I think my hen is lethargic! PLEASE HELP!!

[rebrascora]

she really did love eating scratch and corn

How much and for how long has she been eating corn and scratch? What about other carbs like bread and pasta as well? Roughly how much per day? We all know they love it, just like kids love candy but you have to be very disciplined about giving them treats like that and keep it to a minimum.
You didn't say whether you feel any bloat or swelling in her abdomen, between her legs? Does she feel quite plump in general or skin and bones or somewhere in between? Laying birds should not be plump like supermarket chickens, even dual purpose birds like Orps.

 

[rebrascora]

Do you know what could be causing her wheezing and why she’s breathing with her beak open?

If she is haemorrhaging her body cavity will be filling up with fluid and putting pressure on her respiratory system and causing her respiratory distress.
The carbohydrates in corn and scratch are easily converted to fat and stored in the body. The liver processes these fats but a high level means that the liver itself becomes impregnated with them and the structure of the liver becomes weak and prone to rupture. Fluids then leak out into the body cavity causing ascites (water belly). With a major rupture of the liver the bird will die quite suddenly but if it is a less serious haemorrhage, they can linger for a few days. If it has caused ascites, draining it can give relief from respiratory distress it is only temporary and I don't think there is any way to stop the liver continuing to haemorrhage.
There are other reproductive issues that can cause ascites and respiratory distress but they are usually associated with higher production birds like red sex links.

 

[Marlene Bravo]

If she is haemorrhaging her body cavity will be filling up with fluid and putting pressure on her respiratory system and causing her respiratory distress.
The carbohydrates in corn and scratch are easily converted to fat and stored in the body. The liver processes these fats but a high level means that the liver itself becomes impregnated with them and the structure of the liver becomes weak and prone to rupture. Fluids then leak out into the body cavity causing ascites (water belly). With a major rupture of the liver the bird will die quite suddenly but if it is a less serious haemorrhage, they can linger for a few days. If it has caused ascites, draining it can give relief from respiratory distress it is only temporary and I don't think there is any way to stop the liver continuing to haemorrhage.
There are other reproductive issues that can cause ascites and respiratory distress but they are usually associated with higher production birds like red sex links.

I put her outside with the others and within an hour of being outside she laid an egg. I wasn’t around when it happened but we found an egg under her in the same place I left her. She started eating a little bit after that and her beak started closing and wasn’t having difficulty breathing.

 

[rebrascora]

Pleased to hear she is sounding a bit better and managed to pass an egg. Was it a shell less or thin shelled egg. Those can really be hard to pass and take a lot out of a hen.
I hope that was all that was ailing her but I would strongly recommend that you stop feeding corn and scratch before it causes the fatal damage I described or even other less serious ailments like prolapse. It is heart breaking to lose a bird but much more so when it could have been prevented. I started out thinking that corn and scratch and bread etc were good for my birds and they love it so much, but as I learned more I realised that I was not doing them any favours in the long run and having necropsied birds that were fed about a third of their diet as scratch and seen the massive levels of fat in their bodies and two that had fatty liver disease and ascites.... one of which ruptured and died.... and had not been producing eggs, I now severely restrict such treats to very small amounts and occasionally rather than daily

 

[Marlene Bravo]

Pleased to hear she is sounding a bit better and managed to pass an egg. Was it a shell less or thin shelled egg. Those can really be hard to pass and take a lot out of a hen.
I hope that was all that was ailing her but I would strongly recommend that you stop feeding corn and scratch before it causes the fatal damage I described or even other less serious ailments like prolapse. It is heart breaking to lose a bird but much more so when it could have been prevented. I started out thinking that corn and scratch and bread etc were good for my birds and they love it so much, but as I learned more I realised that I was not doing them any favours in the long run and having necropsied birds that were fed about a third of their diet as scratch and seen the massive levels of fat in their bodies and two that had fatty liver disease and ascites.... one of which ruptured and died.... and had not been producing eggs, I now severely restrict such treats to very small amounts and occasionally rather than daily

Thank you so much for your help! And her egg looked quite normal not shell less or thin shelled. So it’s still so strange why she sick. I will definitely stop giving them so much scratch and bread. What are some foods that I should start feeding her now? Is the crumble still okay to feed her? She loves fruits and vegetables as well.

 

[rebrascora]

Yes, if it is a layer crumble that is fine or some people find it is better to give larger birds like Orps/Sussex/Brahmas etc a higher protein feed like a grower with oyster shell available in a side dish at all times. Layer feed is usually just 16% protein whereas some Grower or All Flock is 18-22% protein...... generally the more protein content, the less carbs which are what make them fat but you need to provide a calcium source because there is less calcium in grower/all flock than layer feed. My Light Sussex who is a big girl does fine on 16% layer feed provided I don't feed her extra carbs (scratch), which is just as well because here in the UK higher protein chicken feed is not as easy to come by as in The States.

 

[rebrascora]

Veggies and fruit are mostly water but provide vitamins and trace nutrients so they are good to continue, but in moderation because they also contain sugars.

 

[dawg53]

Stick with layer feed, treats cause more harm than good as you've seen. Next time if you suspect an eggbound hen, soak her in warm water as I previously mentioned. Good luck.

 

[Marlene Bravo]

Pleased to hear she is sounding a bit better and managed to pass an egg. Was it a shell less or thin shelled egg. Those can really be hard to pass and take a lot out of a hen.
I hope that was all that was ailing her but I would strongly recommend that you stop feeding corn and scratch before it causes the fatal damage I described or even other less serious ailments like prolapse. It is heart breaking to lose a bird but much more so when it could have been prevented. I started out thinking that corn and scratch and bread etc were good for my birds and they love it so much, but as I learned more I realised that I was not doing them any favours in the long run and having necropsied birds that were fed about a third of their diet as scratch and seen the massive levels of fat in their bodies and two that had fatty liver disease and ascites.... one of which ruptured and died.... and had not been producing eggs, I now severely restrict such treats to very small amounts and occasionally rather than daily

Thank you so much for your help! And her egg looked quite normal not shell less or thin shelled. So it’s still so strange why she sick. I will definitely stop giving them so much scratch and bread. What are some foods that I should start feeding her now? Is the

Veggies and fruit are mostly water but provide vitamins and trace nutrients so they are good to continue, but in moderation because they also contain sugars.

Thank you for the help. Even though she did lay yesterday today she still didn’t wanna get out of her coop this morning. We have to carry her out since we think she has no energy. She’s still eating very little and drinking water. I wonder what else could be wrong.

 

[nightowl223]

I put her outside with the others and within an hour of being outside she laid an egg. I wasn’t around when it happened but we found an egg under her in the same place I left her. She started eating a little bit after that and her beak started closing and wasn’t having difficulty breathing.

Well, that sounds like very good progress. Watch her closely for a few days, for any more signs of problems. I don't know where you're located, but if it's very warm out, they can often drink much more than they eat, just to try to stay cool. You can help that by cutting out the cracked corn, and changing them to layer crumbles, or flock crumbles with calcium on the side for the layers who want it. Corn makes their body temperature run higher (which makes it a good late afternoon treat for winter time), so it's really a no-no in summer time. The flock crumbles will give them the best nutrition they can possibly have, and will help prevent any fatty liver problems. Just offer calcium in a separate container.

If she continues to act "off" you should separate her from the flock, put her in her own little crate, with food and water where she can easily reach them, and you can keep a better watch on her, what she eats and drinks, how her poop looks, see if her tummy is swollen, etc...