HELP! BR Hen acting strange!

[KansasKate]

I'm a newbie, but it does sound like the crop area. Is she being given grit? Their crops can be impacted if they don't get grit. They might not get enough just free-ranging.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

Quote:
I know you meant to write something else - can you provide info?

Not having layer food and not having oyster shell may have created a serious problem with forming egg shells - she could be eggbound. Hens must have calcium in adequate amounts to be able to form their eggshells. I would immediately ensure that oyster shell is available 24/7.

Just in case she is eggbound give her a Tums crushed in a bit of water, just enough to flow easily through a dropper and to be easily swallowed. Dribble mixture gently along her beak line, so she swallows on her own and doesn't choke. She may also need to sit in a warm bath - this can sometimes help get the egg out (use the search tab above and enter 'eggbound' for more info). Also, keep her really comfy in an area that is darkened much of the time so that she stops producing eggs until you're sure the next one comes out okay (if the lead one is stuck, new ones will continue to form, they will get backed up in her and can easily cause heart failure and death).
If she's already asleep for the night I might wait until the morning to do these things.....unless she can't sleep and is clearly uncomfortable.

What are the temps of her coop and the outdoors lately? Is she doing any panting?

I may not be able to check back again today - hopefully others will also see your thread. Continue to post with any tidbits of info you can think of - while helping to diagnose, this will also bring your thread back up to the top of those seen....

Hoping this will all get sorted out and that she will be okay.
JJ

She isn't acting normally. When I let out to free range, she didn't budge to even move. I don't think she is egg bound. The reason she hasn't been getting layer food is cause I have 14 other chickens that are 14 weeks old, and if I put it down they go to town. It's extremely HARD to keep the food separated, especially when the younger ones can't have it yet.. I will try to separate her to give her some layer food and pellets.

It has been hot around her. North MS. But it rained, so the temp has changed. I'm saying the mid 70's & low 80's at the moment now. No one was panting today. She wasn't panting.

Thanks for all your help JJ! I will try to keep posted.

So, the question posted earlier was HOW LONG has she been acting abnormally.
Also, when you have different age birds, you can still put out a dish of oyster shell for the layers. They will take it as needed.
It does sound like her crop is enlarged, but whether or not it is just full of food, or impacted...I don't know. If it's gone down by morning, that isn't the problem. The fact that she hasn't laid in a few days and is not getting calcium may be an issue.

 

[somissemilyy]

Yay Chicks! :

Quote:
She isn't acting normally. When I let out to free range, she didn't budge to even move. I don't think she is egg bound. The reason she hasn't been getting layer food is cause I have 14 other chickens that are 14 weeks old, and if I put it down they go to town. It's extremely HARD to keep the food separated, especially when the younger ones can't have it yet.. I will try to separate her to give her some layer food and pellets.

It has been hot around her. North MS. But it rained, so the temp has changed. I'm saying the mid 70's & low 80's at the moment now. No one was panting today. She wasn't panting.

Thanks for all your help JJ! I will try to keep posted.

So, the question posted earlier was HOW LONG has she been acting abnormally.
Also, when you have different age birds, you can still put out a dish of oyster shell for the layers. They will take it as needed.
It does sound like her crop is enlarged, but whether or not it is just full of food, or impacted...I don't know. If it's gone down by morning, that isn't the problem. The fact that she hasn't laid in a few days and is not getting calcium may be an issue.​

I'm sorry, I was rushing through the thing, it was just this afternoon that she was like this. I will check her in the morning.

Is it okay to put out oyster shell even though I don't have layers. I have 2 layers & 14 week old chickens. Is it okay to put out oyster shell at the different ages?

 

[somissemilyy]

SOLVED! It was her crop! I didn't know where the crop was in a chickens body, but she is acting fine and normal today! Thanks for the help guys!

 

[Judy]

Closed at OP request, because the problem was solved (glad to hear it!)