hi. im fairly new to keeping chickens in backyard, and brand new to this site i have 6 isa brown hens about 1yo about 2 months ago i suddenly noticed that 1 of them just stands there like a stuffed toy. it wouldnt even look at food. it stood totally still for about 5 days. i force fed it with bugs, yogurt kimmchee and water with worm medicine and put powder all over it. at that time it physically looked fine (no bugs or lesions) after a week of force feeding it became good enough to walk around and eat by itself. it has been the same now for nearly 2 months. so while it is better than the initial first week, its still not right. after it came good enough to walk again i noticed that its comb became damaged. as if its being pecked at. and its vent became dirty too. it looks lathargic. it will eat by itself but is not super keen on eating. also, the other 5 chicken dont like sick one, i have to feed it seperatly because they will always chase it away. so it is usually by itself on the other side of yard and 5 more hang together. whatever is wrong with sick one is in no way affecting the other five. even after nearly 2 months. i asked a vet and he doesnt know what wrong with it. any ideas
Sounds like she has some physical problem, but what it is? No idea. She obviously doesn't have a disease or other birds would be showing signs of it. She is "off" enough for the other birds to notice, so she is either fairly ill because birds will generally try to hide any weakness from the flock, or she is the lowest hen on the pecking order and the flock is treating her badly as a result. I think you are going to have to take the "wait and see" approach unless she starts to show more concrete signs of what could be wrong. In the meantime, I would make sure she has access to resources (food and water and treats). Not much more than that can be done unless you know what you are dealing with. Sorry I don't have better advice. Good luck. Oh, and
ive been looking at pics of fowl pox. and she may have it. the pics of fowl pox look similar to her. but still a bit different somehow. if she does have fowl pox, then why doesnt she get better and why dont the other 5 get sick
Sometimes people on here are too quick to kill birds with kindness (force feeding etc.) Mother nature is the best healer. Highly doubt its fowl pox...trust me your vet would recognize as would most people from 20 paces...its rather visable and highly contagious. Just let her be her...if she's veticle with a clean nose and eyes thats always a good sign in a chicken. And FYI the next time you THINK you have a sick chicken...get it GONE...either cull it or remove it to a sick cage far far far away from the rest of your birds. Better to loose one than to loose all. And dont forget to change shoes and clothes and wash wash wash and always thend the sick chicken LAST. By the sounds of it.....she's low girl in the pecking order..sometimes that happens and as long as she has no "friend" or rooster to take care of her she will get bullied. May want to make her her own pen and get her a a couple new chicken buddies or find her a new home....but no worries from what youve described. Its behavioral..not sickness.
