Chicken lowering head

[Sandra01]

This morning I found my chicken half in her roosting box which I thought was strange because all the rest of the chickens were already outside for the morning. I walked up to her and seen that she kept lowering her head and her eyes would close. Then lift her head up and open her eyes fully and repeat.
No eye discharge, eyes looked good, no weezing or coughing.
I took her out of the box and laid her on the floor to see what she would do and she just laid down and put her head on the ground.
I put her in my dog kennel with water and food to rest and will keep checking on her. When i went back the first time as soon as I opened the coop she lifted her head and looked at me and then put her head back down and closed her eyes. She is not wanting to stand or walk.
Any ideas? I have been short an egg everyday (I do not know if it is her not laying) is this what egg bound looks like? I felt her stomach and it seems soft, couldn't feel anything hard. They are on layer ration, with two different pecking blocks with access to calcium grit and multiple water sources daily.
I feel like she is not going to make it. I will do whatever I can for her, this is my first chicken "sickness/death if it comes to that".
A)do you worry about eating the eggs out of my coop?
B)How normal is it for someone to loose a chicken, I feel like a chicken failure lol

 

[Perris]

I think you're right; your hen is really poorly. It could be numerous things, depending on her age, environment, disease burden etc. Her poo is one of the best indicators. You've done the right thing to separate her, so you'll know which is her poo and help prevent spread of the disease, if it is one, to the rest of the flock. Try to keep her comfortable and quiet, and do not blame yourself. We all lose birds, for lots of reasons. I would not worry about eating eggs from your coop.

 

[Sandra01]

I think you're right; your hen is really poorly. It could be numerous things, depending on her age, environment, disease burden etc. Her poo is one of the best indicators. You've done the right thing to separate her, so you'll know which is her poo and help prevent spread of the disease, if it is one, to the rest of the flock. Try to keep her comfortable and quiet, and do not blame yourself. We all lose birds, for lots of reasons. I would not worry about eating eggs from your coop.

She is about 26 weeks old, vaccinated, red laying hen! I've had her since June 19th, I know she never got into anything because they are in a coop and fenced in outside run. I have not seen any abnormal poop yet but will keep my eyes peeled

 

[Wyorp Rock]

They are on layer ration, with two different pecking blocks

26 weeks old

Please get some photos of the pullet and her poop.

You mention pecking blocks - what is that - those sunflower/corn, etc. blocks?

Tell us what her crop feels like.
I would work on getting her hydrated, give her a direct dose of poultry vitamins along with 1 Caltrate once a day for a few days.

She's new to you then right? You've only had her a month? Did you have other chickens beside her or are they all the same age?

 

[Sandra01]

I have other chickens, all the same age. They are all new to me and the same age.

The bright picture below is due to the flash, it was still dark out

 

[EggDropper]

This morning I found my chicken half in her roosting box which I thought was strange because all the rest of the chickens were already outside for the morning. I walked up to her and seen that she kept lowering her head and her eyes would close. Then lift her head up and open her eyes fully and repeat.
No eye discharge, eyes looked good, no weezing or coughing.
I took her out of the box and laid her on the floor to see what she would do and she just laid down and put her head on the ground.
I put her in my dog kennel with water and food to rest and will keep checking on her. When i went back the first time as soon as I opened the coop she lifted her head and looked at me and then put her head back down and closed her eyes. She is not wanting to stand or walk.
Any ideas? I have been short an egg everyday (I do not know if it is her not laying) is this what egg bound looks like? I felt her stomach and it seems soft, couldn't feel anything hard. They are on layer ration, with two different pecking blocks with access to calcium grit and multiple water sources daily.
I feel like she is not going to make it. I will do whatever I can for her, this is my first chicken "sickness/death if it comes to that".
A)do you worry about eating the eggs out of my coop?
B)How normal is it for someone to loose a chicken, I feel like a chicken failure lol

it is common to loose a bird plus chickens will eat their eggs so put newspaper in where they lay eggs ( bc eggshell sometimes blends in with bedding ) and go and check every two hours or so and see if it is wet or with eggshells i hope that help answer your questions.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

chicken half in her roosting box which I thought was strange

I walked up to her and seen that she kept lowering her head and her eyes would close. Then lift her head up and open her eyes fully and repeat.
No eye discharge, eyes looked good, no weezing or coughing.
I took her out of the box and laid her on the floor to see what she would do and she just laid down and put her head on the ground.

Do your hens sleep in the nesting boxes or do you have roosts too?

Is she able to walk now or how is she?
Can you get some photos of her poop?

The photo with the flash, I'm not seeing anything disturbing. She's just ducking her head to get a look in the dark.

The Flock block though, I would only put that out for a short period of time for a treat. Maybe 15 minutes a day at most.
First time I've ever seen that particular one. It has a LOT of calcium and looks to be more geared toward commercial operations. 1 block per 300-1000 birds.
Only 3% protein which is extremely low for something that is available all the time.

I'm still trying to get a grasp on what might be going on with her. I would start with hydration and wet feed. Look her over for lice/mites.

https://store.alltech.com/products/chikpek