Hen All of a Sudden Will Not Leave Coop

[Vedaflax]

I have 4 hens, and my most productive one all the sudden will not come out of the coop today. The last few nights after free- ranging, she has been the first one in the coop for the night (way early- not like her). Last night I noticed she was roosting on the lowest roost bar that they never use. This morning she would not come out till I forced her, abs she did go drink water and walked around a little bit, then went back in on roost bar? It has been hot the last several days- I'm worrying about parasites, we use DE and deep-litter method. Any ideas on any preventative things I can do?

 

[downsm75]

Is she broody?

 

[Vedaflax]

Never has been- we have no rooster- she has some bright green poop marks on her behind?

 

[Vedaflax]

Not laying either.

 

[Eggcessive]

If she is on the roost bar, she may be sick instead of broody. When they are broody they usually stay in a nest box day and night, stop laying eggs, eat and drink very little, and stare off into space. They sometimes growl at you when you approach them. Your chicken sounds as though she is heat stressed or sick. We have had over 100 degree temps lately, and I have a barn fan and try to keep some cool water available to drink and pans of water to stand in to cool off. Frozen water bottles work well to cool off the water.

 

[theoldchick]

Pick her up and look at her. Does she feel thin? Is her comb pale. Does she have any kind of discharge from nostrils or eyes? Sneezing? Gaping her mouth? Abnormal feces?

Give us a bit more information and maybe we can help you out.

 

[Vedaflax]

Now she is really bad- just laying down like dead- but she is stil breathing- just
Motionless - not sure how old she is- perhaps it is just her time. I held her and tried to make her drink- any tips on how to force water in her. I moved her to her own coop- the others started picking her- thinking she might not make it- she had no discharge, just some runny green poo, the others seem great?? Not sure what is up with her- feel bad for her- tried to give her vitamine water.

 

[Autumn D]

she is probelly sick

 

[Eggcessive]

So sorry about your hen. They can get sick so suddenly and sometimes you never know what's wrong. Sometimes people do autopsies on their chickens when they die to help them understand what might have happened. Some of the very productive egg-producers like the red sex-links can become internal layers or eggbound. Some people never know what happened. The heat is a real killer to some chickens.

 

[KootenaiRiverChick]

Now she is really bad- just laying down like dead- but she is stil breathing- just
Motionless - not sure how old she is- perhaps it is just her time. I held her and tried to make her drink- any tips on how to force water in her. I moved her to her own coop- the others started picking her- thinking she might not make it- she had no discharge, just some runny green poo, the others seem great?? Not sure what is up with her- feel bad for her- tried to give her vitamine water.

I have given sick/injured hens water via dropper. Just fill the dropper with 1 ml of water (or whatever it will hold), place it on the beak, either front or side but be careful not to get water in the nostrils, and slowly start to squeeze the water out. Some will enter the mouth via the split in upper/lower beak, which can encourage the hen to open her beak and take more water in. I am nursing an injured hen back to health after a horrible hawk attack and administered water with vitamins, electrolytes and antibiotics this way for the first three days. It takes patience and time, and be sure to give her as much as she will take. I gave mine water til they absolutely refused more. Sometimes it was up to 30 ml (30 dropper-fulls) in one sitting. Good luck!