Hen acting weird

[alischickens]

Thanks for getting back to me Jen. I called a vet and they told me to bring her inside and get her warm (I am in NY and its cold) She seems a little better now, well at least she's eating and moving around. The Dr told me to keep her in for 24-48 hours and see if she passes the egg and if not to give her a call back.

She was fine yesterday my other two girls started laying two weeks ago and when this one (Peep my australorp) did not come right out of the coop this morning I thought that maybe she was about to lay her first egg too. I have 4 all 6 months old. The 2 that are laying RIR and a wht Plymouth Rock had no problems at all (just very chatty) and their eggs were beautiful. Nice hard shells too, so I don't think a calcium problem. I like the bath solution but since it so cold I worry she may catch a cold. She's in the garage with an electric heater and a heat lamp (my meter must be spinning, lol) She sounds just like your girl all fluffed out and not moving much. I hope she lays an egg soon, I'm worried she may be sick. She is acting much better now though, my son is feeding her a little yogurt and she's gobbling it up. I've checked some images online of full or compacted crops and I don't see that on her. How else can I check for this. Her comb is nice and red and her poop is a little loose but no blood or anything.
Thanks so much for your help. I wish my girls could talk this is very stressful.

Ali

 

[JensChickies]

Thanks for getting back to me Jen.  I called a vet and they told me to bring her inside and get her warm (I am in NY and its cold) She seems a little better now, well at least she's eating and moving around.  The Dr told me to keep her in for 24-48 hours and see if she passes the egg and if not to give her a call back. 

She was fine yesterday my other two girls started laying two weeks ago and when this one (Peep my australorp) did not come right out of the coop this morning I thought that maybe she was about to lay her first egg too.  I have 4 all 6 months old.  The 2 that are laying RIR and a wht Plymouth Rock had no problems at all (just very chatty) and their eggs were beautiful.  Nice hard shells too, so I don't think a calcium problem.  I like the bath solution but since it so cold I worry she may catch a cold.  She's in the garage with an electric heater and a heat lamp (my meter must be spinning, lol)  She sounds just like your girl all fluffed out and not moving much.  I hope she lays an egg soon, I'm worried she may be sick.  She is acting much better now though, my son is feeding her a little yogurt and she's gobbling it up.  I've checked some images online of full or compacted crops and I don't see that on her.  How else can I check for this.  Her comb is nice and red and her poop is a little loose but no blood or anything.  
Thanks so much for your help.  I wish my girls could talk this is very stressful.

Ali

You can check if she has an impacted by feeling the lower right side of her breast. If she's eating you will feel a buldge. That buldge is her crop. If it's impacted then it would be really hard and not emptying. A crop should be large at night then in the morning be empty.

My other thought if she's not going to lay an egg is that she might have coccidiosis. They will fluff up and not move. There may or may not be blood in her stool. The one I treated for coccidiosis (a different hen that was the start of this thread) did not have bloody stool, but she responded to treatment. I treated her with corid....it can be bought online or at a feed store.

Just a thought.....when I gave my hen a bath I was a newbie, but in have since learned that giving baths can make them worse, but it worked for her . If I have to do this again I would put her in a room with steam to try and relax her. But keeping her warm by having her inside is the best thing to do.

Good luck with her and keep me posted!

 

[alischickens]

Thank you for all your help.

I am completely baffled, still no egg but she is acting completely normal. Her poop did seem loose but all their poop is like that from time to time. I noticed where she went (on the pine shavings) it looked greenish. I don't believe I fed her anything green. ???
I felt her entire body and do not feel any hard or swollen areas. She is doing a lot of digging and nesting, like making a whole in the litter then wiggling her body back and fourth and just sitting there. I'm awaiting a call from the Dr. to ask about that coccidiosis thing. That worries me because when you mentioned it I researched it and they showed pics of hens and their posture was exactly what she was doing yesterday. Fluffed up and had her neck tucked in tight. Would not eat or drink. If she had that she would not get better on her own, correct? They need medication. I wonder if I could put her on some meds just to play it safe???? Again, I will just wait for the Dr. to call.

I'm also a bit concerned about her being in a nice warm house for two days and then shocked by going back to the 20's, that can't be good.

Thanks for listening, nice to have forums like this where there are truly helpful people who care.

Thanks again,
Ali

 

[JensChickies]

Thank you for all your help.

 I am completely baffled, still no egg but she is acting completely normal.  Her poop did seem loose but all their poop is like that from time to time.  I noticed where she went (on the pine shavings) it looked greenish.  I don't believe I fed her anything green.  ???  
I felt her entire body and do not feel any hard or swollen areas.  She is doing a lot of digging and nesting, like making a whole in the litter then wiggling her body back and fourth and just sitting there.  I'm awaiting a call from the Dr. to ask about that coccidiosis thing.  That worries me because when you mentioned it I researched it and they showed pics of hens and their posture was exactly what she was doing yesterday. Fluffed up and had her neck tucked in tight. Would not eat or drink.   If she had that she would not get better on her own, correct?  They need medication.  I wonder if I could put her on some meds just to play it safe????  Again, I will just wait for the Dr. to call.  

 I'm also a bit concerned about her being in a nice warm house for two days and then shocked by going back to the 20's, that can't be good.

Thanks for listening, nice to have forums like this where there are truly helpful people who care.

Thanks again,
Ali

If she were mine I would go ahead and just start coccidiosis treatment. I love vets, but they will want to do fecal float to confirm it. If she doesn't need the treatment it will not hurt her. You will however, have to give vitamins and probiotics after treatment. Corid will wipe out the gut flora and you want to replenish it.

The green poop is from not eating....it is the extra bile being excreted in her poop. Chickens will always try to act normal....they are prey animals so they won't show they are sick until they are really really sick. My guess is that she is not eating/drinking enough.

But....you mentioned she is digging and wiggling into it....thats what my hens do when they lay....lol. So maybe she is going to start to lay??? Let's see what the vet says. Keep me posted!!

 

[briann107]

My leghorn hen layed an egg 4 days in a row
1 reguler egg
2 reguler egg
3 soft shell egg
4 reguler egg

and for the past two days she hasnt layed an egg witch i think is normal but she has also been brooding on 6 fertile eggs for the past 3 days and now today she is acting a little odd because tonight when i came in to clode up the coop she moved 3 eggs out from under her nest and was looking a little tired not exactly lethargic but she was acting just different so i picked her up and gave her her medicine like ive been doing for the past week and i put her back in her nest and I locked up the coop for the night but I decided just incase i will check on her one more time so i went out to the coop and she was fluffed up away from her eggs so i tried to settle her down but im worried.

also I just lost a hen to cocidiosis about as week and a half ago but she was treated and does not have it

Please Help

 

[JensChickies]

My leghorn hen layed an egg 4 days in a row 
1 reguler egg 
2 reguler egg
3 soft shell egg
4 reguler egg 

and for the past two days she hasnt layed an egg witch i think is normal but she has also been brooding on 6 fertile eggs for the past 3 days and now today she is acting a little odd because tonight when i came in to clode up the coop she moved 3 eggs out from under her nest and was looking a little tired not exactly lethargic but she was acting just different so i picked her up and gave her her medicine like ive been doing for the past week  and i put her back in her nest and I locked up the coop for the night but I decided just incase i will check on her one more time so i went out to the coop and she was fluffed up away from her eggs so i tried to settle her down but im worried.

also I just lost a hen to cocidiosis about as week and a half ago but she was treated and does not have it

Please Help

Is she eating and drinking? Is it hit where you are?? She may be getting dehydrated and when they are getting dehydrated, their bodies will shut down. Check her crop, make sure it's going down every morning. What kind of medicine are you giving her? If it's for coccidiosis, you need to follow up,with vitamins/probiotics.