My 3-year-old ISA brown hen, Sandy, has not been acting herself in the past months. She is quiet, even more so than normally and even while around the other chickens. She is slow to move with the flock as they rotate around the yard, freeranging.
She ruffles her feathers, sits in one spot, and keeps her tail down. She started keeping her tail down within the past week. She roosts at night with the other chickens. I know I've seen her eat, I don't know about drinking. Noticeably lightweight and skinny/bony when you pick her up. She's been losing weight since the beginning of this month. Her feathers and feet look healthy, so does her face. Her vent isn't prolapsed but I haven't been able to get a thorough look. I haven't seen her poop, but that doesn't mean she isn't pooping.
I thought the problem had to do with pepper mites/fowl mites that we've been living with for the past years, trying to combat them they've never fully gone away. I was particularly concerned about my ISA brown hen because she is the smallest in the flock and has not been very healthy lately, noticeably thin and losing weight (so more susceptible to the mites). I know ISA browns can have egg-related problems, like egg-binding, but how would I know if this were the case? I tried to feel around back there and didn't find any lumps. I just gave her a bath to kill what mites were on her (not a major infestation, just some, so I don't think this was the problem), and her vent looks okay from what I can see (no prolapse).
I need a second opinion. She is clearly not feeling well and is losing weight. She isn't as social and talkative as she usually is, and really only wants to be by me. I do not think she is at the end of her life, being only 3 years old, and I don't think mites are the issue because I thoroughly looked her over when I gave her a bath two days ago.
This has been going on for a few months because I thought that because she is a little chicken she was just cold from the below-zero temps we got here with our long winter, but now it's a lot warmer and we haven't been getting cold temps.
I think it is something internal, but don't know if chickens really get internal parasites, or how to check for egg-binding. All my other chickens are fine. Also wondering if this behavior is from grief, we lost our only rooster of 6 years recently so she might be depressed.
Thoughts, anyone, as to what this could be? How do I check for egg-binding? Could she still be grieving from months ago?
She ruffles her feathers, sits in one spot, and keeps her tail down. She started keeping her tail down within the past week. She roosts at night with the other chickens. I know I've seen her eat, I don't know about drinking. Noticeably lightweight and skinny/bony when you pick her up. She's been losing weight since the beginning of this month. Her feathers and feet look healthy, so does her face. Her vent isn't prolapsed but I haven't been able to get a thorough look. I haven't seen her poop, but that doesn't mean she isn't pooping.
I thought the problem had to do with pepper mites/fowl mites that we've been living with for the past years, trying to combat them they've never fully gone away. I was particularly concerned about my ISA brown hen because she is the smallest in the flock and has not been very healthy lately, noticeably thin and losing weight (so more susceptible to the mites). I know ISA browns can have egg-related problems, like egg-binding, but how would I know if this were the case? I tried to feel around back there and didn't find any lumps. I just gave her a bath to kill what mites were on her (not a major infestation, just some, so I don't think this was the problem), and her vent looks okay from what I can see (no prolapse).
I need a second opinion. She is clearly not feeling well and is losing weight. She isn't as social and talkative as she usually is, and really only wants to be by me. I do not think she is at the end of her life, being only 3 years old, and I don't think mites are the issue because I thoroughly looked her over when I gave her a bath two days ago.
This has been going on for a few months because I thought that because she is a little chicken she was just cold from the below-zero temps we got here with our long winter, but now it's a lot warmer and we haven't been getting cold temps.
I think it is something internal, but don't know if chickens really get internal parasites, or how to check for egg-binding. All my other chickens are fine. Also wondering if this behavior is from grief, we lost our only rooster of 6 years recently so she might be depressed.
Thoughts, anyone, as to what this could be? How do I check for egg-binding? Could she still be grieving from months ago?
