Chicken won't eat or leave nesting box

H Fletcher

In the Brooder
Apr 12, 2025
24
12
24
Hello! I've got a hen, Milky Way, who's always a hungry girl and first to eat the food I give her. Last night, she stayed in the nesting box, J thought she might be trying to lay, but this morning she was still in there and I felt nothing in her abdomen.
I gave her a warm Epsom salt bath, tried to feed her wet mash and apple cider water.
1000001140.jpg

Milky Way's symptoms are lethargy, but she is preening, no eating or drinking, and clear watery yellow droppings. She also yawns ever once in a while.
1000001137.jpg
 

Attachments

  • 1000001140.jpg
    1000001140.jpg
    502.5 KB · Views: 8
  • 1000001137.jpg
    1000001137.jpg
    670 KB · Views: 11
Her eyes look odd to me. The yellow fluid could be from vent gleet. I don’t think there is an actual cure but if you search that in the search bar you might find enough info to determine if that’s the case
 
Her eyes look odd to me. The yellow fluid could be from vent gleet. I don’t think there is an actual cure but if you search that in the search bar you might find enough info to determine if that’s the case
Thanks! I searched it up, looks like it can be cured with apple-cider vinegar, but I've already been putting that in their water for a while now. The yellow isn't really on her vent that I can see but is more of what she's "pooping." She had squirted out a lot after the bath.
 
I've let her Milky Way in the nesting box, frequently checking on her. Since then, her 'poop' has changed from dark yellow fluid to bright green.
 
I've let her Milky Way in the nesting box, frequently checking on her. Since then, her 'poop' has changed from dark yellow fluid to bright green.
That means she’s not getting enough to eat. Not necessarily because she isn’t eating but coukd be something else is steal the nutrients—like worms. Let me tag some experts @Wyorp Rock @azygous @Eggcessive
 
Does she normally lay eggs with hard shells and often? How does her vent look? She probably doesn’t have vent gleet (a fungal infection that causes bare red skin around the vent, and a foul smelling odor, which may cause a continuous leakage of white urates that burn the skin.) Her runny yellow to green droppings might be related to a reproductive infection or disorder. Green poop is usually a result of not eating enough. Is her lower belly below her vent enlarged? Sometimes with water belly they will leak fluids. How does her crop feel—empty and flat, full, squishy or firm? I would offer her some fluids and electrolytes or a bit of Poultry NutriDrench. Mushy wet chicken feed made fresh often and scrambled egg offered up to her beak would be good to tempt eating. Sick hens will frequently take to a nest box. I would keep a close eye on her, and offer fluids every 2 hours.
 
Does she normally lay eggs with hard shells and often? How does her vent look? She probably doesn’t have vent gleet (a fungal infection that causes bare red skin around the vent, and a foul smelling odor, which may cause a continuous leakage of white urates that burn the skin.) Her runny yellow to green droppings might be related to a reproductive infection or disorder. Green poop is usually a result of not eating enough. Is her lower belly below her vent enlarged? Sometimes with water belly they will leak fluids. How does her crop feel—empty and flat, full, squishy or firm? I would offer her some fluids and electrolytes or a bit of Poultry NutriDrench. Mushy wet chicken feed made fresh often and scrambled egg offered up to her beak would be good to tempt eating. Sick hens will frequently take to a nest box. I would keep a close eye on her, and offer fluids every 2 hours.
She lays regular eggs about every two days, although the skin around her vent and belly has been red for a while (since I had to cut off the feathers stuck to a large poop ball). Otherwise, I haven't seen this kind of leakage.
She does not have water belly, and her crop is nearing empty. I made her the wet mash, she only ate a bit of the eggs before losing interest. I put her in a separate pen now with access to apple-cider vinegar water. Should I swap that out for electrolytes?
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom