Hen under the weather

[Belden4]

Right now

 

[rebrascora]

Poor girl, she does look very sick. Is she damp still from her bath? Have you given her a calcium supplement? If you are finished the Corid treatment, I would also give her a direct dose of Nutri Drench as that can sometimes help pick them up..


Your egg eating problems may also stem from their diet being too low in protein. Scratch is usually just 8% protein and layer feed is generally 16% protein. By feeding half and half mixed they are only getting about 12% protein which is just not enough. Getting ceramic or wooden eggs will not stop them eating eggs, just like golf balls don't, so don't waste your money. Increasing their protein intake and building roll away nest boxes would be my course of action

 

[rebrascora]

Her eye doesn't look right on that photo. Can you compare it to her other one. Do they look the same/even? Do the pupils look nice and round and not misshapen?

 

[Belden4]

I just gave her 1ml of Nutri-drench! And She's not wet from her bath still, I checked for mites and such, and sprayed her with the solution just as a precautionary measure. I didnt see any. They dont get very much scratch, Like I said.. It's mixed in with their bag of regular food, and they eat the whole trough. We have 2 corner feeders, and a longer one for a wall. All are usually gone between the 20 of them.. Right now the flock has 2 and this one has one of the corner feeders. I Just watched a video that said I needed to remove the bedding that has the yolk and everything. They also get their oyster shell mixture for more calcium, I think that's what it does anyways... They love those.

 

[Belden4]

It must be just how she was sitting and the angle.. her eyes seem the same as the others. And her comb and waddles dont seem all that pale either..

 

[rebrascora]

They dont get very much scratch, Like I said.. It's mixed in with their bag of regular food, and they eat the whole trough. We have 2 corner feeders, and a longer one for a wall. All are usually gone between the 20 of them.. Right now the flock has 2 and this one has one of the corner feeders

So you just give them a set amount of food every day put into the troughs or feeders and they clear it up and the feed is a 50/50 mix of scratch and layer feed? If so, they are still getting far too much scratch to remain healthy long term and unfortunately with liver problems, you don't see any symptoms until it is too late!

 

[micstrachan]

Has she started dropping any feathers? She could also be heading into molt. Did you answer the question about her age?

 

[Belden4]

Shes roughly 6 months, and is not dropping feathers..

 

[coach723]

I kind of do things the same way as @azygous said in post #2, to narrow down the possibilities.
Question: have your birds ever been wormed or had a fecal test to check for them?
When I see droppings like that in my flock it's sometimes secondary infection from worms.
I would continue the Corid and do the full treatment to be safe, it's very unlikely to do any harm. I would also give the amoxicillin that was recommended earlier. If you can get a fecal done, do that. If the amoxicillin helps, mine usually look much better after one or two days (but complete the entire treatment), then I'd consider worming if you haven't.
Giving some calcium would also be a good idea in case it's a laying issue. She's young for reproductive problems, but it's still possible. If she's having trouble passing a softshell egg it may help her pass it.
I agree that the scratch really needs to go. It can cause a lot of health problems for them, and should only be given as an occasional treat. I only give it in the dead of winter and only very occasionally, and only a handful or two. It may or may not be contributing to this hens problems, but long term it's almost guaranteed to cause some problems.