Hen behaving really strangely -- is she about to lay?

[JayDee]

Our Araucana, Blanche, has been really quiet today and is keeping to herself. At one point, she even put her head under her wing for a while.

Her sister (?) -- another lavender Araucana we got at the same time -- laid her first egg this day last week, so I'm wondering if it has anything to do with that? Dorothy also laid her first egg in the run, so I'm expecting the same of Blanche.

She seems to spend a long time -- thirty minutes or so -- standing very still, and then she'll get up, eat a bit and change positions, and stand still again for a while.

I've never seen the others like this... could there be something wrong?

 

[Happy Chooks]

That doesn't sound like close to laying behavior. Is she eating/drinking/pooping normally?

 

[JayDee]

Well, we've had quite a day of it.

After a while, we realised something had to be wrong, so we brought her in for a look and found lice! We've dusted all of them now and I'll get the bedding all changed out tomorrow when they're able to roam in the garden.

Should I dust them again tomorrow too?

Anyway, she seems to have perked up. We brought out some boiled spuds and wheat and corn and she was eating away and drank some water we brough out too. She's still low-energy, but hopefully tomorrow she'll be back to normal. If she's not, I'll bring her in and isolate for a while so I can monitor her poo.

Could lice have caused her to be so down?

 

[Happy Chooks]

Yes, I think it can. Glad you found the issue.

 

[JayDee]

I'm not convinced it is the issue, but I'm going after it. I'll keep up dusting them to keep the lice away, and I'm going to worm them tomorrow too.

I'm not convinced Blanche is going to pull through. She just seems so down. Sometimes she's altogether motionless for a loooong time.