Hen really sluggish with droopy wings ... Help

kezabel

Songster
10 Years
May 1, 2009
811
20
141
Charmhaven - Australia
I just went down this morning to open the coop for my 4 girls and noticed that one of our hens didn't come straight out, Then when she did she was all stumbly and fell over. She sat for about a minute then clumsily got to her feet but now she is walking really slow and her wings are droopy. Usually when I walk up to her she runs away but today she didn't even move I could just pick her up.
Does anyone know what could be wrong with her? Is she egg bound? I felt the vent but I don't know what i'm feeling for.
 
I hope someone can help you. When my duck started acting listless and wouldn't eat, I put Poly Vi Sol (liquid bird vitamins) and organic apple cider vinegar (1 cap for a gallon) in the water bucket. She perked up by the next day. I still don't know if it was coincidence or what, but it worked.

Have to examined her droppings? Is she showing signs of respiratory distress? Any goop around her nostrils? Eyes?
 
No there are no other symtoms, She hasn't been sneezing or doing funny poops,no watery eyes or runny nose. I feed her meal worms the day before yesterday for the first time but i doubt that would do anything to her, Would it? Could she just be half asleep still or cold?
 
Heat exhaustion? Also, check her carefully for mites/lice, etc. They can make a bird anemic quickly.

Really we need more information. Can you feel her keel bone sharply? Is she fat instead? What is she eating, what are her droppings like exactly? Is her crop empty? Where was she kept, did she have access to water (or were their puddles, compost piles, etc?) Any soured food? Is she free range, or cooped? What about the rest of the flock? How old is she and what type - heavy laying, etc? Does she normallly lay and missed one? Does she have access to grit? Mealy worms have a very chitonous coating that, if fed quite a few, can cause problems if the bird doesn't have grit. Can you feel blockage in her crop? Does her throat/crop smell bad, her breath?
 
she is free range she is eating layer pellets, corn and sunflower seeds for scratch. Water is always on hand in their coop and in the yard. Their coop has pine shavings on the floor and under their roost. She wouldn't be able to get the the compost its in a big compost bin. The rest of the hens seem fine. She is aprox 7 months old, she not long started laying. She is a cross breed bantam. Lately we've been getting an egg a day from her but she didn't lay yesterday or today yet. She has access to grit its in two place around the yard.
I will go down and cheak her legs and breathe, what should i be feeling for if she is egg bound? will there be a hard lump near her vent?

She is eating but I noticed she went straight for the grit before she ate anything else.
 
Last edited:

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom