Hen toppling over on her chest

[ladywolfe]

Hi ya'll i have a question my hen was fine yesterday and today she want stand and when she does she falls forward. She's about 3 to 4 months old and was in a pen with 2 boys and i think one has been mean and jumped on her and hurt her somehow. I have have had this happen to 2 other hens but didn't connect the dots till now. I have separated her but was wondering if any one else has had this problem and what kind of injury am i looking for? Please help.

thanks, ladywolfe

 

[purpletree23]

Look for all signs of injury and get back to us. Is she eating and pooping. Is her comb nice and red? Are her feathers shiny etc. Are her eyes clear and bright? What does her diet consist of?

 

[ladywolfe]

I don't see any injury to her really but she hasn't eaten anything including an egg that we boiled just for her. She has pooped once and it looks normal, she's alert , eyes bright, and feathers are shiny. Her comb looks to be pink but she's not laying eggs yet she's still to young. any more questions i'll try to answer.

Thanks
ladywolfe

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
Well I think you're on to something as that she's in with two guys, and they really are rough. If not injury, the 'harrassing' that they will do can cause stress, and stress causes lowered immune systems. And in the summer, stress can cause dehydration, weakness, etc.

First thing I would do would be check her carefully for parasites all over - very closely, paying particular attention to where the feathers meet the skin. Always rule that out any time a hen doesn't stand straight up.

Second, you didn't mention feed and I don't think this is a feeding issue, but if she's not on a grower, please do use one as it'll give her full nutrition for growing.

I suspect (without any more information) that she has just been harrassed and mounted in the heat and is just down. I would keep her up apart from the boys for 2 days and allow her to catch up on her feed. I would treat her water with electrolytes, or vitamins/electrolytes for poultry. I would try to tempt her to eat with damp mashes. If she doesn't, give her some electrolyte water (that can even be gatorade or pedialyte for a night) mixed with the egg (boiled yolk breaks down best for emergencies) and a little honey/syrup/karo and dribble that into her beak for some energy. Hopefully tomorrow she'll eat. If so, feed her free choice crumbles, a once-a-day damp mash (water, crumbles, egg if you have it, yogurt would help, use the electrolyte water) til she gains strength.

While she's up, monitor her droppings just in case. Let us know how they appear.

Is she the only gal or one of five or less hens in with the two boys? If so, I'd probably just keep her separate. Boys will literally harrass a hen to death. If the boys have spurs, I'd check every inch of her skin for punctures. If you see one, clean thoroughly and put a little neosporin on it. Birds hide punctures VERY well under their feathers, so look carefully on her sides etc.