Found a sick hen laying in the nest box this morning

[Hippiefoot]

Can anyone please advise: I found a hen laying in the nest box this morning; head down, eyes closed, wings droopy, tail ruffled and partially up. She just let me pick her up, never opened her eyes so I separated her from the flock, she is laying in the cage just the same and breathing seems labored. Also she had pooped on herself, looked normal not runny. All other chickens seem fine at this time. What could it be? Is there anything I can do?

 

[azygous]

Yes. Give her some warm sugar water immediately and a calcium tablet. She may be hypocalcemic and this is often live threatening.

If your hen has a history of thin shell or shell-less eggs, she's a candidate for this disorder. Low calcium levels can cause sudden death when an egg reaches the shell glad and not enough calcium is available, drawing directly from the blood stream, and the sudden draw-down can affect the heart, resulting in heart failure.

 

[Fishychix]

Yes. Give her some warm sugar water immediately and a calcium tablet. She may be hypocalcemic and this is often live threatening.

If your hen has a history of thin shell or shell-less eggs, she's a candidate for this disorder. Low calcium levels can cause sudden death when an egg reaches the shell glad and not enough calcium is available, drawing directly from the blood stream, and the sudden draw-down can affect the heart, resulting in heart failure.

Oh wow! Good to know. I have one that consistently lays thinner shelled eggs. I break them nearly every time I wash them.