Hen is completely not herself....

[LadyFish19]

Hello! I have a little bit of a stressful situation and I really hope you can help me! I have a 9 month old hen. Still not sure what breed she is. She is one of my more skittish hens. If you touch her or pick her up she has a mini heart attack. Well last night and tonight she is acting very strange! She is acting very... slow? Lethargic I guess is a good word. And not vocal at all! But she is panting a bit, you can see her body move while she breathes. And her crop was empty last night and tonight. Like nothing in it at all.... So I don't know if she is eating or drinking. I cornered her and kept the other hens away from her and gave her a handful of cracked corn. After a while she very slowly starting eating. But she didn't eat very much. I checked her vent and saw a little bit of droppings stuck to her feathers but it doesn't look like something alarming. And I have no idea how to check if she is eggbound... Help? I don't want to lose her... Any advice would be amazing!

 

[Minchi]

The breathing make me wonder if it is a respiratory illness. I would isolate her from the others first then get her some duramycin mixed in with her water and a little sugar for the stress. Next I would get some Greek yogurt (not honey) and mix it with her food for her to eat, the yogurt will soften the food a bit and is good for her. I also might scramble some eggs for her to eat. The duramycin should be given to her for 7 - 14 days and you can not eat her eggs until 7 days after she has stopped drinking it. You also might put some apple cider vinegar in the water as well. To cover your bases you might give her some pumpkin if you can fined it since it is a natural dewormer, I don't think it is it but can not hurt, and see should see it as a treat.

 

[ChicknsRock]

Open the chicken's mouth and inspect for any flem or bad odor. If there's no presence of flem or bad odor, and the vent is clean and not smelly, she doesn't have any disease. Do you have any roosters that may have mounted her and injured her?

 

[LadyFish19]

I can definitely do the duramycin and the treats Minchi! Thank you! Does it tell you how much to put it in the water? =) And will it hurt her if she doesn't have a respiratory illness? I will check her mouth and vent to see if there is anything wrong, ChicknsRock! Yes, I have two roosters. A bantam who can't get a hold of any hen, and a pretty big one that definitely takes advantage of his ladies. I checked her over for any wounds or anything and couldn't find anything except a small mark on her comb. =/

 

[Eggcessive]

Hello! I have a little bit of a stressful situation and I really hope you can help me! I have a 9 month old hen. Still not sure what breed she is. She is one of my more skittish hens. If you touch her or pick her up she has a mini heart attack. Well last night and tonight she is acting very strange! She is acting very... slow? Lethargic I guess is a good word. And not vocal at all! But she is panting a bit, you can see her body move while she breathes. And her crop was empty last night and tonight. Like nothing in it at all.... So I don't know if she is eating or drinking. I cornered her and kept the other hens away from her and gave her a handful of cracked corn. After a while she very slowly starting eating. But she didn't eat very much. I checked her vent and saw a little bit of droppings stuck to her feathers but it doesn't look like something alarming. And I have no idea how to check if she is eggbound... Help? I don't want to lose her... Any advice would be amazing!

To check her for egg binding you need to insert a lubricated finger (with a glove on it or not) into the vent an inch or more to gently feel for an egg while feeling her abdomen with the other hand. If the is an egg, place her in a warm bath up to her wings for 30 minutes. You can massage her to try to get her to pass the egg. A dose of calcium at the same time is necessary to help pass the egg (a crushed Tums, 1/2 a calcium tablet, crushed egg shells, etc.) Dry her with a towel and a hairdryer, and keep her inside overnight.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is a link about egg binding: http://www.avianweb.com/eggbinding.html
Other causes for being lethargic could be worms, mites (check her skin all over especially under the vent and around neck,) and coccidiosis. Here is another link: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/12/coccidiosis-what-backyard-chicken.html

 

[Eggcessive]

I would not give antibiotics unless I knew what I was treating. The panting can be a sign of egg binding. Here is another link on it: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/07/chicken-egg-binding-causes-symptoms.html

 

[Minchi]

I would not give antibiotics unless I knew what I was treating. The panting can be a sign of egg binding. Here is another link on it: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/07/chicken-egg-binding-causes-symptoms.html

I would check for the egg binding, but if you do see mucus or her breathing becomes louder or labored then I would deferentially do the duramycin. The packaging will tell you but it is between 200 - 400 MG per gallon. That is the low dose.

 

[LadyFish19]

I will check for eggbinding tonight. If she is, I hope just a warm bath will help her get it to pass. And yes, if something smells wrong I will start the meds. I feel bad that I didn't ask last night and waited until now. =/

 

[ten chicks]

Something is very wrong if she is not eating,if her crop is empty she is not eating. Has she been able to poop? With egg binding their poop is watery or none at all,as egg binding interferes with their ability to poop.


Definitely do the cloacal exam as Eggcessive suggested,i too would be reluctant to treat with antibiotics,until i had some indication of what i was treating for. Do the cloacal exam/warm water soaks ASAP,as her panting indicates she is in distress.