Lethargic and puffy hen

[Sheddiver]

We've been super busy around here. We thought that we had it all figured by now. Our girls are older hens now. Two of them are 7 years old. The youngest ones are 4/5 years old. Last week I noticed that one of the girls looked bloated and lethargic. She seemed to be suffering so I put her down. I blamed it on her old age. Today I find another girl in the same condition. She is 6 years old and a barred rock. Can you give any information/help? I still have ten other girls.

 

[alinas2010]

We've been super busy around here. We thought that we had it all figured by now. Our girls are older hens now. Two of them are 7 years old. The youngest ones are 4/5 years old. Last week I noticed that one of the girls looked bloated and lethargic. She seemed to be suffering so I put her down. I blamed it on her old age. Today I find another girl in the same condition. She is 6 years old and a barred rock. Can you give any information/help? I still have ten other girls.

Hi sorry for your loss and sorry to hear about your hen not feeling well now. Does this hen lay eggs still? Is there a chance she is egg bound? What do her droppings look like? And what does her abdomen feel like? How about her crop, is it emptying at night? Have you checked for lice and mites? Sorry a lot of questions, just checking the key things first.

 

[Debbie292d]

Hi, so sorry about your girls. They are getting up there in age, so that means you're giving them great lives!

Were they laying eggs all along or had either of these stopped laying? If so, they may have had egg binding.

Can you check this one's breast under their crop and see if it feels like a balloon is in there? If so, it could be ascites (water belly).