Chicken won't come out of coop

[Ashley McDaniel]

Yea they have a lot in common. Big Mama would sit in the back of the coop, facing the back wall. She would stay there in that same position for days. I started picking her up, walking around the yard with her, even bringing her in every once in a while, got her special treats, got her a little boyfriend lol The roo seemed to help her better than anything. But unfortunately, I believe her death was inevitable due to her age. You're doing nothing wrong, and sadly there's really not a whole lot you can do for her. It stinks.

 

[Pyxis]

What's the weather like where you are? We've been very, very cold here and my chickens, especially the older ones, don't want to come out of the coop into the cold. I think it's worse for the older birds, since they can have arthritis, and the cold makes it worse.

She may well also be coming to the end of her life. As they age, they slow down, just like humans do. Hybrid egg layers and production breeds like leghorns don't tend to live as long as other breeds, since the rapid egg laying is hard on their bodies.

 

[theoldchick]

Older chickens suffer just like older people. Some have organ issues such as kidneys and liver not working as well as they used to. Arthritis can also affect them. Lungs and airsacs are not as efficient as they used to be. As a result you will see older birds refusing to move, not preening as effectively, generally not doing well. What to do? Well geriatric chicken care is something not well investigated. At this point in time not many people are willing to take an older chicken to a vet to investigate what the problem is. But there are things you can do to make life easier for older birds. Provide wide roosts to set on. Easy to navigate ramps with good traction will be greatly appreciated by older birds. Providing a sunbathing area in sunlight is a great way to give old birds a place to warm their old bones in.

While we can't make our chickens live forever, we can make their lives easier. And when it is time to let them go is your own decision. It won't be easy but such is life.

 

[Hamiam]

Susan, I'm not familiar with your type chicken, but if she were mine I would do the following: Make sure she is eating & drinking (try some scrambled egg, wet feed. Also save a chick electrolytes) , make sure she is warm (I'm not sure where you live, you can add your location to your profile to avoid being asked again) if she's lost weight & having difficulty maintaining her body heat, that could be why she's staying in the coop. You may need to move her inside for a short time until she is feeling better.
This summer, I had a pullet become lethargic & I didn't know why. I did the following & the next day she was doing great. Your girl maybe old for her breed but what if this isn't the dieing process but just a rough bump in the road that she can bounce back from. Wishing you the best.

 

[susan1981]

Hopefully it's just the cold weather. I'm in the UK (South East), and it is pretty cold at the moment here. She's still in her coop. She's not come out at all. We've put some bird seeds in with her and some water. I'll update when I have any news. Thanks for all the advice.

 

[susan1981]

So my chicken is still hanging in there. I was literally dreading letting them out this morning. I actually couldn't face looking in to see if she was still with us this morning but I did after I did the school run. She's sitting in her coop, not moving but still a live. I've put a bowl of bird food in there and some water but I'm not sure she's even going to touch it. She didn't even flicker when I touched her.

Because it's cold, I'm just wondering if I should put a little blanket or towel over her, or do chickens not like that? She's not exactly going to move to get tangled up in it. I've put a little bit of hay around her, just to keep some of the cold off, but what do you think? My other chicken seems a bit lost bobbing around the garden on her own

 

[aart]

How cold is it exactly?
Have you examined her carefully all over?
Can she walk?
Might not hurt to bring her in for a couple hours, give her a good going over to spot any obvious problems, and try to get her to drink and eat. A bird that isn't drinking and eating will not live long.

Ditto the savachik electrolytes/vitamins, helped my birds thru the cold, as well as extreme heat waves of summer.

 

[susan1981]

Well I say it's absolutely freezing, but I'm always cold. It's about 5 degrees celsius. My mum has just popped round, she loves the chickens, and she's just brought her in and is giving her a cuddle and my chicken is just sleeping on her. When we got her out of the coop, I put her beak towards the food, and also some water, but she didn't take any. She looked like she wanted to take the water, but they have to lift their heads to swallow it don't they? So I don't think she's up for that. We got her beak a little wet anyway.

 

[susan1981]

And yes, had a look at her. No visible signs of anything obvious. Her comb is completely floppy, which I noticed the other day when she was out.

 

[susan1981]

I just looked at her, she's literally got her head snuggled under my mum's neck, and she's sleeping, but she keeps randomly opening her beak and then closing it. Is that normal? Is that how they breathe when they sleep? She's stopped doing it now. I just googled and came across gapeworm, but she didn't seem like she was gasping.