- Aug 23, 2012
- 10
- 1
- 24
One of my hens is suffering from some illness. Her head is tilted to one side, she seems lethargic, and her appetite is down. I am worried, as she seems to be getting progressively worse.
At the onset, about 4 days ago, I just thought she had injuried an eye, but I examined her closer today, and her eye is fine, but her head is tilted. She has stopped roosting in her normal spot, now she is staying low.
I don't have her exact age, but she was hatched this spring, and began laying sometime in July. As of yesterday, she was still laying.
I am also worried that this illness may have caused the death of two other young birds (from the same flock). One died just five days after I got her - sat in her food bowl or at the back of the large crate that I had the birds in, and then one morning, was just dead. (I initially attributed this to severe stress, as the other birds were healthy, and the death was so rapid.) The other bird seemed to be flopping to one side, and instead of roosting, was hiding under the hay - she disappeared, I never found her remains. (This was approximately one month later, and I thought that she may have injuried her leg, as the recent craze for the young birds was flying in and out of the haymow, or being excessively harrassed by the other members of the flock.)
Another possibility is the consumption of rat poision (or of rats that consumed poision). I don't know if chickens are affected by this or not...
Any ideas or suggestions? This is my favorite hen...HELP!!
At the onset, about 4 days ago, I just thought she had injuried an eye, but I examined her closer today, and her eye is fine, but her head is tilted. She has stopped roosting in her normal spot, now she is staying low.
I don't have her exact age, but she was hatched this spring, and began laying sometime in July. As of yesterday, she was still laying.
I am also worried that this illness may have caused the death of two other young birds (from the same flock). One died just five days after I got her - sat in her food bowl or at the back of the large crate that I had the birds in, and then one morning, was just dead. (I initially attributed this to severe stress, as the other birds were healthy, and the death was so rapid.) The other bird seemed to be flopping to one side, and instead of roosting, was hiding under the hay - she disappeared, I never found her remains. (This was approximately one month later, and I thought that she may have injuried her leg, as the recent craze for the young birds was flying in and out of the haymow, or being excessively harrassed by the other members of the flock.)
Another possibility is the consumption of rat poision (or of rats that consumed poision). I don't know if chickens are affected by this or not...
Any ideas or suggestions? This is my favorite hen...HELP!!
