I think my hen is lethargic! PLEASE HELP!!

[Marlene Bravo]

Yesterday morning I noticed my hen was acting strange. All my other hens ran to me in excitement except one she walked slowly to me. So I decided to keep an eye on her and brought her inside. She is not eating anything wont drink much of anything. She wouldn’t won’t move, or walk. She stands in the same spot i leave her and she will eventually sit and not move at all then. Her eyes keep on closing and her beak keeps opening. I keep trying to give her water and she drinks a little bit. I also soaked some bread in water and she ate a few tiny pieces. She’s going onto her second day and I see her much worse today. She didn’t even go out this morning and just stayed in her coop I had to bring her out. What can I do to help her. Ive had her since she was born which is a little over 2 years now. I love my hens so much and want her to get better.

 

[dawg53]

It could be that she may be eggbound, have external parasites, internal parasites or any combination of these.
When was the last time she laid an egg?
Inspect her thoroughly for lice/mites, especially around the vent area.
When was the last time you wormed her and your other birds?

 

[Marlene Bravo]

It could be that she may be eggbound, have external parasites, internal parasites or any combination of these.
When was the last time she laid an egg?
Inspect her thoroughly for lice/mites, especially around the vent area.
When was the last time you wormed her and your other birds?

I can’t really remember the last time she laid. Maybe 3-4 days ago. She was recently broody and started laying a week after that regularly. Also forgot to mention she was inside the house a week ago and accidentally swallowed a piece of hair could that be a problem. She is now having a hard time breathing. She has her beak open as she breathes. And she also is drinking lots of water now. We’ve never wormed any of our hens.

 

[Marlene Bravo]

I can’t really remember the last time she laid. Maybe 3-4 days ago. She was recently broody and started laying a week after that regularly. Also forgot to mention she was inside the house a week ago and accidentally swallowed a piece of hair could that be a problem. She is now having a hard time breathing. She has her beak open as she breathes. And she also is drinking lots of water now. We’ve never wormed any of our hens.

Also when she breathes you can hear a noice like a wheezing sound.

 

[dawg53]

I can’t really remember the last time she laid. Maybe 3-4 days ago. She was recently broody and started laying a week after that regularly. Also forgot to mention she was inside the house a week ago and accidentally swallowed a piece of hair could that be a problem. She is now having a hard time breathing. She has her beak open as she breathes. And she also is drinking lots of water now. We’ve never wormed any of our hens.

When was the last time she pooped and what did it look like?

 

[Marlene Bravo]

When was the last time she pooped and what did it look like?

She has been inside the house for 3 hours today and hasn’t pooped at all. Yesterday I watched her all day and only pooped twice. It mostly looks white with a dark brown and mushy

 

[dawg53]

Tough call. She might be eggbound. Go ahead and put her in a container of warm water up to her sides. The warm water will relax her as well as her innards and expand them at the same time. While she's soaking, gently massage her underside front to rear with your hand. This will encourage her to move the a egg along. Do this for about 20 minutes.
Then put a little olive oil or vegetable oil just inside her vent and a little on the outside of her vent. This will make it easier for her to lay the stuck egg. Hopefully she'll lay the egg. Repeat as necessary.

How big a piece of hair did she swallow?

 

[Marlene Bravo]

Tough call. She might be eggbound. Go ahead and put her in a container of warm water up to her sides. The warm water will relax her as well as her innards and expand them at the same time. While she's soaking, gently massage her underside front to rear with your hand. This will encourage her to move the a egg along. Do this for about 20 minutes.
Then put a little olive oil or vegetable oil just inside her vent and a little on the outside of her vent. This will make it easier for her to lay the stuck egg. Hopefully she'll lay the egg. Repeat as necessary.

How big a piece of hair did she swallow?

It was maybe like two strands of hair about 10 inches maybe. She grabed it and I tried removing it but she swallowed it.

 

[rebrascora]

Can you check her abdomen for any heat, bloat or swelling..... cup your hand between her legs and then compare with a healthy hen of the same breed. I am concerned that it may be Fatty Liver Haemorrhagic Syndrome... larger birds like Buff Orps are more prone to it. The drinking water may indicate that she is haemorrhaging and a fluid build up inside is putting pressure on her lungs. Unfortunately I'm not sure there is anything you can do at this late stage if that's what it is. You can try to give her some Nutri drench... a few drops directly into her mouth one at a time, so that she doesn't aspirate them but the colour of her comb suggests that she is struggling with oxygenation.
What do you feed your hens as FLHS can be linked to diet and obesity too. Too much corn or scratch or whole grain feeds can add to the problem.

 

[Marlene Bravo]

Can you check her abdomen for any heat, bloat or swelling..... cup your hand between her legs and then compare with a healthy hen of the same breed. I am concerned that it may be Fatty Liver Haemorrhagic Syndrome... larger birds like Buff Orps are more prone to it. The drinking water may indicate that she is haemorrhaging and a fluid build up inside is putting pressure on her lungs. Unfortunately I'm not sure there is anything you can do at this late stage if that's what it is. You can try to give her some Nutri drench... a few drops directly into her mouth one at a time, so that she doesn't aspirate them but the colour of her comb suggests that she is struggling with oxygenation.
What do you feed your hens as FLHS can be linked to diet and obesity too. Too much corn or scratch or whole grain feeds can add to the problem.

She doesn’t feel warm and she really did love eating scratch and corn. Do you know what could be causing her wheezing and why she’s breathing with her beak open?