Hen is weak, but eating and drinking.

OptionC

In the Brooder
Jul 17, 2018
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My hen "Miss Moses" is about 3 years old, I believe. Her health seemed to take a dive around the time it got cold, so I've been keeping her in the house during the colder times of the day.

It's been a several days since she stopped walking around much.

She's still alert, but she stays sitting for almost the entire day. She can still walk slowly, but she's not running and strong. Her poop seems normal, albeit quite watery, since she's been drinking a fair bit.

I put a mixture of vitamins and electrolytes in her water. I've been feeding her a variety of foods including eggs, layer pellets, a few peanuts, and grass and garden weeds that chickens eat. I've yet to see improvement in her health.

She hasn't been laying for a while, but she eats enough, and hasn't lost much weight. Though her comb and wattles still have an okay color, they're smaller than when she was healthier.

Is there any medicine or special food that I should giving her, or anything else I should be doing?
 
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I would suspect that she might have a possible reproductive disorder, such as internal laying, egg yolk peritonitis, salpingitis, or ascites. She may have become more sick due to the cold weather causing stress. The pale and shriveled comb can be common in some hens when they are not laying, and in the shorter daylight hours of winter. I would insert a finger into her vent to just check for a stuck egg. Feel of her breast muscle for weight loss, and feel her lower belly for fullness or swelling. Feel of her crop as well, in early morning before she has eaten and drunk anything, to make sure that the crop is emptying normally. Then feel of it in the late afternoon to make sure she is eating. Here are a couple of articles you may like to read:
http://www.theveterinaryexpert.com/backyard-poultry/egg-yolk-peritonitis/

http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/egg-peritonitis
 

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