- May 23, 2015
- 9
- 1
- 60
Hi, all! After years of scrolling through this website in times of interest and need, I've finally made an account.
I have a problem:
My sweet Buff Orpington (who's a little more than five years old) has some kind of problem and I have no clue what it is. I've looked at other threads of lethargic chickens and chickens with dark combs and such, but I haven't found any symptoms that fit my Buff's yet.
Type of chicken: Buff Orpington
How long I've had her: a little over five years
Background information: she's a fat, soft and fluffy, favorite yellow chicken of mine. She's kind of the flock leader. She's very very very loud and vocal and always demands me to hold her (she prefers being held over getting pet). She is rarely ever idle; she is always running around digging up holes to bathe in, finding insects to eat, always yelling at the exact same time everyday when I get home for me to play with her, and she is always, always busy. My chickens (all a little over 5 years old) usually get chopped up lettuce or cabbage every single morning. They sometimes get various treats throughout the day -- bean sprouts, rice grains, cooked rice, corn, etc. They used to get A LOT of treats back then, but I realized the chicken problems that occur from too many treats all the time (obesity, probable heart failure, etc. etc), so we started cutting off the treats. Their water is mixed with apple cider vinegar water. They're very happy chickens and they still lay ~4 eggs a week each (used to be a constant 5). My Buff Orpington has NEVER had any sickness or problem in her entire life besides Bumblefoot.
Earlier this week:
Blondie was quiet this entire week, which was a little strange but she was spending some time up in the laying area of the coop, sitting on our plastic Easter egg we leave in the boxes to encourage laying. Staying in the laying area is regular behavior for Blondie.
PROBLEM:
Two days ago on Thursday, May 21st, 2015
I found Blondie roosting on her favorite log, hunched up, tail down. That was the first time her tail has ever been pointed down. I said hello to her and she didn't reply back to me at all. And that was the signal that something is wrong because my Buff yells like a maniac and always, always loves to talk (back) to me. I pulled her down from the log and she started walking REALLY slowly. It looked like a slow motion video. When I put her on the grass to watch her walk, I noticed that her right leg was also shaking. She was quiet the entire time. She didn't talk. I became really numb in worry and foolishly put her upstairs in the laying box for her to sleep without giving her time to drink and eat, as it was already the evening. She also laid that day; I found her egg in one of the boxes.
Friday, May 22nd
Her comb started to droop. It still had the healthy color of a rich red, but for the first time in my entire life, parts of her comb were flopping over. She wouldn't eat. For almost the entire day, she would just stand on her favorite log and barely even sit. I felt her tummy and checked to see if she was eggbound, but I am positive she's not. She just stands normally but she puffs herself up and doesn't do anything else. I put her favorite treat -- Asian noodles -- in a plate next to her, but she would slowly pick some pieces up and have them drop right back out of her mouth. I ended up using a syringe to give her water and also mashed up some of her chicken pellets in a bowl, and that's when she started to eat by herself. She still didn't talk the entire day. She stopped shaking. She still walked really, really, really slow.
Today, May 23rd
She's been sitting in one of the laying boxes all day long. We pulled her down for a bit, but she walked right back up so we decided to let her settle there. She has a bowl with water (mixed with apple cider vinegar) and a bowl of mashed up pellets in the other box. We also cut some corn and put in a plate and put it in the same box, too. She decided to roost on the barrier between the two boxes and eat all of the corn from the plate. I've noticed that her comb, which was really floppy yesterday, has straightened back up a little bit. Her face is still red but the tips of her comb are darker than usual, but not yet purple. She still isn't talk. No shaking today. She just stands and sits still in her box. Her eyes are clear.
TL;DR:
Blondie's lethargy occurred so suddenly since it appeared to have come out of nowhere on Thursday.
Blondie is very lethargic and is staying in the laying box. She stands a lot and she stands normally. She can walk except it is really, really slow. Comb is red, changed from floppy yesterday to a little straight today (probably after we gave her a lot of easily accessible food). She has lots of diarrhea but I haven't seen any worms. I've checked for any bites, mites, or other parasites, and I've found none. There are no lumps on her body. Her crop doesn't feel different. Her belly doesn't look or feel different. Her eyes are clear but her pupils are dilated. It seems like nothing is wrong except the fact that she's really, really low on energy.
Is there anything else to check for? Do you know what Blondie may possibly have? Is Blondie dying from old age? (Which hurts me since five years seems so young and I thought she could last another five, or maybe a decade more.)
I've read that lethargy and a darkening comb may mean heart or liver failure, and I guess I wouldn't be surprised since Blondie's a bit of a fat chicken. The only other things I've seen are worms/parasites, but I've seen no sign of that.
Also, what is it like when a chicken dies naturally from old age?
