Hen acting normal, losing weight and not laying

[jmcjmc]

Well I'm back with another weird one. I can't imagine you guys who own big flocks. I only have four hens and they're always a mystery.

The hens all molted a couple months ago. All came out of molt within about a week of each other. All 4 began laying eggs. A few weeks later the RIR stopped laying. I'd say it's been over a month since she laid. Her personality has not changed. She's still the most energetic hen of the four. I've definitely seen her eating. Her comb is sticking straight up and a deep healthy-looking red. Her eyes, skin, feathers, and feet look fine. I have not seen any mites or lice on her. The water gets wazine regularly and we did an extra dose a few weeks ago.

On the other hand, she's lost a lot of weight. Her body looks more like a pullet again, she's way less full looking. No breast puffed out. There is a lot of bare skin on her chest also. I couldn't see it until I turned her upside and the feathers spread out.

I don't know how any of these factors go to together. I figure there must be something going on with her, but I can't figure out what it could be. Every condition I look up can explain some of what's wrong with her, but then she has other traits that seem to negate them all. Happy to have any help or advice.

Thanks.

 

[dawg53]

She sounds like she might be broody. Have you seen her setting in the nest a lot without laying? Have you seen her feathers in a nest box? If your birds arnt penned and free range, it's possible she might have a clutch of eggs hidden somewhere and you'll have to find them.

 

[Kiki]

What do you feed your flock and can you have some poop tested for other worms beside just roundworms (the only thing Wazine treats)?

Can you feel her belly...is it hard or squishy or normal?
Compare it to your other girls.

 

[jmcjmc]

She sounds like she might be broody. Have you seen her setting in the nest a lot without laying? Have you seen her feathers in a nest box? If your birds arnt penned and free range, it's possible she might have a clutch of eggs hidden somewhere and you'll have to find them.

They're in what I'd call a confined free range. They have a huge pen area with walls and a hardware cloth roof and a coop none of them have ever gone in. I mounted a nesting box on the wall and they all lay in there. I haven't seen her or her feathers in there. I've looked under any objects and in all the corners for hidden eggs, but haven't found any.

What do you feed your flock and can you have some poop tested for other worms beside just roundworms (the only thing Wazine treats)?
Can you feel her belly...is it hard or squishy or normal?
Compare it to your other girls.

We feed them a local layer pellet. Generic 16% stuff. Supplemented with mealworms occasionally for more protein, and my wife lefts them out of the pen most weekends so they can roam around the backyard and eat bugs. I haven't had any poop tested. I wonder if just any vet office can/will do that? In the past I could only find one vet around here who'd treat chickens, and he's an avian expert who wanted $200 just to see the bird. I like the chickens, but that's just not realistic for me right now.

On the hard belly question, is that getting to the impacted crop issue? I've read a lot about that, but I don't think I've been able to feel where the crop is. I haven't felt anything on any of them that felt hard, or squishy, or anything other than just... feeling like a chicken. I'll see if my wife can feel around. Is the crop behind the breastbone? How big is it normally? Like a marble? A golf ball?

 

[Kiki]

They're in what I'd call a confined free range. They have a huge pen area with walls and a hardware cloth roof and a coop none of them have ever gone in. I mounted a nesting box on the wall and they all lay in there. I haven't seen her or her feathers in there. I've looked under any objects and in all the corners for hidden eggs, but haven't found any.



We feed them a local layer pellet. Generic 16% stuff. Supplemented with mealworms occasionally for more protein, and my wife lefts them out of the pen most weekends so they can roam around the backyard and eat bugs. I haven't had any poop tested. I wonder if just any vet office can/will do that? In the past I could only find one vet around here who'd treat chickens, and he's an avian expert who wanted $200 just to see the bird. I like the chickens, but that's just not realistic for me right now.

On the hard belly question, is that getting to the impacted crop issue? I've read a lot about that, but I don't think I've been able to feel where the crop is. I haven't felt anything on any of them that felt hard, or squishy, or anything other than just... feeling like a chicken. I'll see if my wife can feel around. Is the crop behind the breastbone? How big is it normally? Like a marble? A golf ball?

The crop is on their right side...upper chest...lower neck.
The crop should be flat/empty first thing in the morning when they have not eaten. It should fill up throughout the day so if you feel it in the evening it should be at least golf ball size...probably bigger.

I was saying to feel the belly, like down between the legs to get an idea if she is laying internally.


My vet will test my poop with out seeing my birds. I just bring fresh poop to him in a plastic container. It won't hurt to ask your vet.

 

[jmcjmc]

Sorry, I totally forgot to update this. A day or two after the last post, she was acting bad. We figured it was the end. I'd say for a good 4 hours she just stood on the ground staring in the same direction. Sounds, mealworms, nothing got her attention. Her head was sort of sunken, her skin was pale, she just looked miserable and ill.

I picked her up just to get a closer look at her and her entire breast felt like a water balloon. I gently rubbed it a couple times just to get a feel for what it was, and she started to throw up. So even though I hadn't planned on it after reading about the risks, I put her upside down and rubbed a little more. She threw up A LOT.

We caged her indoors for the next couple days on a diet of water w/ ACV, and yogurt. By the end she was squawking loud (as RIR's do) and happy. I let her out of the cage and she beelined to the coop. For the past few days she's been totally back to normal. Everything I've read about sour crop suggest the underlying cause is probably still there, and I probably didn't heal anything... but I guess I'll assume she's okay until she shows some other symptoms. And then I think I'll take Texas Kiki's advice about testing the stool for worms.

 

[Kiki]

Sorry, I totally forgot to update this. A day or two after the last post, she was acting bad. We figured it was the end. I'd say for a good 4 hours she just stood on the ground staring in the same direction. Sounds, mealworms, nothing got her attention. Her head was sort of sunken, her skin was pale, she just looked miserable and ill.

I picked her up just to get a closer look at her and her entire breast felt like a water balloon. I gently rubbed it a couple times just to get a feel for what it was, and she started to throw up. So even though I hadn't planned on it after reading about the risks, I put her upside down and rubbed a little more. She threw up A LOT.

We caged her indoors for the next couple days on a diet of water w/ ACV, and yogurt. By the end she was squawking loud (as RIR's do) and happy. I let her out of the cage and she beelined to the coop. For the past few days she's been totally back to normal. Everything I've read about sour crop suggest the underlying cause is probably still there, and I probably didn't heal anything... but I guess I'll assume she's okay until she shows some other symptoms. And then I think I'll take Texas Kiki's advice about testing the stool for worms.

Let us know how she does the future. Hopefully she stays well.