Found my hen in the coop covered in dirt not from a dust bath.

[Lesley72]

I went to close up my hens coop last night and found my Australorp hen not up on her perch but down below in the dirt. She is my top hen so it is unlike her to not be up on the perch with the other girls. She drank quite a bit of water so I let her be and when I checked again in an hour she was in the egg boxes. She never sleeps in there so I brought her inside. She hasn't eaten, or pooped in 9 hours. I have checked for an egg via her vent and couldn't feel one but when I massaged her belly gently it feels like there is something there. I have given her a couple small pieces of calcium by dropping them into her beak because she won't take any food or treats. I tried the warm bath as well but couldn't keep her in the water for the suggested 15 minutes. She'll stand for a time then lay down. She's never had an issue with her eggs so I'm stumped. My hens get a good layer feed and they also get eggshells. I feel like I'm running out of time. There isn't an avian vet in my area. The closest one is 100 miles away. Please if anyone has any thoughts or suggestions I'd really appreciate it. She's also going through a molt.

 

[NatJ]

when I massaged her belly gently it feels like there is something there.

Have you checked some of your other hens, to see if they have the same something? I don't know what you're feeling, but if the healthy ones have it too then it's not a problem.

my Australorp hen not up on her perch but down below in the dirt....she was in the egg boxes. She never sleeps in there so I brought her inside. She hasn't eaten, or pooped in 9 hours....She'll stand for a time then lay down.

When you say she lays down, is this the way a hen sits when she's on a nest? Or is she in some other position?

Part of your description makes me think she's gone broody. A broody hen wants to sit on a nest and hatch eggs, and she only gets off once or twice a day to eat & drink. She may act very hungry or thirsty at that time, but refuse to eat and drink at other times.

She's also going through a molt.

This makes me think she's probably not broody, because molting and broodiness don't usually happen at the same time.

She hasn't eaten, or pooped in 9 hours... she won't take any food or treats.

Was her crop full when you found her? Is it full now? (The crop is at the base of the neck. It can get very full and round and easy to feel, or empty and flat and hard to find.)

For adult chickens, it's normal to have a full crop at bedtime, sleep all night without eating, and have an empty crop in the morning. If the crop is empty at bedtime, or full in the morning, it can indicate problems.

@azygous @Eggcessive Do you have any good ideas? If she isn't broody, I don't know what else to suggest.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would get her drinking some water right away from a lid or cup up to her beak. Watery chicken feed or scrambled egg are good to offer. Electrolytes or Poultry NutriDrench would be good, or add a tsp of sugar to her water. You can rule out a stuck egg if you insert a clean finger into her vent up to 2 inches. Is her tail up or down?

 

[Lesley72]

I would get her drinking some water right away from a lid or cup up to her beak. Watery chicken feed or scrambled egg are good to offer. Electrolytes or Poultry NutriDrench would be good, or add a tsp of sugar to her water. You can rule out a stuck egg if you insert a clean finger into her vent up to 2 inches. Is her tail up or down?

Her tail is slightly down but no movement in the tail

 

[Lesley72]

Have you checked some of your other hens, to see if they have the same something? I don't know what you're feeling, but if the healthy ones have it too then it's not a problem.



When you say she lays down, is this the way a hen sits when she's on a nest? Or is she in some other position?

Part of your description makes me think she's gone broody. A broody hen wants to sit on a nest and hatch eggs, and she only gets off once or twice a day to eat & drink. She may act very hungry or thirsty at that time, but refuse to eat and drink at other times.


This makes me think she's probably not broody, because molting and broodiness don't usually happen at the same time.



Was her crop full when you found her? Is it full now? (The crop is at the base of the neck. It can get very full and round and easy to feel, or empty and flat and hard to find.)

For adult chickens, it's normal to have a full crop at bedtime, sleep all night without eating, and have an empty crop in the morning. If the crop is empty at bedtime, or full in the morning, it can indicate problems.

@azygous @Eggcessive Do you have any good ideas? If she isn't broody, I don't know what else to suggest.

She pooped twice yesterday and twice today. Today's poop was very watery and smelled terrible. She's not eating and barely drinking water.