Hen constantly laying down, sleeping (Please help!)

ChickenHam

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6 Years
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Today I noticed that my hen was constantly laying down and sleeping. She can stand up, as well as walk. She walks slow and sluggish, however. She doesn't drink on her own (I have to use a syringe to pour it into her beak) and she will eat when hand-fed. Her crop feels empty, like she hasn't eaten. She doesn't seem to react when I walk up to her, she just keeps laying down. Usually she'll at least stand up. She feels a bit lighter than usual when I pick her up. Also, she has some feces stuck to the feathers near her vent. Any ideas of what's wrong and how I can cure her? Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
 
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Welcome to BYC. How old is she? Many things can have the symptoms of your hen, so you may need to check one thing at a time. If there is a blockage in the gizzard, there can be a sudden weight loss with green diarrhea, and the crop could be empty or puffy with air. Worms and coccidiosis come to mind, but cocci is usually seen in chickens under 20 week old unless they are exposed to a strain they aren't immune to, as when a new chicken is brought in or the hen herself was recently added. Cocci is treated with Corid or amprollium. I would worm her now with fenbendazole (SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer or Equine Paste, or Valbazen 1/2 ml by mouth and repeat in 10 days. Severe mite infestation could cause some of her symptoms, so be sure to check for that, and dust if needed. If she is older she could have egg yolk peritonitis or internal laying. Is her lower abdomen swollen or appear to have fluid in it? Is she laying at all? She won't last long without eating, so tube feeding her may be something you want to try. Here is a link about peritonitis and one for tube feeding:
http://www.chickenvet.co.uk/health-and-common-diseases/egg-laying-issues/index.aspx
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/805728/go-team-tube-feeding
 

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