Hen acting strange

[cackleberryandco]

My 1 year old barred rock hen is a little off. She seems very clumsy, stumbles and walks with almost a squat, seems very “zoned out” and out of it, and is pooping exclusively liquid. I have not seen her drink at all though which is strange. She does appear to be eating… I gave her some watermelon today in an attempt to give her some hydration. Her comb is starting to droop over too. Im assuming this is all due to dehydration, but why could she be not wanting to drink? She’s at the top of the pecking order. Any ideas?

This picture is of her but it’s from a few days ago, it is just for attention and not representative of her current condition

 

[MidlandChicks]

I’m so sorry she’s not doing well! I’m not sure what’s wrong but I hope someone responds soon with possible issues. Good luck!!

 

[AraucanaMama]

You mentioned her "Zoning off". Is she stargazing (looking up) when doing this? If so this could be a sign of illness, but generally means her neck is paralyzed.

As for dehydration, I'm not entirely sure what would stop her from wanting to drink water, but I would recommend adding vitamin supplements to her water. If she's still going after 1-3 days of this, she has to be getting moisture from somewhere. Make sure she has constant access to clean, fresh water with vitamins. Maybe give her some (raw) egg yolk for energy and just that little bit more hydration in the mean time.
If you have a syringe of some kind, you could try to force down some water with electrolytes.

Hope this helps!

 

[cackleberryandco]

You mentioned her "Zoning off". Is she stargazing (looking up) when doing this? If so this could be a sign of illness, but generally means her neck is paralyzed.

As for dehydration, I'm not entirely sure what would stop her from wanting to drink water, but I would recommend adding vitamin supplements to her water. If she's still going after 1-3 days of this, she has to be getting moisture from somewhere. Make sure she has constant access to clean, fresh water with vitamins. Maybe give her some (raw) egg yolk for energy and just that little bit more hydration in the mean time.
If you have a syringe of some kind, you could try to force down some water with electrolytes.

Hope this helps!

She seems to be moving her neck freely, and she kind of just stops and stares forward for a long period of time. I forced some water with electrolytes down and she seems a little better but today her comb is starting to turn purple. What could that mean?

 

[AraucanaMama]

She seems to be moving her neck freely, and she kind of just stops and stares forward for a long period of time. I forced some water with electrolytes down and she seems a little better but today her comb is starting to turn purple. What could that mean?

the comb thing sounds like a respiratory issue, but could also be dehydration issues returning. keep a close eye on her and if you notice additional symptoms for either, act accordingly. personally, i dont know much about treating respiratory issues in hens, but im sure that there are plenty of good articles on here that talk about how to deal with them. Hope this helps, and I hope your hen is alright!!!