Hen Acting Strange

-MochiPie-

Chirping
Sep 20, 2020
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70
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Hello Everyone!

We have 6 RIR’s and 11 Polish. Our RIR’s are super friendly and active. They are about 26 weeks old. (6.5 Months) Almost 27. They always come and greet you at the door, peck at your back, and stand around you and your feet. But I noticed one of them, Marcy, has been very still and quiet since this morning. She has her tail flat/down and she isn’t moving much. I brought her inside to ask my parents, my mom she said she was doing the same thing this morning. She said she was sitting in a pile of fluff, in the sun. Moving around a bit but not a whole lot. So then I brought her in the kitchen and gave her a bit of squash to make sure she was eating okay. After a bite or two, she fluffed up and groomed herself all over, ate some more, and then walked around a little bit in the kitchen. But when I brought her back out, she wasn’t hardly moving again, tail down, etc. She moved a little bit after a while but still didn’t seem like much. She wanted to go in the hen house so I cleared all the chicken who were blocking the door and she went in. I had to go inside after because it was starting to rain and it was getting pretty dark. Any advice?
 
Check over her entire body, especially legs and feet, for injuries. Check the bottoms of her feet for swelling or scabbing. Is she eating and drinking? When did she last lay an egg? Was it normal? What does her poop look like?
 
Before this summer, I wasn't aware how many pullets get into trouble with their first eggs. My experience has always been the novice layer heads into a nest box, hangs out for a bit, and leaves a tiny "starter egg" behind.

For whatever reason, I'm seeing pullets egg bound with their first or second egg and even having shell-less eggs show up. Yours may be one of these unfortunate beginners without beginners luck.

I would treat this issue in a new layer the same way I treat seasoned layers that appear to be struggling with a stuck egg. I give a calcium tablet, the kind women take for strong bones, minimum 500mg with vitamin D added.

I also suggest moist heat and a quiet place with no distractions. I dampen a towel and place a heating pad under it inside a crate, then the pullet on top of the warm moist towel with easy access to water to drink.

This could take a few hours or a few days to resolve. Offer food along with the water if this goes into extra innings, and pop a calcium tablet into the beak each day that this continues.
 
Can you get some photos of her and her poop?
Has she started laying eggs?
It would be a good idea to go get her and feel inside the vent to make sure she doesn't have an egg stuck.
She’s been laying eggs since around 19 weeks? I’m sorry I totally forgot I posted this, and it was dark by the time I did. I’ll check her in the morning. It’s possible she has an egg stuck because we’ve been getting 4-5 eggs a day instead of 6. We don’t always get 6 in a day, but it’s still a bit odd. I feel bad I didn’t read this sooner. I hope she’s okay until the morning. Thanks all for the advice!
 
Before this summer, I wasn't aware how many pullets get into trouble with their first eggs. My experience has always been the novice layer heads into a nest box, hangs out for a bit, and leaves a tiny "starter egg" behind.

For whatever reason, I'm seeing pullets egg bound with their first or second egg and even having shell-less eggs show up. Yours may be one of these unfortunate beginners without beginners luck.

I would treat this issue in a new layer the same way I treat seasoned layers that appear to be struggling with a stuck egg. I give a calcium tablet, the kind women take for strong bones, minimum 500mg with vitamin D added.

I also suggest moist heat and a quiet place with no distractions. I dampen a towel and place a heating pad under it inside a crate, then the pullet on top of the warm moist towel with easy access to water to drink.

This could take a few hours or a few days to resolve. Offer food along with the water if this goes into extra innings, and pop a calcium tablet into the beak each day that this continues.
No she’s laid normal sized eggs since her first day of laying. None of the 6 had those tiny “starter eggs” until a few weeks later. We got a tiny one with no yoke. We knew what it was cause our friend has had a flock of chickens for a couple years. Since then though, we have still had normal eggs.
 
Check over her entire body, especially legs and feet, for injuries. Check the bottoms of her feet for swelling or scabbing. Is she eating and drinking? When did she last lay an egg? Was it normal? What does her poop look like?
Just saw this one too- my mom sort of looked at her feet, but I don’t know if it was only the tops? She didn’t seem injured. I’m pretty sure she drank some water in front of me, and she ate a little bit of squash. I haven’t seen her poop- and it’s hard to tell who lays what egg because we don’t have a camera set up. I’ll send photos of her and.. her poop.. (that sound weird lol) if I see her do it, in the morning.
 

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