Help with my hen's health

[keqm2025]

Hello! I’m hoping someone can help me identify what might be wrong with one of my hens. I have three hens that I keep for fun and eggs. The hen in question, Dolly, is a Jersey Giant and is about 1 year old.

Dolly has been a consistent layer, but she stopped laying two days ago. She’s acting very off—lethargic, isolating herself from the other hens, and losing weight. Her feathers are ruffled, and she’s missing feathers under her belly and wings, but it doesn’t seem like typical molting. She’s also having difficulty balancing and seems to be resting on her hocks, based on what I’ve read. Her poop appears normal, and she’s still eating, drinking, and staying alert.

I’d really appreciate any thoughts or advice on what might be going on and how I can help her.

Thank you so much!

 

[GodLovesU]

Can you post a picture of her?That may help someone identify the problem.

 

[keqm2025]

Yes!

 

[Eggcessive]

Have you seen any abnormal or soft shell eggs from the hens? Pictures of her and her droppings may be helpful. Can you feel of her crop now and again in the morning before she eats or drinks, and tell us if it is full or empty, and if full, is it firm, dough-like or squishy? What do you feed her? Can you get her eating some cooked bits of egg or wet chicken feed? Water with a spoonful of sugar per cup can be held up to her beak for strength. Look her over for any bugs (lice or mites) on her belly under the vent, and elsewhere. Is her lower belly under the vent enlarged?

 

[Eggcessive]

The bare lower belly looks like she is getting feather picked, or she might be pecking herself, so I would look to see which it is. Is she low in pecking order, or do the others bully her? Has she been getting enough to eat or drink?

 

[keqm2025]

Hi! Thank you so much for your response. She is lower in the pecking order. I have pulled her from my coop for now. She has been producing nice large eggs - nothing soft or abnormal from the others (one is molting and the other is laying normal eggs too). Her crop feels soft and mushy. I feed her Purina Layena Layer Crumbles with some cracked corn mixed in. They also get mealworms for a treat here and there. I don't think the lower belly is enlarged, but she is also huge in general compared to my other two hens. I can feel more of her bones than I used to be able to.

 

[keqm2025]

I did just catch her doing something different that I haven't seen her do before (make sure volume is all the way up). Attached is a link to the video - I could not figure out how to upload it directly to the post. https://vimeo.com/1043546498?share=copy

 

[Eggcessive]

Check her crop in the morning before she eats or drinks. It should feel empty or mostly empty. If not, she may have a crop problem. I would stop the cracked corn, and continue the layer crumbles. All flock feed 20% is also good with a little more protein, but make available some crushed oyster shell in a separate container if you use that. I couldn’t hear anything in the video.

 

[keqm2025]

Thank you! She is continuing to eat and drink some. At this point she is no longer walking. She seems to hobble around using her wings to help her balance, but rarely stands up to walk. She is not passing much stool and what she does pass, it’s watery and white.

 

[keqm2025]

Also, her shanks seem to be turning a discolored green color