- Dec 24, 2013
- 4
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Hello all,
It is Christmas Eve and I am worried about my dear, beloved lavender orpington hen, Agnes! I have been noticing her acting lethargic and solitary the past few days, with no appetite, more napping than usual. She wasn't touching scratch or pellets/crumble... only pecking at the dirt and grass half-heartedly. She is seeming to lose weight. Her comb and wattle have gone pale, and she's lost her spunk. She looks wobbly on her legs, is too easy to catch, and when I set her down collapses onto the ground. She was slow to come out of the hen house today, which is very unusual - usually she is top dog. She has also had a dark/bright green diarrhea streaked on her bottom, with some dried on green droppings dangling. Twice I brought her into the house for a warm bath, concerned that it could be a stuck egg (she has never started laying... is about 8 months old and usually a very large, strong hed). I isolated her and got her to eat a tiny bit of egg + shell + yogurt 2 days ago, and since then she won't eat anything. I finally brought her into the house tonight and tried giving her her favorite... a strawberry with some cooked egg. She wouldn't even taste it. I am so worried about her. I saw a youtube video about massaging the crop and vomiting the chicken, in case something is wrong with the crop. I did that to her and black liquid vomit dripped from her mouth - it was very foul smelling. I turned her right side up and poured some water + ACV over her beak to get her to drink some liquid. I'm concerned that she could be dehydrated, as I haven't seen her drink. I currently have her in a cage in the house where she is resting listlessly on a towel, under a heatlamp. I'm guessing that the foul odor means that she has sour crop? Is there anything else that I can do for her? I can't find anything about black liquid dripping vomit... has anyone seen that before? Is it something more serious than sour crop? I am so worried about her... hoping to get some advice for other more seasoned hen friends. More info: she is part of an original flock of 5 pullets, and I added 2 younger pullets about 2 weeks ago... they've adjusted pretty easily. The flock goes out early in the AM and free range in the yard (Sonoma County, Northern CA) all day, and also have access to a protected run and their hen house (which I clean almost daily). They eat fresh greens from the garden, grass, and get a mix of organic crumble/pellets + veggies scraps + a few handfuls of "treats" like scratch and seeds each day. They have access to plenty of clean water from multiple sources. Is there something that I did that caused this? All of the other chickens seem healthy and fine, though do seem to be acting protectively towards her. I found her in the hen house in the corner, surrounded by the other hens. I think we are all very worried. Hoping she will recover! What can I do??
It is Christmas Eve and I am worried about my dear, beloved lavender orpington hen, Agnes! I have been noticing her acting lethargic and solitary the past few days, with no appetite, more napping than usual. She wasn't touching scratch or pellets/crumble... only pecking at the dirt and grass half-heartedly. She is seeming to lose weight. Her comb and wattle have gone pale, and she's lost her spunk. She looks wobbly on her legs, is too easy to catch, and when I set her down collapses onto the ground. She was slow to come out of the hen house today, which is very unusual - usually she is top dog. She has also had a dark/bright green diarrhea streaked on her bottom, with some dried on green droppings dangling. Twice I brought her into the house for a warm bath, concerned that it could be a stuck egg (she has never started laying... is about 8 months old and usually a very large, strong hed). I isolated her and got her to eat a tiny bit of egg + shell + yogurt 2 days ago, and since then she won't eat anything. I finally brought her into the house tonight and tried giving her her favorite... a strawberry with some cooked egg. She wouldn't even taste it. I am so worried about her. I saw a youtube video about massaging the crop and vomiting the chicken, in case something is wrong with the crop. I did that to her and black liquid vomit dripped from her mouth - it was very foul smelling. I turned her right side up and poured some water + ACV over her beak to get her to drink some liquid. I'm concerned that she could be dehydrated, as I haven't seen her drink. I currently have her in a cage in the house where she is resting listlessly on a towel, under a heatlamp. I'm guessing that the foul odor means that she has sour crop? Is there anything else that I can do for her? I can't find anything about black liquid dripping vomit... has anyone seen that before? Is it something more serious than sour crop? I am so worried about her... hoping to get some advice for other more seasoned hen friends. More info: she is part of an original flock of 5 pullets, and I added 2 younger pullets about 2 weeks ago... they've adjusted pretty easily. The flock goes out early in the AM and free range in the yard (Sonoma County, Northern CA) all day, and also have access to a protected run and their hen house (which I clean almost daily). They eat fresh greens from the garden, grass, and get a mix of organic crumble/pellets + veggies scraps + a few handfuls of "treats" like scratch and seeds each day. They have access to plenty of clean water from multiple sources. Is there something that I did that caused this? All of the other chickens seem healthy and fine, though do seem to be acting protectively towards her. I found her in the hen house in the corner, surrounded by the other hens. I think we are all very worried. Hoping she will recover! What can I do??
