-vent.1530052/page-2#post-25797720

 

[Emrosenagel]

Hello!

One of my ladies suddenly started acting a bit strange yesterday. Her comb is drooping over, she has kind of a dazed look, and sleeping more than usual. She still scratches and forages but very slowly and almost uninterested (and yes she is drinking and eating, just not so enthusiastically) Yesterday her face and comb were very pale but have since got back there redness.
This happened to another hen a few months ago, except she was much worse - she wouldn’t move at all, she wouldn’t eat or drink. But she dropped a pretty nasty egg right in front of me and got back to normal in a few minutes. I assumed she had a bound egg and managed to pass it.
But I’m worried about my little Amy now because it’s been a day now and no sign of getting better.

Her poop has been pretty watery and not a whole lot of it. Could she be constipated ? Or is she bound with an egg, too? I felt for an egg but I don’t feel anything. The only other thing I believe it could have been were tomatoe leaves; three days ago they were foraging in our garden, and they normally like to pick their own tomatoes. But that was days ago and I assume it would have a quicker effect.

If there isn’t anything I can do, I’ll probably take her to the avian vet in the morning.

Update: we went to the vet. She has roundworms, so we’re treating her and the other chickens for that. I’ll be cleaning out their run and coop next week to rid the place of worms. Wish me luck!