One of our 3-year-old hens, Blanche (my BYC namesake :-( was fine on Saturday, down on Sunday. We found a fairly large egg that we believe was hers, with some clotted blood on it. Had been in the coop long enough to be cool -- first egg in a long time, from any of them. She was acting strangely -- standing in one place, tail down, one leg up, head pulled in, all fluffed up. Had a very messy rear -- sticky, with fully formed poop stuck to it (no diarrhea, no blood). We cleaned her off with warm water -- found no blood, nothing suspicious around the vent. She briefly rallied -- went over to her flock-mates (they were free-ranging), drank a lot of water, but would not eat . . .then spent the day hanging out by herself, not really moving. Last night she went into the coop but stayed on the floor instead of on the roost. Today she is up and out in the run with the other girls, but with the same odd posture. Any ideas? No bloody poop anywhere, no sign anyone has diarrhea, other 4 chickens all acting normal. Any ideas? Considered bringing her into the house in a dog crate, but it's not that cold outside, and thought that might be more traumatic than staying in the coop. . . Any help will be most appreciated!
