HELP!!! SLEEPY DROOLING HEN

[MegsEggs99]

My 1 year old Rhode Island Red always has her eyes shut. She will stand in the middle of the yard "sleeping". She kind of puffs up when she shuts her eyes and then she starts to drool. Any ideas on what this could be?

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you feel of her crop to check if it is empty, full, hard or puffy? She could have an impacted or sour crop, or something stuck in her throat. Make sure that her crop empties overnight as it normally should. There also could be something growing inside her throat, or sh may have a worm problem affecting her throat. If your have a local vet who would check some of her droppings for parasites and cocci, it may help.

 

[MegsEggs99]

Her crop is empty.

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you bring her in and offer her some water (use electrolytes or sugar if you have it) and offer her a little chopped egg. Wet chicken feed with a lot of water and a tsp of yogurt for probiotics would be good. It is hard to tell sometimes why a young hen will not eat. Coccidiosis could be a problem. That is treated by Corid in the water for 5-7 days. I have had a couple of hens die of gizzard impaction, and they refused to eat. If she is low in the pecking order, she could have become weak from being kept from food or water, so by separating her in a crate or pen, she may start eating.