Gizabelle
Crowing
My 7 month old orpington hen has been in the "sick bay" for 3 days now and I can't seem to figure out what's troubling her.
Last week I noticed her lagging behind everyone else at dinner/bed time. All my girls FR during the day, then come to the run/coop for dinner and stay locked in at night. That night I had to pick her up and carry her to the coop (Physically, everything seemed pretty normal: comb color was bright, no respiratory symptoms: no runny nose/eyes, no sneezing or irregular breathing, vent looked normal, no wounds, crop was not as full as it should be, but she also declined dinner that night)
The next morning she stayed on the roost when everyone else went out. I gave her about an hour to be sure, then brought her inside.
I've been providing a vitamin/electrolyte/probiotic supplement in her water since I brought her in and offering the same food she's accustomed to. She has been eating and drinking, but with little enthusiasm.
She has not started laying yet, but I saw the first "squat" from her a week or two before this started, so I'd been expecting her to start any day. I was worried she may be egg bound, but she's pooping, so I ruled that out. Poops are solid and average size/regularity, but do look unusually green. I haven't seen any evidence of intestinal parasites, but after the 3rd day with no real improvement, I decided to go ahead and give her a round of safeguard anyway (10% goat suspension; .23ml/lb for 5 days) Started the dewormer today.
I also did a pretty thorough check for external parasites and found nothing.
Overall she just looks... dumpy. No energy, fluffed up, standing still. There have been no real changes after three days of solitary crate rest.
One other thing that may be of significance... starting just within the past few weeks, one of my older hens has started picking on her. I haven't witnessed anything really alarming; it seemed like pretty standard dominance just going a bit further than I'd like. (chasing only her away from communal food, pulling tailfeathers, etc.)
I have a very small mixed flock, only two mature hens, and this girl and her two brooder sisters from this spring. She is the only orp, and clearly the lowest in the pecking order.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Last week I noticed her lagging behind everyone else at dinner/bed time. All my girls FR during the day, then come to the run/coop for dinner and stay locked in at night. That night I had to pick her up and carry her to the coop (Physically, everything seemed pretty normal: comb color was bright, no respiratory symptoms: no runny nose/eyes, no sneezing or irregular breathing, vent looked normal, no wounds, crop was not as full as it should be, but she also declined dinner that night)
The next morning she stayed on the roost when everyone else went out. I gave her about an hour to be sure, then brought her inside.
I've been providing a vitamin/electrolyte/probiotic supplement in her water since I brought her in and offering the same food she's accustomed to. She has been eating and drinking, but with little enthusiasm.
She has not started laying yet, but I saw the first "squat" from her a week or two before this started, so I'd been expecting her to start any day. I was worried she may be egg bound, but she's pooping, so I ruled that out. Poops are solid and average size/regularity, but do look unusually green. I haven't seen any evidence of intestinal parasites, but after the 3rd day with no real improvement, I decided to go ahead and give her a round of safeguard anyway (10% goat suspension; .23ml/lb for 5 days) Started the dewormer today.
I also did a pretty thorough check for external parasites and found nothing.
Overall she just looks... dumpy. No energy, fluffed up, standing still. There have been no real changes after three days of solitary crate rest.
One other thing that may be of significance... starting just within the past few weeks, one of my older hens has started picking on her. I haven't witnessed anything really alarming; it seemed like pretty standard dominance just going a bit further than I'd like. (chasing only her away from communal food, pulling tailfeathers, etc.)
I have a very small mixed flock, only two mature hens, and this girl and her two brooder sisters from this spring. She is the only orp, and clearly the lowest in the pecking order.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
