Hen with pale droopy comb, thin and panting! Help!

HeyChickchicks

In the Brooder
Nov 10, 2016
7
1
19
Westchester County NY
I just noticed that my 1 yo RIR has a very pale and droopy comb. She also has her beak open and her wings away from her body. She's been eating and drinking, as well as foraging and otherwise acting normally. Her body feels very thin. Her crop feels empty. I don't think she's been laying for the past week. I don't feel any egg in there, but I don't really know what to feel for. I thought maybe it was due to the heat or moulting. My other hens are doing fine and look great.

They have plenty of cool water and layer crumbles. I use pine shavings in the house and a mixture of mulch, wood chips and sand over bare ground. I keep everything nice and clean, with sprinkles of barn lime and sweet pdz. I also give them powder probiotic in their crumbles and Ropa Poultry Oregano Oil in their water.

What could be wrong? We're all very upset because she really does not look good, and plus she's gotten really thin. We don't want to lose her!
IMG_8257.JPG
 
I'm sorry she is giving your trouble.
Have you ever had her poop tested by a vet?
It's a cheap test.

Check her crop at night time.
If is is empty then she is not eating enough.
 
I haven't had her poop tested yet. It's July 4th and no one is open so I was hoping to find out some things I can do in the meantime. Her poop looks normal and I couldn't tell if there's any worms. I will feel her crop tonight. Thank you for the advice!
IMG_8258.JPG
 
I second the previous advice to get the fecal tested when you can. Easiest thing to rule in or out is parasites. Thinness could be parasites, or not eating enough, so finding that out is important too, so check her crop at night it should be full, and 1st thing in the morning before she feeds it should be empty.
Also a good idea to check for lice and mites anytime you have a bird looking off, as that can weaken them.
It could be the heat, if it's hot where you are, the panting and wings held out indicate she's too warm. Some birds just tolerate heat better than others, but also could be a underlying health issue making her more susceptible to the heat. Often when heat is an issue you will see runny/watery droppings from increased water consumption.
You can add frozen water bottles to waterers to help if it's hot. I also put frozen jugs in front of a box fan for primitive air conditioning when it's super hot.
If it's not those, and she was laying and has stopped, again could be heat, but also could be an indication of a reproductive issue such as internal laying or salpingitis, so I would monitor her for laying also, and check her abdomen for any swelling or fluid build up. It will feel kind of water balloon like in the lower abdomen below the vent. You can check for egg binding by inserting a gloved finger into her vent about 1 -2 inches and you will feel the egg there if that is the case. Hope you can narrow it down and figure out what's going on with her.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom