Help Hen acting slugish i think she may have frostbite.

[HoopyFrood]

Okay she is definitely NOT is a good way and that looks much more like blunt trauma than frostbite. You should take action right away.

The way her comb is flopped over might indicate severe dehydration. I'm guessing she hurt her toe stumbling onto/off of something? That comb is pretty small, too. So do you think she's 4-5 months old?

See the way she's puffed up? She's very uncomfortable (possibly just really cold, but possibly something more). Possibly in a lot of pain (hence being feisty).

I'd definitely recommend quarantine in a cool structure that is draft free (like the garage) for the time being. An open dog crate, or even a big cardboard box will do. She's obviously not going to run/fly away at this point. Don't worry about a heat lamp for now.

Try to dip the tip of her beak in a spoonful of water. Does she drink? If she's offered feed, will she eat?

If she is dehydrated I'd recommend hand watering with an electrolyte-enhanced water: save-a-chick or I've had great results with Rooster Booster. But even pedialyte will work in a pinch. Also poultry Nutri-Drench is a great liquid "food" booster... I've never found a chicken that liked it undiluted, but diluted I have yet to meet a chicken that didn't like it.

If she won't eat feed we need to come up with another choice. But one step at a time.

You'll have to watch her closely and provide more information to make progress. Please read the following post guidelines and then offer the information you have not provided already:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/have-an-emergency-disease-please-read-first.3569/

What we need to do is figure out if what's ailing her is communicable or not. If she might have a communicable illness you don't want her near the rest of the flock. You'll need to monitor her behavior as well as monitor the rest of the flock to see if they begin exhibiting any of the same symptoms.

Please let us know what you find out!

 

[Noah Porter Md]

No no shes a adult hen 4 to 5 years old and she will eat she did when i put fresh feed in
and it aint to cold here right now either a outdoor thermastat says it's plus ten celcius
i havn't seen if she will drink though
but is there any treatment i can do to heal it like pollysporn and a bandage and cut the nail back alittle? i've also got her in a dog crate inside the run

to follow up on the link you sent me poop looks fine
i think i know what happend if it is a blunt trauma we have a dog crate inside the run with silver emmergency blanket thing to keep another hen we had to reintroduce warm she hed had sour crop
no other birds are showing symptoms
when i changed the water yesterday she drank
i'm using wood shavings and straw
i only found her like this today
and i cant tell if there are broken bones


Also could the injury be giving her pain and thus not wanting to move?

also i put my fingers under her feathers and she is quite toasty

 

[HoopyFrood]

No no shes a adult hen 4 to 5 years old and she will eat she did when i put fresh feed in
and it aint to cold here right now either a outdoor thermastat says it's plus ten celcius
i havn't seen if she will drink though
but is there any treatment i can do to heal it like pollysporn and a bandage and cut the nail back alittle? i've also got her in a dog crate inside the run

to follow up on the link you sent me poop looks fine
i think i know what happend if it is a blunt trauma we have a dog crate inside the run with silver emmergency blanket thing to keep another hen we had to reintroduce warm she hed had sour crop
no other birds are showing symptoms
when i changed the water yesterday she drank
i'm using wood shavings and straw
i only found her like this today
and i cant tell if there are broken bones


Also could the injury be giving her pain and thus not wanting to move?

also i put my fingers under her feathers and she is quite toasty

A great start! Sorry about the age confusion. I wasn't expecting a comb on an older hen to look like that.

Keep feed and grit offered at all times in the crate. Since the toe is probably very uncomfortable I'd hand feed her until she stops eating, then offer grit, initially. Stooping to eat off the floor (if the toe hurts) may be a disincentive to eat.

At your earliest convenience try offering her water. I'd strongly recommend a Rooster Booster/Nutri-Drench drink, but the most important thing is getting her water. Again water her by hand the first time to assess if she's okay stooping down to drink. A hanging nipple waterer (if you have one) is a great way to water injured/sick birds.

