Chicken seems to be 'contracting' when laying down?

[Jackster123]

Hi all,

For the past few weeks i would guess, my chicken ( a polish bantam) seems to look like its contracting whenever it lays down (or breathing heavily, but it looks like she's "trying to push something out" kinda motion). I doubt she's egg bound, because apparently it would leave her immobile and can only hand it for a few days, but this has been going on for weeks, and she seems to have nothing wrong aside from that. I did notice however, the area around her vent (i believe its called, is the part under her) is drooping noticeably, but i'm not sure if thats normal.

Is she cold? Is she lacking nutrients?

 

[azygous]

You need to post some pics.

Has your hen ever laid eggs? How old is she, and when was the last time she laid an egg? Was it a normal egg?

Is her butt swollen just below her vent? Does she stand still with her tail held low and flat? What does her poop look like?

What do you feed her? We need to know if we're to judge if she's malnourished.

 

[Jackster123]

She has played eggs before, not sure if she does now.
Her poop looks normal
And no, her tail is not flat/low.
She's 5 years old this June
And she gets fed standard pellets, though treats are usually given (like rice, bread, leftovers)

Ill post a picture/vid soon.
Thanks for the reply!

 

[azygous]

If she's getting more rice and bread and table scraps than pellets, she could be malnourished. I would cut out the carbs completely, just letting her have salad leftovers. Sounds like a diet. It is. If she has a fatty bulge just behind her legs, she's probably overweight. That will interfere with laying.

 

[Jackster123]

Hi there,

That does seem to be a good point. She is heavier than the other chicken we have. Not sure if she has a fatty bulge though.

Should the pellet container be left as it is (always stocked with pellets) and just add less treats like rice/leftovers except salads? I like to give them fruits sometimes.

Here are some images/videos i got. I luckily managed to see her poop. Not a lot came out though.

 

[azygous]

The poop is normal. I can't tell from the video what breed she is. Looks like maybe a Wyandotte or Speckled Sussex. Both are medium weight breeds so should weigh in the neighborhood of four pounds.

Heavy breeds would weigh seven to ten pounds.

 

[Jackster123]

She's a polish bantam. i don't have any equipment to weigh her with though
So could her 'contractions' be the cause of her weight?

The poop is small in comparison to normal poop however... its looks bigger than it is on camera whoops

 

[azygous]

An easy way to weigh a chicken is to first weigh yourself on your bathroom scale. Then weigh yourself again holding your chicken. Then subtract the weight you got when you weighed yourself along from the amount you got weighing yourself holding the chicken. The remainder is the weight of your chicken.

A fertile hen will have a cloaca that is contracting all the time, getting stronger when she has the urge to lay an egg or right after mating. Minus other behavior, contractions of the cloaca do not mean much.

 

[Jackster123]

Hi there,

Sorry if this seems like im nagging you, but are you sure? Or would this movement be caused by her being overweight? I just checked on her sleeping on the floor and she seems to be rocking with every breath (rhythm perhaps). the other orange polish bantam we have does not make this rocking movement. Its been happening for a long time so im hoping its weight... or nothing too serious..

Is just limiting the amount of treats good enough to lower her weight?

Maybe im reading to much into this, but when she poos it comes out in small pieces (of 3 ish) and it seems like she strains becuase she lifts her tail up and shows the vent kinda clearly. I've also seen her panting (opening her beak) during this.

 

[aart]

I would think you'd need a kitchen scale to weigh a bantam accurately...
...human scale not going to weigh in the ounces you'd need for a good weigh assessment.

Definitely cut all treats.
Go back the basics of a good chicken ration and plain water.

Maybe im reading to much into this, but when she poos it comes out in small pieces (of 3 ish) and it seems like she strains becuase she lifts her tail up and shows the vent kinda clearly. I've also seen her panting (opening her beak) during this.

Sounds like she's constipated...whether from diet or another issue, I dunno.

When I have a bird 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.