Hen has been acting lethargic for a while...

[The Chick Addict]

Hello,

I have a Light Brahma hen who is 3 years old, will be 4 years in March. She's always been very heavy which is normal for herself and her breed, but recently I noticed her become lethargic. She's always loved to scratch around and eat a lot, and she was very lively. But now she only drinks small amounts of water, and I haven't seen her eat by herself at all. She'll still walk around, but she now lays down a lot, and today she had more of that lethargic position, with her eyes tending to close. I've listened to her heart, sounds fine, no water belly, no injuries. But she has lost a LOT of weight and she barely weighs anything, so from Friday to Sunday I gave her de-wormer as directed because I figured that must be what is causing it. But so far no improvement... tonight I brought her inside and gave her a mixture of bread, water, molasses, and kefir and I hope that'll help her hold out for a little while. Does anyone have ANY other ideas as to what this could be? I noticed her lethargy began around 2 weeks ago. I really want to see her lively old self again, so any advice or thoughts is greatly appreciated!!!

 

[The Chick Addict]

@Wyorp Rock
@Eggcessive

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hello,

I have a Light Brahma hen who is 3 years old, will be 4 years in March. She's always been very heavy which is normal for herself and her breed, but recently I noticed her become lethargic. She's always loved to scratch around and eat a lot, and she was very lively. But now she only drinks small amounts of water, and I haven't seen her eat by herself at all. She'll still walk around, but she now lays down a lot, and today she had more of that lethargic position, with her eyes tending to close. I've listened to her heart, sounds fine, no water belly, no injuries. But she has lost a LOT of weight and she barely weighs anything, so from Friday to Sunday I gave her de-wormer as directed because I figured that must be what is causing it. But so far no improvement... tonight I brought her inside and gave her a mixture of bread, water, molasses, and kefir and I hope that'll help her hold out for a little while. Does anyone have ANY other ideas as to what this could be? I noticed her lethargy began around 2 weeks ago. I really want to see her lively old self again, so any advice or thoughts is greatly appreciated!!!

I'm sorry she's not doing well.

When was her last egg?

If she's not laid an egg and should have, I'd give her 300mg Calcium Citrate+D3 once daily for a week to see if she's able to expel anything.

Work on hydration and her eating her normal feed. Molasses may make for loose poop, so go a little easy on that.

Is her crop emptying overnight? Any lice/mites?

It could be that she's starting to have some reproductive issues, it can be hard to know. It sounds like you are working on all the basics with deworming, eating, etc.

 

[The Chick Addict]

I'm sorry she's not doing well.

Thank you!

When was her last egg?

She hasn't laid frequently in a while, if I'm thinking correctly maybe around 2 months ago, 3 or more at most.

If she's not laid an egg and should have, I'd give her 300mg Calcium Citrate+D3 once daily for a week to see if she's able to expel anything.

If she hasn't been laying for a while but still showing signs of health, should I still administer it to her?

Work on hydration and her eating her normal feed. Molasses may make for loose poop, so go a little easy on that.

I've been having to force-feed her by syringe, that's how unwell she's been doing. Should I water down her normal layer feed and add it to the mixture I've made for her? Okay, thank you for letting me about the molasses!

Is her crop emptying overnight?

It is!

Any lice/mites?

When I first brought her in I noticed some little gnats that like to bother my chickens sometimes, but so far haven't seen any external parasites.

It could be that she's starting to have some reproductive issues, it can be hard to know. It sounds like you are working on all the basics with deworming, eating, etc.

Okay, I will continue keeping an eye on her. At this point I'm afraid she might not make it for very long... do you have any other advice on how I could help her get better? If not that's okay, thank you so much for the advice you have given me so far!