Hen getting picked on

[hannah8]

Alright so i have this Red Sex Link hen and i got her when she was 18 months old along with 23 others. After about four months i noticed her comb was not as deep of a red as her sisters. I had been getting 23/24 eggs a day for the most part. Over the last 8 months or so she has become very fat. She always use to have poop clogged up on her rear feathers and now theres no feathers there and just bare skin. She is the only chicken that wont go outside. When im cleaning the coop i will put her outside and when it gets dark she doesnt come in with the rest of the girl and i put her in by hand. At night she doesnt roost with the rest and just stays on the ground. Lately with the cold weather nobody is goig outside which i think is leading to boredem because she is starting to get her feathers picked out by the rest, any suggestions? I need help. I would prefer not to have to cage her seperatly

 

[cavemanrich]

She is most likely sick. Hard to determine what she is suffering from. Vets possibly can check what is going on but cost is high. Only peeps going that route are those with unlimited financial resources and people raising large numbers of chickens for profit. You don't want to loose your flock of thousands to a disease. I would keep her separate for her good and the rest of flock. She may go to the other side. Some things we just cant control .. WISHING YOU THE BEST OUTCOME.

 

[hannah8]

thanks, although she has been this way for atleast half a year so if something was going to spread to the rest do you think it would have already?

 

[hannah8]

no vets around here that do chickens

 

[cavemanrich]

Her sickness is probably not a contagious type. A good thing. After 6 months , it would have spread if it was. I could be a genetic disorder. ?????? Just let her live out her life and nature take its course. You know that red sexlinks are extremely good laying machines. As well as great eating machines. LOL. One sad item I read is that their lifespan is short. After all that heavy duty egg production, they expire. I read it on a revue of them on this site. Hope this helps you out. I keep chickens as pets only. It is always a SAD TIME when I loose one. Last one lost lived 13 years. Even then it was SAD Only 2 of the 7 I have lay. The rest are on social security. LOL

 

[Mtn Laurel]

Has she ever been wormed or checked for mites and lice? Parasites can do a job on a hen and will make their comb dull and can eventually kill them. Mites and/or lice could be a cause of missing feathers. Check her at night after she's on the roost for mites and lice, especially around her vent. You can take a sample of her droppings to the vet for worm testing, too. Even if the vet doesn't treat birds they can check a sample for worms and tell you what type they are if some are found.

 

[hannah8]

i have checked her many times for lice and mites as i do with all my hens. another thing i forgot to mention is she is the hardest to catch and when i feed them treats by hand she is the most agressive.

 

[azygous]

You mentioned she began getting "very fat" eight months ago. Is the fat by some chance concentrated between her legs? Does it cause her to walk like a penguin, with a wide stance? If so, you could be looking at acites, acute liver disease. An outward symptom is accumulation of fluid in the abdominal region, which feels like a water balloon when you touch it. It can be so pronounced this pouch can almost drag on the ground.

 

[hannah8]

no it doesnt seem like that, shes just all around fat.