Depressed EE

[Jay E.]

One of our EE has seem to become depressed. She's withdrawn from rest of the flock. Doesn't go into the coop at night with rest. We've checked for any types of bugs, molting, and nothing.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Any photos

How old is she?
How much space do you have in your coop/run?
Is she eating/drinking?
If she is of laying age, when was the last time she laid an egg and was it "normal'?
Do you have a rooster?

Observe the flock's behavior toward her, especially at dusk when it's roosting time. If you have a cockerel/rooster, then watch to see if he's focusing on mating her. See if you can tell where she is at in the pecking order - lowest girl, mid range, etc. When it's feeding and/or treat time, watch to see if she's being bullied/kept from food and water.

Sometimes it can be a space or flock dynamics problem, but being consistently depressed, then you would want to consider her health. Check her crop to make sure it's emptying overnight, re-check her at night for mites (take a flash light and look through her feathers especially around the vent) and see if you vet can perform a fecal float for worms.

 

[Jay E.]

She's only 9 months old same as rest of the hen's. Our rooster is only 7 months old. She's still eating & drinking. All of our EE's stopped laying when we got our first snow in October. It's only been about a week and half since she's withdrawn.

 

[Jay E.]

And the coop was supposed to be big enough for up to 12 but we only have 7 in it. Plus we added an extra 18ft long x 5 ft wide x 5 ft high run attached. Plus we let them all out to free range during the day.

 

[Jay E.]

This is Chirp, our Depressed chicken. Her vent is getting a little dirty and it's constantly opening and closing.

 

[Chickassan]

I'd get her checked for worms asap. The behavior and dirty vent suggest parasite load.

 

[Jay E.]

I'd get her checked for worms asap. The behavior and dirty vent suggest parasite load.

Thank You.

 

[micstrachan]

I agree. It is probably a health issue. Check her crop like @Wyorp Rock said and get the fecal float done asap. She can crash pretty quickly if she’s showing symptoms, so some supportive care like vitamins and electrolytes in water while you figure things out might help. You might want to repost this in the emergencies forum, as you will receive lots of advice in diagnosing and treating her there. It could be worms. It could be a partial blockage. It could be vent gleet. It could be something else.

 

[Jay E.]

I agree. It is probably a health issue. Check her crop like @Wyorp Rock said and get the fecal float done asap. She can crash pretty quickly if she’s showing symptoms, so some supportive care like vitamins and electrolytes in water while you figure things out might help. You might want to repost this in the emergencies forum, as you will receive lots of advice in diagnosing and treating her there. It could be worms. It could be a partial blockage. It could be vent gleet. It could be something else.

Thank you. I'm still learning forum so I'm not for sure where that section is located.

 

[Jay E.]

Thank you. I'm still learning forum so I'm not for sure where that section is located.

I figured it out Thank you for the tip.