HELP! Sick chicken - eyes closing (sometimes one/both), pale comb, hasn't laid eggs in a few days

[dreamerD]

Hi all. I have a wellsummer who is about 15 months old. I've noticed over the last few weeks that her egg production has slowed. She hasn't laid an egg now in about 4-5 days. Her comb is slightly pale. She may have lost weight as well. I thought maybe she was in an early molt until tonight. Tonight I noticed that her one eye was closing then both at the same time. She seems less energetic than usual but was still walking around. She ate and drank. I saw her poop and I looked for worms, it seemed normal. However, she has had messy feathers near her vent so maybe recent runny stool. She doesn't feel like she's egg bound. I looked for mites/lice and didn't see anything apparent. I am new to chicken owning so I may have missed something. I gave her a nutrition supplement from a dropper. I added probiotics and electrolytes to their water. She drank some of that. I plan on calling the vet in the morning. In my experience, once they appear sick.. they die quick. I figured I would be proactive and post on here to get feedback from the vast wealth of knowledge. Any help or advice is appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Kiki]

Have you soaked her in a warm bath to clean up her bottom yet?
You won't usually see worms until you give them medicine to get rid of them.
Vet would be the best advice.

Did you actually stick a finger in her to feel for an egg?
Have you ever wormed her?
What does she eat?

 

[dreamerD]

Have you soaked her in a warm bath to clean up her bottom yet?
You won't usually see worms until you give them medicine to get rid of them.
Vet would be the best advice.

Did you actually stick a finger in her to feel for an egg?
Have you ever wormed her?
What does she eat?

I soaked her bottom a bit tonight. I didn't stick a finger in her... I just felt around her abdomen and looked at her vent opening. I have never wormed any of my hens. They have been on grower/finisher food since I have some young pullets in the mix who can't eat layer pellets yet. They have oyster shell as needed. I feed them a small amount of scratch once every day or every other. Today they had strawberries and a banana. I feed them some fruits and vegetables as treats.

 

[Kiki]

She could be egg bound or could have worms.

 

[Kiki]

Here are three articles you may want to read.

Egg Binding: Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention
Internal Parasites - Parasitic Worms in Chickens
Vent Gleet aka Nasty Chicken Butt

 

[dreamerD]

She could be egg bound or could have worms.

Can chickens poop when they are egg bound?

 

[Kiki]

Yes they can.

 

[dreamerD]

Yes they can.

Okay thank you for your input. From what I'm reading, it sounds more like worms. I will call the vet first thing in the morning. I really hope she makes it through the night.

 

[Kiki]

Make sure she is drinking water...dehydration will kill her.

 

[dreamerD]

Make sure she is drinking water...dehydration will kill her.

I watched her tonight. She drank about 5-6 sips throughout an hour or so.