Hen laying on side and barely moving.

[Red ridinghood]

Almost one year old black Ameracauna laying on her side yesterday morning. She moves her head around and can basically roll from one side to the other that’s about all she’s doing. I don’t see any lumps on her I don’t see any fleas and mites on her she’s not super skinny. I have no reason to think it would be worms. No other chickens are acting like this (except one who is worse off and was clearly attacked by a rooster, the roosters have been moved to a different pen) What can I do for her and what should I try? Right now she’s in my garage so I can monitor her. She ate a little bit of wet food today. Thanks

 

[micstrachan]

Sorry about this hen. I would make sure she’s in a cozy safe place and find a way to keep her upright… either supported with towels or try some spurts in a chicken sling. Make sure she has feed and water within reach.

You are going to need to examine this hen. Check her carefully for injuries and gently palpate her legs and feet. Feel her crop (food pouch on chest) and check if she has a sharp, pronounced keel bone (breast bone). Look at her vent. Is it clean and not puckering? Feel her abdomen (fluffy area between and behind legs). Does it seem bloated? If you can’t tell, compare her to one of your other chickens.

when did she last lay an egg? Is she open beak breathing?

 

[Red ridinghood]

Sorry about this hen. I would make sure she’s in a cozy safe place and find a way to keep her upright… either supported with towels or try some spurts in a chicken sling. Make sure she has feed and water within reach.

You are going to need to examine this hen. Check her carefully for injuries and gently palpate her legs and feet. Feel her crop (food pouch on chest) and check if she has a sharp, pronounced keel bone (breast bone). Look at her vent. Is it clean and not puckering? Feel her abdomen (fluffy area between and behind legs). Does it seem bloated? If you can’t tell, compare her to one of your other chickens.

when did she last lay an egg? Is she open beak breathing?

She’s breathing normally. She hasn’t started laying eggs yet. I don’t expect her to now until the spring it’s already cold (Washington) everything seemed totally fine but it looks like her vent might be puckered. It also stinks and there’s white crusty stuff. I’m cleaning it off as best I can now. I will better support her so she can sit upright and I’ll give her another round of fresh food and water. And clean her vent again the next day and so on and so forth. Should I put any cream in that area? If this is her problem I don’t think that it is severe yet. That’s based on looking it up online and seeing worst cases.

 

[Banana01]

Sorry that your hen is injured, not much you can do except monitor and hope she improves. It sounds like a similar injury to the rooster attack, maybe a head or neck injury. That may be difficult to diagnose without causing pain. Aspirin is helpful for chickens for pain, i give it for fevers all the time and see positive effects often.

 

[InterestingChickens]

She’s breathing normally. She hasn’t started laying eggs yet. I don’t expect her to now until the spring it’s already cold (Washington) everything seemed totally fine but it looks like her vent might be puckered. It also stinks and there’s white crusty stuff. I’m cleaning it off as best I can now. I will better support her so she can sit upright and I’ll give her another round of fresh food and water. And clean her vent again the next day and so on and so forth. Should I put any cream in that area? If this is her problem I don’t think that it is severe yet. That’s based on looking it up online and seeing worst cases.

Sounds like fly strike. Their are some good articles here on BYC about treating it.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Can you post a picture of her vent?

 

[Red ridinghood]

Can you post a picture of her vent?

Here’s your vent it looks fairly normal there but there was white crusty stuff that I cleaned off last night. Her feet look normal to me. She is mouth breathing a little bit now. When I picked her up she was flapping her wings but she still won’t walk around. I sat her in the grass and she ate some of the grass

 

[Red ridinghood]

So she is now breathing somewhat labored and breathing from her mouth. I don’t think that she is eating or drinking unless I give her vitamin water in a dropper. She really does like that and seems to respond well to that still she’s not super lethargic yet. But she still is not standing up walking around or anything of the sort. I couldn’t get a vet to see her. One was out of town and one didn’t have apts and the other closed too early today and doesn’t work tomorrow. Is there still a chance that she could get better or am I just prolonging her suffering at this point? I really want her to live but I also don’t want her to suffer for multiple days if there’s no chance. I just don’t know what to do. Examining her best I can tell I don’t see or feel anything that’s out of the norm. Thanks for any help.

 

[InterestingChickens]

So she is now breathing somewhat labored and breathing from her mouth. I don’t think that she is eating or drinking unless I give her vitamin water in a dropper. She really does like that and seems to respond well to that still she’s not super lethargic yet. But she still is not standing up walking around or anything of the sort. I couldn’t get a vet to see her. One was out of town and one didn’t have apts and the other closed too early today and doesn’t work tomorrow. Is there still a chance that she could get better or am I just prolonging her suffering at this point? I really want her to live but I also don’t want her to suffer for multiple days if there’s no chance. I just don’t know what to do. Examining her best I can tell I don’t see or feel anything that’s out of the norm. Thanks for any help.

Possible she has some sort of respiratory issue. What type of bedding are you using? Have you checked if she's egg bound?

 

[Red ridinghood]

Possible she has some sort of respiratory issue. What type of bedding are you using? Have you checked if she's egg bound?

The pine flakes from TS. She hasn’t started laying yet. It could be that but I can’t see anything abnormal and can’t feel anything from the outside.