Just sitting in the sun with her eyes closed

[pontoosuc]

My 6 month old Dominique is just sitting in the sun this morning off on her own.

The other 15 chickens are also in the outdoor run but doing normal chicken stuff like
scratching around etc. She also was not interested in the daily morning treats.

Two days ago I noticed that she was "a little slower" maybe than the rest of the flock but
didn't think too much of it.

I believe that she has been laying. Certainly doing the squat before the rest of them and
we've been averaging 4-5 eggs per day since they started laying 10/1.

All other birds are acting fine. I feed a 17% protein mix from our local mill. They have access
to fresh water and feed all day. We have a 5x16 coop with an attached fully enclosed outdoor run.
They are buttoned up every night.

Your input is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[peep this]

Is she kind of hunched up? flexing her butt alot? she might be eggbound. That is how I clued into mine being uncomfortable. They were just not acting right. A warm butt bath with soapy water for a while helped her alot. A lot of folks say to put vaseline or something up the poor girls vent to clean out egg debris, but that can be dangerous. Try the hot soak for a while first. The chicken sat quietly in the basin and soaked her butt for about 2 hours with no complaint, so it must have felt good.
It has happened to 2 of my young hens.
Please let us know how she is doing in a bit.
Deb

 

[welasharon]

Mine had a runny butt and I could tell it wasnt poop so I put her in the sink for a warm long soak. She later passed the remains of a soft shelled egg that busted inside. Her vent kept working too so I could tell she had an issue.
sharon

 

[pontoosuc]

Thank you both for your replies and concern.

You are correct. My hen is egg bound. Tomorrow I'll post the x-ray!

She currently is in our warm laundry room for the night and hopefully can
pass it. We gave her subq fluids and a shot of calcium. My
friend, the Vet, used the petroleum lubricant and tried to flush with warm
water. I'ts kind of stuck on the skin of the vent. I'll lube once more before
bedtime and hope for the best.

Will let you know tomorrow how we made out.