Is my hen sick?

[mikele86]

Please help! My maran has been acting strange the last few days. She seems extremely tired, leaves the coop but will come out and lay down like she’s napping. Does this most of the day and random spots. Eats very little. Used to be very aggressive at eating treats but it’s now the complete opposite. She’s also very large which is odd to me. Like she’s bloated, just in the past few days. I’m new to this but if I had to say I feel like she’s holding back eggs? Is that possible?

 

[micstrachan]

Yes, this hen does not feel well. Is her abdomen (fluffy butt) swollen or bloated? Do you know when she last laid an egg? Can you feel her crop and then check it again in the morning? What do you feed her?

 

[micstrachan]

Also, she may be having trouble laying, but she would not hold them back purposefully. Have you seen any thin shelled or shell-less eggs lately?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Please help! My maran has been acting strange the last few days. She seems extremely tired, leaves the coop but will come out and lay down like she’s napping. Does this most of the day and random spots. Eats very little. Used to be very aggressive at eating treats but it’s now the complete opposite. She’s also very large which is odd to me. Like she’s bloated, just in the past few days. I’m new to this but if I had to say I feel like she’s holding back eggs? Is that possible?

Do you know when she last laid an egg?

I would bring her in, feel inside the vent about 1-2" for an egg. Feel the abdomen for bloat/swelling or fluid while you are at it. Let us know what you find.

What do you feed including treats?

 

[micstrachan]

Do you know when she last laid an egg?

I would bring her in, feel inside the vent about 1-2" for an egg. Feel the abdomen for bloat/swelling or fluid while you are at it. Let us know what you find.

What do you feed including treats?

Too funny. We wrote at the same time and had almost duplicate responses!

 

[mikele86]

Also, she may be having trouble laying, but she would not hold them back purposefully. Have you seen any thin shelled or shell-less eggs lately?

Yes, definitely a fluffy butt. Looks swollen and bloated. Last time she laid was roughly 4 days ago. Aside from layer pellets I’ve been feeding her quite a bit of earth worms meal worms. She also grazes our yard occasionally but a lot more recently. Feel her crop? How could I help? Thank you!

 

[CaramelKittey]

She looks like she is egg bound. Honestly, I know nothing about how to get the egg out safely. When did she last lay?

Hope she gets better!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Yes, definitely a fluffy butt. Looks swollen and bloated. Last time she laid was roughly 4 days ago. Aside from layer pellets I’ve been feeding her quite a bit of earth worms meal worms. She also grazes our yard occasionally but a lot more recently. Feel her crop? How could I help? Thank you!

Can you feel inside the vent for an egg?
If she able to poop?

If she is swollen/bloated, she may be suffering from a reproductive disorder like Internal Laying, Egg Yolk Peritonitis, cancer, tumors or Salpingitis.
If she is not lethargic, you can try soaking her in a warm epsom salts bath to see if that will help sooth her.

Crop issues sometimes accompany reproductive problems - so it would be good to make sure it's empty in the morning.

 

[mikele86]

We gave her a bath last night with epsom salt and let her sleep it off in our warm basement. She’s pooping and has been. I did check her vent and wasn’t able to feel any eggs. It does appear she has vent gleet. Not sure what to do now...

 

[micstrachan]

Ideally, you would have whatever is oozing from her vent so you know what to treat. Vent fleet is more often caused from fungus/yeast than bacteria, I believe, so I think anti-fungal medication (vaginal cream if you can’t get anti-fungal in pill form.) Can you post a photo of her vent?