Hen Won't Eat! D:

[Coins]

Hi! I'm new, and I have a problem.
My parents and I have a really tiny backyard flock consisting of a rooster and four hens. Since Saturday, I've noticed one of the hens laying down a lot while the others are free ranging around her. On Monday, she didn't come out of the coop with the rest of the chickens. I thought she might me egg bound, so I took her inside, gave her some tums, and soaked her in warm water. But nothing's changed.

I don't think she's egg bound now, because she's pooping. Her poop is a little runny, but otherwise seems fine. I went to check if there was an egg inside of her today, but there was only a weird lump inside. You can feel the lump from the outside too. I just can't figure out what's wrong with her.


Here are some things you might need to know about the hen.

-She's about a year old
-She's some sort of Red Sex Link. Looks most like a Cinnamon Queen
-She has never laid an egg
-Her comb is bright red
-She doesn't look like she's trying to push out an egg
-Her vent is not swollen
-She doesn't want to walk
-She's not acting broody
-We took her and another hen that looks like her from someone who didn't want them anymore
-The other hen has been laying with no problem since we got her

Can any of you help? She's my favorite chicken and I would really like to know what I can do to help her. (If I can help her.)

P.S. I'm not too familiar with chicken-related abbreviations, conditions/illnesses, or anatomy. So in other words, I'm a total newbie to the more technical stuff.

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. It's possible that she has a tumor or maybe a shell-less egg in there. Was the lump you felt hard or soft, smooth or irregular-shaped? How does her crop feel? I'm not sure if there was a gizzard impaction if you would feel that when squeezing her abdomen or not. With a gizzard impaction the crop can be empty, and they may not eat, and also may be very inactive. Wish I could be of more help.

 

[Eggcessive]

How long have you had her? Coccidiosis could be a problem if she has recently come to you, or if a new bird has been added if she has been exposed to a new strain of cocci that she isn't immune to. Corid (amprollium) or Ampromed is the treatment for 5 days, and everyone should be treated if you think that is the problem. Dosage is 1.5 tsp of the powder (or 2 tsp of the liquid) to a gallon of water. Here is a link for parts of a hen and rooster: http://www.extension.org/pages/6535...mall-or-backyard-flocks:-chicken#.U0X82_ldVWM and here is a good picture of chicken anatomy:

 

[Coins]

The lump felt firm and smooth. Her crop is soft and seems to have water in it.

 

[Coins]

We've had her since October or November, and none of the other chickens are having problems.

 

[Coins]

She's stopped eating chicken feed and is still sitting. Right now she refuses to eat anything besides breakfast cereal and water. Is that normal? Also, the lump has gone down a little bit.