cuteychickens15
Songster
- Aug 7, 2015
- 126
- 30
- 111
Hello,
I have a hen, she is about 10 or 11 months old. She has been sitting in the coop for the past few days by herself in the day time, doing nothing but sleeping. Everytime I open the nestbox lid, she always makes this chirping/growling sound and all of her feathers puff up, her tail goes in the air and her head down.
This has been happening for a few days, a few times each day I take her out and make sure she eats and drinks. For the first few minutes, she is still puffed up on the floor, some hens come to pick on her and the rooster jumps on her (I try to stop this now) and she starts eating the food, sometimes she seems quite aggressive (she slams her beak quite hard and fast into the food, not what they do usually). She also has some water, she has some water too.
The thing is, yesterday (1:56AM here) I held her on my knee so I could feel her crop to see what it was like, as she was standing on me, I noticed that she was shaking, as if she was shivering. None of them have done this before so i'm worried that she could be lethargic. I gave her some sugary water in a bowl, she had a few gulps and let her go back into the coop (bedtime, this was late in the day). I don't know if I am going to wake up to a dead hen or what soon, have no idea whether she is ill or broody or what. I hear people say, give human vitamins in small amounts but I don't want to risk that, what if I overdose her ? I just need someone to let me know what's wrong and how to help her. She has done this thing where she stays in the coop and puffs up before but just not the shaking thing.
She seems to be getting enough food and water (as I make her)
But her crop, when she started this routine off a few days ago felt squashy, tried making her eat some grit.
Please help,
thanks
I have a hen, she is about 10 or 11 months old. She has been sitting in the coop for the past few days by herself in the day time, doing nothing but sleeping. Everytime I open the nestbox lid, she always makes this chirping/growling sound and all of her feathers puff up, her tail goes in the air and her head down.
This has been happening for a few days, a few times each day I take her out and make sure she eats and drinks. For the first few minutes, she is still puffed up on the floor, some hens come to pick on her and the rooster jumps on her (I try to stop this now) and she starts eating the food, sometimes she seems quite aggressive (she slams her beak quite hard and fast into the food, not what they do usually). She also has some water, she has some water too.
The thing is, yesterday (1:56AM here) I held her on my knee so I could feel her crop to see what it was like, as she was standing on me, I noticed that she was shaking, as if she was shivering. None of them have done this before so i'm worried that she could be lethargic. I gave her some sugary water in a bowl, she had a few gulps and let her go back into the coop (bedtime, this was late in the day). I don't know if I am going to wake up to a dead hen or what soon, have no idea whether she is ill or broody or what. I hear people say, give human vitamins in small amounts but I don't want to risk that, what if I overdose her ? I just need someone to let me know what's wrong and how to help her. She has done this thing where she stays in the coop and puffs up before but just not the shaking thing.
She seems to be getting enough food and water (as I make her)
But her crop, when she started this routine off a few days ago felt squashy, tried making her eat some grit.
Please help,
thanks
