I have an almost 3yo EE hen (Doris) who, as a general rule, does not like to be handled. She didnt come out with the rest of the flock when I let them out this morning. I checked on her and found her just standing on the roost, staring off into space. She didnt really react when I picked her up & took her outside and when I set her on the ground, she just stood there. No reaction whatsoever until one of the higher-ranking hens pecked her on the head... and even then, she just wandered off and then stopped & stood there doing nothing.
I brought her into the house & checked her for the obvious things: mites, lice, distended abdomen, vent issues, egg binding, unusual discharge, redness, swelling & injuries. Nothing. Her face and comb look good, her vent looks good, no parasites, and I dont see any obvious external issues. She had a bit of poo stuck to her butt, so I gave her a bath in Epsom salts (which she didnt like, but she didnt protest as much as she would if she were acting right), clipped off the poo and dried her off with the hair dryer.
She DID react to the dryer- by acting as if she were sunbathing... But when I finished, she went back to just standing there doing nothing & not reacting. She will cluck at me when I talk to her, she looks around a little bit and cocks her head at things (in the normal way) and she flaps her wings at me once in awhile, but other than that- she's just not right. I can get her to eat from my hand (scrambled egg, yogurt & mealworms) but she doesnt even look at her dish otherwise. I left her in the bathroom for a few minutes while I got the hospital pen ready (a dog crate in the garage) & came back to what looked like a water spill on the floor with thin bits of yellow streaks and a couple of small green globs in it.
Everyone else seems to be fine & I dont see any worms in the poop in the poop tray or anywhere else. I'm preparing myself for the fact that she may die with no real explanation, but- has anyone ever seen this behavior? Or know what might be going on? She isnt straining like she needs to pass an egg, she isnt puffed up or drooping or panting or doing anything else to suggest that something is wrong- she's just... spacing out.
I brought her into the house & checked her for the obvious things: mites, lice, distended abdomen, vent issues, egg binding, unusual discharge, redness, swelling & injuries. Nothing. Her face and comb look good, her vent looks good, no parasites, and I dont see any obvious external issues. She had a bit of poo stuck to her butt, so I gave her a bath in Epsom salts (which she didnt like, but she didnt protest as much as she would if she were acting right), clipped off the poo and dried her off with the hair dryer.
She DID react to the dryer- by acting as if she were sunbathing... But when I finished, she went back to just standing there doing nothing & not reacting. She will cluck at me when I talk to her, she looks around a little bit and cocks her head at things (in the normal way) and she flaps her wings at me once in awhile, but other than that- she's just not right. I can get her to eat from my hand (scrambled egg, yogurt & mealworms) but she doesnt even look at her dish otherwise. I left her in the bathroom for a few minutes while I got the hospital pen ready (a dog crate in the garage) & came back to what looked like a water spill on the floor with thin bits of yellow streaks and a couple of small green globs in it.
Everyone else seems to be fine & I dont see any worms in the poop in the poop tray or anywhere else. I'm preparing myself for the fact that she may die with no real explanation, but- has anyone ever seen this behavior? Or know what might be going on? She isnt straining like she needs to pass an egg, she isnt puffed up or drooping or panting or doing anything else to suggest that something is wrong- she's just... spacing out.
