Is it my imagination or is something not right?

[earlybird10842]

My four year old hen Susan has been seemingly less active within the past few weeks, and for the past few months, she has had a messy rear end, which seems to be getting worse--I honestly can't tell. I checked for fly strike, etc today, but could find nothing wrong. She sits on a roost a lot, but her eating habits are normal. I'm starting to suspect it is Susan who is laying the eggs that I find broken in the nestbox. Would this play a part? Is something actully wrong or is she just less active? Is this maybe because it is cold outside?

 

[chickenzoo]

Sorry your hen is off. It sounds as if she is the thin eggshell layer....however why is a harder answer. What are they eating....sometimes it's nutricianial..... Sometimes it's bacterial, sometimes internal.
What is her temp? How is her overall color of the face? Does any part of her bottom feel balloon like or swollen? Has she been laying regularly?

 

[earlybird10842]

Sorry your hen is off. It sounds as if she is the thin eggshell layer....however why is a harder answer. What are they eating....sometimes it's nutricianial..... Sometimes it's bacterial, sometimes internal.
What is her temp? How is her overall color of the face? Does any part of her bottom feel balloon like or swollen? Has she been laying regularly?

Well for a while we were feeding non-layer feed and supplementing with oyster shells. Then we switched to layer feed. I don't think she has been laying on a regular basis, but that is to be expected of an older hen. I think she laid yesterday, but not today. I am hoping this is just the combined effects of old age and cold weather. Some of our hens have tiny scabs on their combs, and at first I paniced, thinking fowl pox, but the scabs did not grow, and are probably just a result of a recent run-in with dogs. Could this be stress from the dogs? it happened nearly two weeks ago, though. This did seem to coincide with the cold weather, though.

 

[chickenzoo]

Humm...considering she is an older hen I would suspect possible beginnings of internal laying issues. Do a search on internal laying so you can become familiar with symptoms. Is she running a fever?

 

[earlybird10842]

She is not running a fever or swollen in any way, poop is runny but normal, etc. no sign of egg in poop. Nothing appears physically wrong, but she is just not active like she was.

 

[chickenzoo]

Has she been wormed ...is so with what. It could be one issue or two. Parasites can cause stress on the body ...stress affects all aspects of the body.

 

[earlybird10842]

Has she been wormed ...is so with what. It could be one issue or two. Parasites can cause stress on the body ...stress affects all aspects of the body.

OH! Good Point!!! I haven't seen any worms in her poop, but she has never been wormed.

 

[casportpony]

OH! Good Point!!! I haven't seen any worms in her poop, but she has never been wormed.

You don't have to see worms in poop for her to have them... I would dust her for mites/lice with poultry dust, even if you can't see them, and worm her with something like Safeguard for Goats/Cattle (Fenbendazole 100mg/ml). You can get both at TSC.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/y-tex-reg-gardstar-reg-garden-poultry-dust-shaker-can-2-lb--2204294
http://www.tractorsupply.com/livestock-wormers/safe-guard-reg-goat-dewormer-125-ml-2226898

 

[CluckyCharms]

Do you have any pictures of this messy rear end, and have you opened her beak and taken a whiff to see if there are any really obnoxious smells emanating from her mouth? What color was this messy rear end? Was it white or whitish-yellow?

I don't know much about chickens and I'm hoping to one day be able to not say that, but for now I'm still new. That being said - throughout life's ups and downs I have discovered that when I feel something is not quite right with one of my pets, I'm 100% right, 100% of the time. It's usually something silly-minor like an upset tummy or a stuck piece of poo or something equally as miniscule but that internal voice is very seldom wrong when it comes to the health of your animals.

 

[earlybird10842]

Do you have any pictures of this messy rear end, and have you opened her beak and taken a whiff to see if there are any really obnoxious smells emanating from her mouth? What color was this messy rear end? Was it white or whitish-yellow?

I don't know much about chickens and I'm hoping to one day be able to not say that, but for now I'm still new. That being said - throughout life's ups and downs I have discovered that when I feel something is not quite right with one of my pets, I'm 100% right, 100% of the time. It's usually something silly-minor like an upset tummy or a stuck piece of poo or something equally as miniscule but that internal voice is very seldom wrong when it comes to the health of your animals.

Susan's crop seems fine, and her rear end is white and brown and sometimes so wet it is drippy. I am thinking more and more that this is worms. What sort of started ringing an alarm in my head was the fact that she would be found relaxing on the roost in the coop while the others were out free ranging.