Hen acting weird and depressed

[jbake]

I have this 1 1/2 yr old rhode island red hen whom back in October i believe had beem egg bound so i was able to help her pass the egg and she immediatly seemed happy and better. After she passed the first egg which wasnt an egg morr like a crushed deformed slimy shell she started laying clumps of crushed egg shells and sometimes just the yolk or the white and then she up and stopped that too. Skip forward to just reciently i noticed she started acting weird again i brushed it off as the weather putting her in a bad mood its been cold and we just had our first frost and a bit of snow. she just sits in the chicken yard and walks around like she has no purpose and its sad. When i get home today im going to bring her inside and feeds her scrambled eggs some electrolytes and see if it helps maybe sponge bathe her and examine her to make sure there are no cuts or bites ir anything that might be causing her to be like this. If anyone has any wuestions or ideas of what might work im all ears. Thank you in advance!

 

[rebrascora]

Hi

Has she moulted yet. Eggs can become poor quality, weak shells etc towards the end of their cycle when they are getting ready to moult. Moulting takes quite a bit out of them and at 1 1/2 years old she is the right age for her first adult moult. Egg production usually stops and some chickens do take it quite badly and become quite depressed. Giving higher protein treats like scrambled egg, meat fish or cat food will help her body produce new feathers and look radiant again.

I would examine her abdomen for any swelling or abnormality, just in case she has been internal laying following her earlier problems, but hopefully it is just normal moulting blues. Some birds lose a lot of feathers all in one go and it's obvious that they are moulting as they have noticeable bald patches but other do it more gently and the only indication is an increase in feathers under the roost or in the run. I would go easy on any bathing or even handling much if she is going through her moult as it can be quite uncomfortable for them.

Fingers crossed she is just feeling sorry for herself whilst she changes into her new feathers and a little tlc and protein will pick her up. Giving your chickens a warm mash feed on a morning may also help perk them up.

Good luck with her.

Best wishes

Barbara