Hen has become inactive

[OB OBrien]

My Rhode Island Red became inactive yesterday. We bought her on Feb 15th. She just started laying in the last month or so. . She is sluggish or lethargic, not eating or drinking. Just standing there under the coop.
I think she stood there all night as I found her in the same place this morning right after sunrise. Don't know if she went up into the coop at sunset where the roosts are or not. She moved when we got after her. We caught her in the fishing net and moved her out to the garden with the rest of the small flock. She continued to just stand there. Moved her into the house into a large dog cage, here in my office. She is still just standing there. Gave her some water and laying pellets. She drank a little and I couldn't see where she ate any of the pellets. Her poop is yellow and sort of runny. Her comb is erect and colorful. Eyes clear and reacts to movement around her, but she just stands there like a statute.

So whats wrong with my chicken. The others are fine.

Thanks
OB

 

[song of joy]

It sounds like she may be egg-bound or an internal layer. When did she last lay an egg? The first condition is more common with pullets and the later condition is more common with 2+ year old hens, especially high-egg-production breeds. My 2 year old RIR became an internal layer, and we had to put her down because of it.
The first condition (egg-bound) is treatable if you catch it soon enough. The later condition (internal layer) is usually fatal, with the hen deteriorating over weeks or months from a build-up of eggs within the body cavity and the associated symptoms.

For egg-bound hens, you can place her bottom in a dishpan of warm water. Sometimes this helps to ease the egg out. If that doesn't work, the egg can sometimes be eased out using latex gloves and KY jelly. You DON'T want to break the egg inside her, as the broken shell can cause internal damage.

I'd put her in a separate pen, coop or large cage where you can observe her and monitor food intake, water intake, egg laying and poop amount/condition.

Forgot to mention - Sometimes the yellow runny "poop" is actually egg material coming from the vent.

 

[Folly's place]

She's really ill, and the problem isn't obvious. Sick chickens act like---sick chickens-- so any guess might be right. Isolate her with food and water, take her to the vet, or wait it out. So sorry! Your state vet lab can do a necropsy if it comes to that. Mary

 

[azygous]

You might get more advice if you cross posted this on the Emergencies forum.

But for starters, you could try to do an exam. Feel her crop. Is it empty? Or is there a small, hard lump in it? On the other hand, is it full, maybe soft and squishy? If it's the first, it could be she has impacted crop. If it's the second, she may have a yeast infection in her crop, called sour crop.

Or, as the previous poster suggested, she may be egg bound. A long, warm soak might relax her so she can pass the egg. It could take up to two days before she does.

There are hundreds of things that can make a chicken sick. Only a visit to an avian vet is going to nail it down.

 

[OB OBrien]

She's in a separate cage and has for the last couple of days just stood there. Not any activity. Have noticed some drinking but not much. Shows no interest in laying pellets, greens, cabbage leaves or anything else. Not pooping and no eggs have been passed. We gave her an olive oil enema. Looks like she just wants to sleep. When we get close and speak to her she opens her eyes than closes them like she's going back to sleep. She's not looking good. The local vet has a examination fee of $50.00. I'm not going to pay that out. I'll just go get another layer for $15.00.

 

[chickengirl28]

Mix paracetamol or co codamol with sugar in the
water hopefully this will help