Large ISA Brown Chicken Lethargic with Blood Shot Eyes

[Womboly]

Hi everyone,

I have a ISA brown chicken (~2 years old) that has been lethargic, sluggish, and slow recently. She has always been much larger than all the other ISA brown chickens in the flock. I let the chickens free range during the day, and she has been unable to keep up with the others who are high energy and like to explore.

Since she has always been much larger, I did not think much about how she was also slower than the other chickens. However, this week she has been laying around almost constantly with eyes closed. Additionally, I noticed that her eyes appear to be blood shot. Finally, there seems to be fluid building up around her abdomen / in between her legs.

I am interested if anyone knows what may be going on and, more importantly, steps I can take to make her more comfortable. She's been walking in and out of the coop to lay in the sun / shade all day, but that's all she seems to be interested in.

Any advice would be great. Thank you so much!

 

[LaFleche]

Hi and welcome to BYC!

When did she last lay an egg?

Did she ever have problems producing proper eggshells?

When did you last deworm?

Did you or any of your close neighbours put out some rodenticides lately?

And what do her droppings look like?

 

[LaFleche]

Finally, there seems to be fluid building up around her abdomen / in between her legs.

You could try and drain some of the fluid which can help to determine the probable cause.

Here is a video showing step by step how it is done:

 

[Womboly]

You could try and drain some of the fluid which can help to determine the probable cause.

Here is a video showing step by step how it is done:

Thanks for your replies. Here are some answers to your questions:

When did she last lay an egg?
Unsure, but I am guessing not for a while. I have 4 ISA browns and are averaging between 2-3 per day.

Did she ever have problems producing proper eggshells?
When I am almost sure she was laying, there were never any noticeable issues with the eggshells other than minor calcium deposits.

When did you last deworm?
I have not dewormed this flock.

Did you or any of your close neighbours put out some rodenticides lately?
Not that I am aware of.

And what do her droppings look like?
Unsure. I checked around the areas where she has been laying today and there does not appear to be any droppings. I'll continue to monitor though.

I watched the video, thanks for that. Very clear and informative. I do not have a syringe on hand, but that can be something on my to-do list tomorrow when I go out. Also pick up some deworming supplies if you think that will help.

Thank you again for your response.