Chicken not acting right

[Bmp1328]

I have a hen (her name is nugget). She is about 9 months old and was laying great until about a month ago. She laid off and on and now isn't laying at all. She is eating and drinking okay but is not acting right. She is just walking around and hides under the shed sometimes. She was always very friendly and would come up to me when I came outside but now doesn't do that very often. We have had her for about 4 months and she never acted like this before. She has her head tucked down a lot into her body but isn't puffed up. She usually has her tail feathers down and they were always up before this. Her comb was always standing straight up but now it is sort of flopped over. I

[/IMG]was hoping someone might have some insight as to what was wrong. I'm willing to check her out or follow suggestions. I just really don't know what to do. Thanks. I took some pictures to maybe help.

 

[Eggcessive]

She sounds like something serious is going on with her. Reproductive problems such as internal laying or egg yolk peritonitis are common, usually in older hens, but possible in younger ones too. A digestive problem involving her crop or gizzard have caused similar symptoms in a couple of my hens. Feel of her cropto see if it is empty, pertly full, soft, or firm, or like a balloon. I would check inside her vent an inch or two with a finger to feel for a stuck egg. Look for the color of her poops and any diarrhea. Off her some chopped egg, and make sure that she is drinking well. Adding water to some chicken feed may be taken. Look her over for any signs of lice or mites on her skin.

 

[Bmp1328]

She sounds like something serious is going on with her. Reproductive problems such as internal laying or egg yolk peritonitis are common, usually in older hens, but possible in younger ones too. A digestive problem involving her crop or gizzard have caused similar symptoms in a couple of my hens. Feel of her cropto see if it is empty, pertly full, soft, or firm, or like a balloon. I would check inside her vent an inch or two with a finger to feel for a stuck egg. Look for the color of her poops and any diarrhea. Off her some chopped egg, and make sure that she is drinking well. Adding water to some chicken feed may be taken. Look her over for any signs of lice or mites on her skin.

Thank you so much for replying!
Her crop is full at night, empty in the morning and partly full during the day (I have checked this before which is why I know). She doesn't have any lice or mites (I just checked her really good). How do I know if she is laying internally or has egg yolk peritonitis?

 

[Eggcessive]

You can't really know usually until after death when a necropsy is done. A vet who is good with chickens may be able to help diagnose with xrays, but hens with EYP or internal laying can have some similar symptoms. Sometimes they stop eating, may have diarrhea, may prever sitting to walking because of pain. They may be iregular layers or have stopped laying. In the past there may have been soft or thin shelled eggs. They sometimes lose weight in the breast bone or keel. Some will be full or tight in the lower belly from egg material in the abdomen or fluid collecting from liver failure. Some pass yolk-like material in the poop or can have yellow poops from E.coli infection. All hens don't have all symptoms. In the long run not much can be done to stop it. Some use antibiotics such as Baytril to treat infection, some use hormone implants to stop laying, and in more rare cases, some are spayed. There is a lot of info online to read if you Google or do a search here on BYC. Usually there is not a good outcome, but it is important to keep them eating and make them comfortable. I have hens with possible internal laying, and some with gizzard impactions who have died and it is hard to tell the difference between one illness from another.