3 years old and has had a dirty bottom recently. Whitish stuff around her vent. She lays eggs occassionally, but has never been a constant reliable layer. T
she was laying on the ground more. Tonight, she ia back in the coop, but is resting in the nest box laying down instead if on her perch like normal. She is panting.
Can you go gather her up and examine her more closely?
Photos of your hen, the vent and white stuff would be good too. If she's pooped, get a picture of that as well.
She may be having trouble laying and egg, so first thing I would do is check to see if there's an egg stuck. (feel inside the vent)
Feel her abdomen on the outside - below the vent between the legs - is there any swelling/bloat or feeling of fluid.
If she is
not lethargic, you can try soaking her in an warm epsom salts bath, but the panting is concerning, so you need to judge how much stress she is in. A bath can sometimes be stressful - you can also place her in steamed up bathroom or on moist heat like a heating pad.
She may be a bit dehydrated too, offer her some water see if she will drink for you. I would also try to get some calcium into her - 1 Tums or 1/2 tablet of Caltrate.
I would also check her crop first thing in the morning before she eats/drinks. It should be empty.
With her age and inconsistent laying, she may be suffering from a reproductive problem like Internal Laying, Salpingitis, Egg Yolk Peritontitis, cancer or tumors. Do what you can to make her comfortable and let us know how she's doing.
