Hen hunched and sleepy

[chickynicki]

I have 4 isa brown chooks. But over the past few days we have only been getting 3 eggs in the morning.
I noticed this morning one of my chickens is very slow. She sat on the perch when normally all the chooks are eager to get out. She's not moving much and isn't eating or drinking. She has poop on her bum feathers. It looks like normal poop but her feathers are never normally messy.
She's pulled her head in and is standing hunched. She keeps closing her eyes and looks as if she's falling asleep.
I thought she might be egg bound so I felt for an egg but couldn't feel anything. I still put her in warm water and then after nothing happened, I held her vent over a steaming bowl of water . But again nothing happened.
She's still acting strange and is hunched and sleepy.
Does anyone know what might be wrong with her? I'm worried

 

[teach1rusl]

Any update on your girl?

Hunched over with a messy bum obviously means she's unwell, but sometimes it's hard to figure out what's ailing them. It could be an actual illness, it could be that she's trying to work out a jello egg, it could be that she's egg bound... It's difficult to pin point what it might be.

Is her vent pulsing, as if trying to expel something??? If egg bound, soaking in a nice warm sink bath can help - after she's dried off, lubricate her vent area and keep her in a warm, darkish area.

Keeping her contained also allows you to monitor whether she's eating, drinking, and pooing....

 

[Eggcessive]

It sounds like it could possibly be coccidiosis, even though she is a little older. Corid or amprollium is the treatment. I would also worm her with Valbazen or SafeGuard in case it is worms.

 

[chickynicki]

She's looking a little better today. She's still got her head pulled in and is only moving a little. I've tried soaking her in warm water an also rubbing baby oil on her vent once it dried and still nothing today.
She is pulsing as if trying to push something out. Still can't feel an egg though.
Although the feathers around her bum are looking scraggy. Not sure if that's from them being wet or what but they're not as fluffy anymore.
She's been more lively today but every now and then she'll move into a corner or bush and just put her head into the corner and stand there.
I've read thy sometimes of they're ill they're comb and other red areas go pale but hers are still quite bright.
Eggcessive I'm from australia would you happen to know if those reasons are possible here?

 

[teach1rusl]

Most birds will look this way when they're not feeling well. It really comes down to learning your birds and just ruling things out.

I've had birds act very sick like this for a few days when going through a really hard molt...trying to get an egg out...trying to pass a jello egg...trying to pass a shelless egg, one case of internal laying (there was nothing I could do in that case), and a couple of other issues (some of which I had to put the bird down). Knock on wood, but I've never had a bird sick due to worms or coccidia.

So you may be down to ruling things out...it can't hurt to try worming or treating for coccidia - that would rule one issue out.

I do have a girl who is a chronic soft shell egg layer, and she always hunches up for a day or two whenever she's trying to expel one of those - I suppose since the egg is jello-like, the egg tract has nothing to push against to force it through the tubing, so it takes a long time???

If it's an internal laying issue, there's not much you can do...

If you're not feeling something roundish and hard bulging back under/around her vent area, I doubt she's egg bound.

I'm sorry - I know it's hard dealing with the unknown. I wish chickens were as easy to read as dog/cat ailments... Crossing my fingers for a good outcome for your girl.

 

[enola]

I agree with the coccidia comment from eggcessive. Have you concidered treating for coccidia? Have you checked her body condition? Is her breast plump? Is your hen eating and drinking this morning? Have you wormed your hen? If you have wormed, what wormer did you use?

 

[Eggcessive]

I have seen very sick birds with fever, dying, have bright red combs and faces. I would recommend that you treat for possible capillaria worms with either Wormout Gel or Levamisole--those are the better wormers available in Australia. Then I would also start treatment for possible coccidiosis with either Baycox (toltrazuril) for 2 days or with Amprollium 200 for 5 days. If you want to take a few days break between them to see how she is tolerating the worming, and to see if there is improvement, but I wouldn't wait to worm her.

 

[azygous]

Right. Cherry-red facial tissue and comb and wattles signify a terminally sick bird. A pale, washed out pink color may only mean infertility or maybe a slightly run-down condition. Normal chicken facial tissue is a dusty red color.

I recently lost my rooster to avian leukemia and his face and comb were a startling shade of cherry-red right before he succumbed to breathing problems, in which case, his color then went from cherry-red to bluish-grey. At that point, I euthanized him. I'm glad I sent his body to the lab for a necropsy and learned what had made him so ill.