Emaciated Hen

[FarmerGirl101]

I was locking up my hens tonight when I saw one of my leghorns laying on the coop ground. The past few days her comb hasn't looked very good being paler with purple tips lately and flopping over which isn't normal for her. It almost seems shriveled. I picked her up and she was extremely emaciated with her breast bone poking out by a lot. She seems to have lost a lot of weight comparing to a few weeks ago when I did my regular nail trims. I'm planning on bringing her inside tonight in our garage so we can keep a closer look on her. She just seems very weak and I wouldn’t be surprised if she doesn't last the next few days. She was slightly lethargic and seemed to have lost a bit of energy the last few days although not very noticeable. She is free ranged almost daily and is feed Dumor 16% layer crumbles along with what ever she finds in the yard. I'm going to give her some scrambled eggs and feed to try and get some extra weight on her if possible. She has a great appetite and is eating well and doesn't seem to have an impacted crop or crop problem although her crop did feel empty as I picked her up just a few minutes ago. Is there anything that I can/should do for her? I did attach a photo of her comb although it looks slightly paler and with a bit more purple on the ends

 

[LateBirdFarms]

My first worry would be worms if her appetite is good but she's losing weight. Have you done any worming recently?

 

[FarmerGirl101]

My first worry would be worms if her appetite is good but she's losing weight. Have you done any worming recently?

Not recently although I can worm her right now

 

[LateBirdFarms]

There's a ton of people much more knowledgeable than I, but that's where I would start. But with the entire flock, not just the single hen. I'd quarantine as well, just to make sure she's getting a good amount of food intake, with plenty of scrambled egg and layer mash. It seems like once a hen is weakened the rest of the flock ruthlessly pushes them away from available feed and compounds the issue, little heathens!

I don't know much about doing fecal floats to determine what worm to treat for, but I generally use the broadest spectrum wormer I've got in this type of situation and hope for the best. At 5, a lot of other things could definitely be a factor though

 

[FarmerGirl101]

It seems like once a hen is weakened the rest of the flock ruthlessly pushes them away from available feed and compounds the issue, little heathens!

Thankfully my hens haven't been pushing her away from the food or at least not that I've seen. When I let them out this morning I had also fed them and all but one of them ran out and the other hen was fine with her eating. It is mainly if the majority of them are rushing to the feed bowl that they don't let her eat. She is also 4 years old so age could very well be a factor. How long should I quarantine her for if she survives?

 

[LateBirdFarms]

Only long enough for her to get some of her spunk back, unless you see some other serious symptoms that lead you to believe worms wasn't her issue. I probably should have just said seperate instead of quarantine, just so she has a chance to eat without having to expend the .extra energy of keeping up with the others

 

[FarmerGirl101]

I brought her inside and she was looking good energy wise. She wasn't very lethargic and was eating great. I wormed her with no struggle. I'm feeling good about how she is doing currently perkiness wise as she is very much aware of everything but is weak and has lower energy if that makes sense. I'm definitely going to need to get some weight on her but I'm hoping she will pull through. I'm going to feed her some scrambled eggs right now so hopefully that helps. Overall based on her behavior right now I have a good feeling about her prognosis

 

[FarmerGirl101]

She was very hungry and I think that you were right on the fact that my hens were pushing her away from the food as she is currently gobbling up the eggs and her feed despite the fact that it is well past her bed time. It also lines up with her crop being empty as she must not have eaten before going to bed as my hens pushed her away. I'm not too sure that it is worms at this point but I will still be worming my entire flock just to be on the safe side

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Get a weight on her now and start tracking it.
Leghorns are not hefty birds to begin with so it's not that uncommon to feel their keel bone.

She's 4 years old. Is she laying eggs right now or is she molting?
Feel her abdomen below the vent between her legs - do you notice any bloat or fluid?

 

[FarmerGirl101]

She is currently 2.5 pounds. Comparing to my other leghorns her breast bone is protruding out by about 3/4 of an inch which isn't too normal and doesn't seem to have much fat on her. She doesn't feel bloated or have any fluid. She doesn't seem to be molting and I'm not too sure if she is still laying