As to the toe nail, yes, you can cut them. I've never done this, though. All I know is you do NOT want to damage the quick. That spot on her toe was (I think) internal bleeding. So I'm guessing trimming might be an awkward affair. Unfortunately I don't have any advice to offer on what to do to relieve symptoms on the toe. Perhaps another BYC person can? It's obviously injured, but it's a minor injury. As long as it doesn't get infected, I'm not sure if there's more to be done. I wouldn't apply antibiotic ointment UNLESS it gets infected. I'd just give her lots of shavings to cushion the toes and keep it dry. Regardless of what you do there, just keep a close eye on it.

I have never had to deal with a broken bone so I'm afraid I cannot offer an informed opinion on whether it might be broken or not.

I assume the sour crop was the "other" hen, not the one with the toe injury?

Yes the hurt toe would definitely make her not want to move. We just want to rule out any other potential issues.

Chickens are amazing little heaters, aren't they?

Please follow up on the watering when you can and let us know how that goes.

One more question: Since you found her like this today, was she exhibiting any strange behavior/symptoms yesterday or earlier?

Last question: you said if it was blunt trauma you thought you knew happened? You said it had something to do with the dog crate? What do you think happened?

 

[Eggcessive]

I doubt that he toe is her main problem making her lethargic. The toe, whether frostbitten or crushed does not look serious enough to cause future problems. It should heal itself.

I would follow the advice to get her drinking, and give vitamin tonic with electrolytes, or an electrolyte substitute. Many of my older girls eventually will have either a reproductive problem , such as internal laying, or may develop ascites in the lower belly. I have seen a couple with a crop impaction or sour crop. How long since she laid an egg?

Feel of her crop in early morning to see if it is empty. Full, doughy, or puffy would not be normal in the morning. Look her over for lice and mites. check for runny poops. Pick her up to feel her breast area for weight loss, or for swelling in the lower belly.

 

[Noah Porter Md]

ok so any idea on that spot if it is internal bleading?
can i make like a splint?
will the hole thing heal on its own?
i have not seen her like this before all the same thank you for the help!

 

[Noah Porter Md]

i have check for sour full or impacted crop and found nothing the crop is empty
i dont think she has gained or lost any weight but i will feed her and give here some acv water with some feed and grit in her little dog cage on top of a box so she doesint have to lean down to get it

 

[andreanar]

I don't think the toes are her problem. Something is most definitely going wrong for her. I would get her inside, keep her warm. Drop some Nutri Drench into her beak and make up a mixture of electrolyte water and get her drinking it. I agree with Eggcessive. Check her for any bugs. Could she have worms? That hunched up posture could mean Coccidosis, worm overload, some kind of crop issue or laying issue. But that posture is not a good sign.

 

[Eggcessive]

Try offering a little chopped scrambled egg or tuna, and wet chicken feed is usually accepted. Chickens with internal laying or coccidiosis can stand hunched and puffed up like the pic. Does the toenail wiggle like it is partially broken off? If it is broken, you can cut it off. If not you can try making a shoe out of sticky tape, but it may not be necessary in her crate. If you place her crate in with the other chickens, she will be happier to have company.

 

[HoopyFrood]

i have check for sour full or impacted crop and found nothing the crop is empty
i dont think she has gained or lost any weight but i will feed her and give here some acv water with some feed and grit in her little dog cage on top of a box so she doesint have to lean down to get it

Off to a good start. And thank you @Eggcessive and @andreanar for helping out!

Since Noah said the poop looks normal we can rule out coccidiosis, right?

@Noah Porter Md It sounds like internal laying can cause this. So two questions:

1.) Is she still a regular layer? And if so, when was the last time she laid? and...

2.) When you say you had not seen her like this before, was she "normal" yesterday? I'm wondering how quickly whatever this is came on her.

 

[Noah Porter Md]

Thank you all of you but i thought of something after a fed her seperatly and she was eager to eat, what if she is low on the pecking order and was being starved by the other hens? because as soon as i fed her she was gobbleing up food?

would the lack of weight and food drain her energy? and if such electrolyes would boast her energy and make her want to eat gain weight and otherwise go back to normal?

and to awnser you question about laying i cant tell you at the moment because over the last winter 2017 my mum was in the hospital and it was a 3 hour drive one way so i couldn't always go out to get the eggs and think one or more may have broken and they cannabilised them so i will know over the night if she has laid

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