Diagnosing help

[April Hen]

Hello there fellow chicken lovers, I would love to get some help with a possible diagnosis for my favorite gal. The other day (2-3 days ago) I notices more feathers than usual in my coup under where the girls roost. (no rooster). I thought maybe one was just molting. However yesterday, after letting the gals range for most of the day, I noticed when I was getting them in that April, who is usually very bright eyed and bushy tailed so to speak and leader of the pack, was just standing outside the coop like a statue...sort of like a hypnotic state. I picked her up and put her in the coop. Today, I went to make my rounds and she is standing just like that in the water. I looked under her at her vent and she's got a kind of bald spot and watery poop on the feathers around...First time this has ever come up...egg shells are thin and eggs whites watery. As I went to take the pictures, I noticed she's is moving so much slower than normal too. Any ideas? She's 2 years old. Her feed is Purina Layer Crumbles and Manna Oyster Shell in a separate container. The only thing different is I added some Manna Pro Egg Maker supplement to their feed three days ago however I would think that would affect all three chickens wouldn't it?

Thank you in advance for your help. I am very fond of her and would love to get her well, if possible.

 

[GitaBooks]

At two years, hybrid egg layers are considered old. She could have water belly or egg yolk peritonitis. She could also have worms. It could be a virus, but usually there are other symptoms with this.
Get her warm and comfortable. Feel her for egg binding. Check to see if her abdomen is swollen at all. Get her eating some scrambled eggs or drinking vitamin water.

I hope she gets better soon. Best of luck!

 

[April Hen]

Thank you for your quick response. What kind of vitamin water? Is it something I can make or buy at our tractor supply? Also it's in the 90's here..where do you suggest a warm place would be? Just out of the water?

 

[beesanddeesfarm]

Sav-a-chick is available at most local hardware stores, if you go to tractor supply they'll have the bigger yellow baggies of it instead of single serve packets. Just read the dosage amounts and mix with their water. I have an ISA brown that was acting the same way and I watched her for a bit and finally she passed a papery shell and yolk-like mess. I cleaned her up and she was fine but her butt looked similar. Hope your girl gets better! Good luck!

 

[April Hen]

what do the papery eggshells mean?this one just laid a good egg yesterday but I've ben finding those under the roost on occasion.

 

[beesanddeesfarm]

The chicken, her name is Lela was going into molt but her body was still producing all the ingredients for making an egg but sometimes when they start devoting the calcium in their system to creating new feathers the egg shell quality will suffer. As with Lela she started laying some really weird stuff like eggs with no shell, or just shell all crumpled up until she just stopped laying and is now growing new feathers. I expect she'll start laying again soon because its been a couple months now. And it does vary, one day you'll have a perfect egg and the next a deflated calcium football...which is just weird for all of us haha.

 

[GitaBooks]

Thank you for your quick response. What kind of vitamin water? Is it something I can make or buy at our tractor supply? Also it's in the 90's here..where do you suggest a warm place would be? Just out of the water?

You can use baby vitamins, from what I hear, those without iron in them. However, I would check before trying it. If it is that hot outside, that may be the cause of her acting funny, so standing in the water is actually good for her. That is how they cool off.

Sav-a-chick can be bought at TSC. I used it and it really helped a ton!

 

[April Hen]

Thank you. I went and got some. I got both the probiotics and the electrolytes. fingers crossed.

 

[April Hen]

Today I found this in the nest, a couple of ants were dining on it. Got one egg from one of the other two. Don't know if this happened during the night or what. I don't believe April, the one I've been posting about has been in the nest during the day....

Any ideas?

 

[lizro]

Hi does it look anything like this picture? My hen was off colour - quiet n sleepy - then perked up after passing this plug of soft shell and has been fine since.