Hen with tail down update

[kellysmall87]

A few months ago, I posted about my hen. I bought her from someone I knew. I got her home and saw that she was riddled with mites, she stank to high heaven of infection and her tail was down. I cleared up her mite problem and then fed her various things like pain relief concoction I made and wormed her etc. She picked up, started eating normally and the smell went. But she still has her tail down. I took her to a vet who prescribed anti-inflamitaries and antibiotics and said that she may have infected ovaries. She has had all of the treatment and STILL her tail is inbetween her legs. Any other thoughts? She is laying normally although the eggs are porous and the shells are nobbly in places. She is being mated with, although I don't know how successful the roo is if her tail is down, and she is eating and drinking normally. She takes to sticking with the chicks of the flock, so I take it she is quite low in the pecking order.

So, any other thoughts? Broken tail bone? I don't fancy taking her back to the vet for another vet bill!!

 

[AmberRex]

If her tail is still down, it could be broken but I would hedge my bets that it isn't. Sometimes they just feel a bit down after things like that. Are you certain that she has no worms/mites/lice etc. anymore? Just a thought. If she is laying ok, eating ok, drinking ok and appears relatively happy then I wouldn't worry about it too much. I'm not ruling out a broken tail bone but I would be optimistic

 

[kellysmall87]

Yeah I check regularly for mites and she has none. The vet checked her poop for worms and she had none so the worming treatment that I use definitely works. The smell has gone so I take it that the infection has gone. She's eating, drinking, co-operating as part of the flock, mating and stooping when I go near so she is willing, and she is laying. So it's quite a mystery!
One thing I have learned about chickens is that they get very traumatised by the slightest of things, and she was VERY ill, so maybe she is still feeling down. I will check the tailbone tomorrow, although I don't really know what I'm checking for, break-wise.

 

[realsis]

it might just take awhile for her to fully heal. I'd give her some time but keep a close watch on her. making sure nothing changes for the worse. is she getting pecked on at all? that could make her hold her tail down? likely it's just she's still healing from being ill. it might take some time

 

[kellysmall87]

Sometimes she gets bullied, so she tends to hang out with the young chicks from this years hatch. I think she is low in the pecking order for sure. Animals don't like weakness, do they?!

 

[AmberRex]

After a trauma quite often chickens just get like depressed and go into themselves... I wonder if it is a form of self healing like hibernation or whether they just aren't able to cope mentally with trauma....we will probably never know, but whatever it is quite often it works!

 

[kellysmall87]

Thanks for replies, I hope she picks up soon! She is such a pretty chicken, but looks quite funny with her tail inbetween her legs

 

[a881e]

Mine had its tail down after being the sole survivor of a fox attack. I got her some Freinds of 2 pepper pots and she has it up now. I figured it was because she was feeling bad because of what happened.

 

[kellysmall87]

Mine had its tail down after being the sole survivor of a fox attack. I got her some Freinds of 2 pepper pots and she has it up now. I figured it was because she was feeling bad because of what happened.

Aww. glad she is ok now!
I wonder how I could make her better! I have tried everything. Shall I pen her with her friends away from the cockerel? Being mated with while you're being ill can't make you feel any better! Or doe the interaction of the flock help her? Im just at a loss lol.

 

[casportpony]

Get some gloves, KY Jelly and very gently check inside her vent for an egg or mass.