Ill looking Blue andalusian

[KFaye]

My 1 year old "Blue" stopped laying about a month ago..well winter etc is what I was thinking...but now her comb has fallen to the side, almost flat and it has always been upright. She seems sluggish. Almost depressed. Any suggestions?

 

[Judy]

Have you wormed them? Checked for lice / mites? Is she the lowest on the pecking order and not getting enough to eat / drink? Could she have eaten something that made her sick, such as something from the compost pile, or a mouse who was poisoned with warfarin? Have you looked her over carefully for wounds, tumors, etc? What does her poop look like? That's just what occurs to me off the top of my head.

Unfortunately, this often turns out to be a problem of the egg laying system, such as eggbound, internal layer, or even ovarian cancer, especially if the rest of the flock is fine.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=32648&p=1

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/79443/tell-me-about-your-internal-layers

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...educational-necropsy-photos-of-cause-of-death (graphic pics!!)

 

[KFaye]

THank you so much. I have been reading the links you posted. Very helpful. With Blue she has always had a messy bottom. All the others have clean rears but her. Even when she was a prolific layer. Hmm. Heading out to snuggle and talk to her then a sitz bath.

 

[Judy]

THank you so much. I have been reading the links you posted. Very helpful. With Blue she has always had a messy bottom. All the others have clean rears but her. Even when she was a prolific layer. Hmm. Heading out to snuggle and talk to her then a sitz bath.

Very good idea. You know, it's possible she is eggbound and might even get through this if she can pass it. If she is, you'll feel it bathing her.

 

[KFaye]

I held her little rump under warm running water. I swear I think she liked it! Anyway all poop gone. She looks and feels fine. She got a bit of left over ribeye steak, gobbled that up! pooped just fine. Usually bright red and upright. She has been fine all day so maybe it is just a sad looking comb?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

http://keepingpetchickens.org/breeds-of-chickens/andalusian-chickens/

Your hen's health problems notwithstanding, Andalusian hens combs do flop.

 

[KFaye]

Thank you!. Her's has always stood upright but now I will not panic!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Thank you!. Her's has always stood upright but now I will not panic!

You are welcome!

Like Flockwatcher said, I'd consider worms/mites/lice as a possible problem and investigate. Some vets will do a fecal test for worms for a small fee. Some people just worm them anyway without testing.

You might see if she is skinny/lost weight as that might point to worms. Also diarrhea (not just the normal caecal poos every 8 poos). If her messy bottom comes back I'd certainly be thinking possible worms at one year of age.

However, I have had hens that just had a messy bottom and I would clean it every week or so, with no worms at the time. So it really depends on her behavior- if she acts sick she most likely has a problem. Hopefully (since you said that she feels fine now) it doesn't recur!