Help! My hen is not feeling well!

[IloveChickens3000]

I have a hen who is a year old. I've noticed she has been trying to lay an egg for the past two weeks but nothing is coming out. She has been feeling ill for the past few days, she was less active. Today when I went outside she was sitting on the grass and away from everybody else. She isn't eating or drinking. I tried giving her electrolytes in water but she refused to drink it. I've had a hen before that had the same condition except maybe worst. Sadly she passed away. Her poop seems like egg yolk. Does anybody know what this is and how can I treat it. Thank you I appreciate it.

 

[azygous]

You can try to treat the symptoms, but there may be a good chance there's an underlying issue causing this hen to feel unwell.

If she's struggling to get an egg out, giving a calcium tablet often can stimulate strong contractions to expel the egg.

You need to be aware that avian cancers can produce tumors that can block the oviduct and cause these problems. It can also cause the crop to back up and not empty overnight, causing further sickness. Check her crop in the morning to determine if it's emptying properly. If it isn't, that will be anther thing you'll need to treat,

When was this other hen you mentioned sick and died? It's one more clue that you might have an avian virus in your flock, and to find out a necropsy would need to be performed on this current hen if she dies.

 

[IloveChickens3000]

You can try to treat the symptoms, but there may be a good chance there's an underlying issue causing this hen to feel unwell.

If she's struggling to get an egg out, giving a calcium tablet often can stimulate strong contractions to expel the egg.

You need to be aware that avian cancers can produce tumors that can block the oviduct and cause these problems. It can also cause the crop to back up and not empty overnight, causing further sickness. Check her crop in the morning to determine if it's emptying properly. If it isn't, that will be anther thing you'll need to treat,

When was this other hen you mentioned sick and died? It's one more clue that you might have an avian virus in your flock, and to find out a necropsy would need to be performed on this current hen if she dies.

Thank you for your reply. My hen passed away a year ago. She had the exact same symptoms. Do you think probiotics mixed in water will help?

 

[azygous]

No, that's not going to be much help.

Give her a calcium tablet. You can also give the probiotics if you wish, just don't expect it to cure anything. The calcium acts on the hen's reproductive system. It might make a difference if this is merely a stubborn egg and not cancer.

This is what you need to give her.