Please help my sweet, sweet chicken. Any help at all will be so greatly appreciated.
I have a problem:
My sweet Buff Orpington (who's a little more than five years old) has some kind of problem and I have no clue what it is. I've looked at other threads of lethargic chickens and chickens with dark combs and such, but I haven't found any symptoms that fit my Buff's yet.
Type of chicken: Buff Orpington
How long I've had her: a little over five years
Background information: she's a fat, soft and fluffy, favorite yellow chicken of mine. She's kind of the flock leader. She's very very very loud and vocal and always demands me to hold her (she prefers being held over getting pet). She is rarely ever idle; she is always running around digging up holes to bathe in, finding insects to eat, always yelling at the exact same time everyday when I get home for me to play with her, and she is always, always busy. My chickens (all a little over 5 years old) usually get chopped up lettuce or cabbage every single morning. They sometimes get various treats throughout the day -- bean sprouts, rice grains, cooked rice, corn, etc. They used to get A LOT of treats back then, but I realized the chicken problems that occur from too many treats all the time (obesity, probable heart failure, etc. etc), so we started cutting off the treats. Their water is mixed with apple cider vinegar water. They're very happy chickens and they still lay ~4 eggs a week each (used to be a constant 5). My Buff Orpington has NEVER had any sickness or problem in her entire life besides Bumblefoot.
Earlier this week:
Blondie was quiet this entire week, which was a little strange but she was spending some time up in the laying area of the coop, sitting on our plastic Easter egg we leave in the boxes to encourage laying. Staying in the laying area is regular behavior for Blondie.
PROBLEM:
Two days ago on Thursday, May 21st, 2015
I found Blondie roosting on her favorite log, hunched up, tail down. That was the first time her tail has ever been pointed down. I said hello to her and she didn't reply back to me at all. And that was the signal that something is wrong because my Buff yells like a maniac and always, always loves to talk (back) to me. I pulled her down from the log and she started walking REALLY slowly. It looked like a slow motion video. When I put her on the grass to watch her walk, I noticed that her right leg was also shaking. She was quiet the entire time. She didn't talk. I became really numb in worry and foolishly put her upstairs in the laying box for her to sleep without giving her time to drink and eat, as it was already the evening. She also laid that day; I found her egg in one of the boxes.
Friday, May 22nd
Her comb started to droop. It still had the healthy color of a rich red, but for the first time in my entire life, parts of her comb were flopping over. She wouldn't eat. For almost the entire day, she would just stand on her favorite log and barely even sit. I felt her tummy and checked to see if she was eggbound, but I am positive she's not. She just stands normally but she puffs herself up and doesn't do anything else. I put her favorite treat -- Asian noodles -- in a plate next to her, but she would slowly pick some pieces up and have them drop right back out of her mouth. I ended up using a syringe to give her water and also mashed up some of her chicken pellets in a bowl, and that's when she started to eat by herself. She still didn't talk the entire day. She stopped shaking. She still walked really, really, really slow.
Today, May 23rd
She's been sitting in one of the laying boxes all day long. We pulled her down for a bit, but she walked right back up so we decided to let her settle there. She has a bowl with water (mixed with apple cider vinegar) and a bowl of mashed up pellets in the other box. We also cut some corn and put in a plate and put it in the same box, too. She decided to roost on the barrier between the two boxes and eat all of the corn from the plate. I've noticed that her comb, which was really floppy yesterday, has straightened back up a little bit. Her face is still red but the tips of her comb are darker than usual, but not yet purple. She still isn't talk. No shaking today. She just stands and sits still in her box. Her eyes are clear.
TL;DR:
Blondie's lethargy occurred so suddenly since it appeared to have come out of nowhere on Thursday.
Blondie is very lethargic and is staying in the laying box. She stands a lot and she stands normally. She can walk except it is really, really slow. Comb is red, changed from floppy yesterday to a little straight today (probably after we gave her a lot of easily accessible food). She has lots of diarrhea but I haven't seen any worms. I've checked for any bites, mites, or other parasites, and I've found none. There are no lumps on her body. Her crop doesn't feel different. Her belly doesn't look or feel different. Her eyes are clear but her pupils are dilated. It seems like nothing is wrong except the fact that she's really, really low on energy.
Is there anything else to check for? Do you know what Blondie may possibly have? Is Blondie dying from old age? (Which hurts me since five years seems so young and I thought she could last another five, or maybe a decade more.)
I've read that lethargy and a darkening comb may mean heart or liver failure, and I guess I wouldn't be surprised since Blondie's a bit of a fat chicken. The only other things I've seen are worms/parasites, but I've seen no sign of that.
Also, what is it like when a chicken dies naturally from old age?
Please help my sweet, sweet chicken. Any help at all will be so greatly appreciated.
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