Help--sick hen--worms????

[selinagil]

My 1 year old white Ameraucana hen has been lethargic and practically non-moving for 2 days now. She has barely eat anything and drank just a little bit. Today she wouldn't even get out of the rain when I fed them all--she just stared at me and sat there in the weather. Her poop looks sorta yellow and is runny, but her comb looks normal colored. I have her seperated from the rest of the flock now but she is still not really eating or moving. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Selina

 

[selinagil]

I forgot to add that she also has not been coughing, sneezing or had any trouble breathing. I'm so worried about her--she is my favorite hen!

 

[chicken_grrl]

Maybe she is egg bound.
When you said yellow and runny poop, that's what makes me think she is egg bound.

If you can pick her up, feel her sort of abdomen/butt area like between her legs kinda. Does it feel hard/swollen? Does she sit all poofed up and huddled?

 

[selinagil]

Ok---so I went out and picked her up--it feels spongy and soft down around her abdomen so I don't think she is eggbound--I let her out of her isolation pen today to walk around the yard and she really hasn't done much walking or scratching. She has pretty much just layed around the yard and drank just a little.

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

what happened to your hen? I am sorry to see so little response here, I don't know what to tell you either.....

 

[vnploveschickens]

Try to keep her dry and warm. Maybe in a place that's darker. If it has something to do with her egg making equipment, it will slow it down and give your girl a chance to rest.

Make sure she drinks. Offer a little plain yogurt and a little of her feed. Check her poops.

Let us know if there are any other symptoms. Good luck!

Val

 

[selinagil]

This particular hen died 2 days after this post--I tried to feed her yogurt and she would not eat it or anything else I tried. I have another one isolated from the rest now and we are giving her penicillin and she seems to be doing better than the first hen. Thanks for actually responding--I got very few when I first posted this thread. I've seen olds ones with exact same symptoms and no one has ever found out what it was.

 

[PunkinPeep]

I'm so sorry you lost your hen.

 

[vnploveschickens]

Selina,

I am so sorry that your Ameracauna didn't make it.

Hopefully the 2nd will pull through.
Please keep us updated. You take care ok.

Val

 

[selinagil]

My hen is still alive but she is not really any better. I'm at a loss as to what to do at this point. She still will not eat no matter what I tempt her with and I really don't think she's drinking--although I've not had time to sit and observe her to make sure. Her poop is now getting really chalky yellow like the other hen that died so I don't know if she'll get any better now, who knows? Oh the upside, none of the other hens have any symptoms and all seem to be fine. I hope isolating her so early and medicating the others has saved me from an epidemic.