Lethargic Chicken

[tctully63]

Hi, I found a lethargic chicken this morning, she was just laying in the run and was dirty all over. I took her out and noticed all her feathers were gone on the underside. I think she might have bumblefoot. Can anyone tell from these pics? She is still alive and I got some water in her with a dropper
Thank You,
Tom

 

[azygous]

Is this chicken yours? Or did you find her out of the blue? Do you have any idea why she's caked with mud? I wonder if she's been injured by a predator.

I would give her electrolytes and sugar water for shock. Then give her a warm bath to warm her up as well as clean her so you can examine her for injuries. Blow her dry with a hair dryer after wrapping her in a thick,towel warmed in the dryer. If you have no dryer, warm it in the oven, but not to the point of burning.

 

[tctully63]

Is this chicken yours? Or did you find her out of the blue? Do you have any idea why she's caked with mud? I wonder if she's been injured by a predator.

I would give her electrolytes and sugar water for shock. Then give her a warm bath to warm her up as well as clean her so you can examine her for injuries. Blow her dry with a hair dryer after wrapping her in a thick,towel warmed in the dryer. If you have no dryer, warm it in the oven, but not to the point of burning.

Hi azygous,
She is actually one of 27 chickens we have in our chicken coop. There is one section that gets muddy, and it's rained A LOT lately. Everyone was fine last night, this morning I found her in the run unable to stand up. I have her in a sling right now and she is safe and secure in the laundry room. I gave her a small bowl of boiled egg and wet pellets and she gobbled it right up. Going to keep an eye on her and hopefully it isn't Marek's, we just put 24 12 week old girls in the holding cell next to the big girls yesterday. I just treated the flocks water with something I picked up at tractor supply in case it's something else.

 

[Henriettamom919]

Sounds like you've got a great system of care in place! Watch her poop for clues and take pictures of anything suspicious!

Hope she recovers quickly! Is there any chance she was recently broody and became malnourished/dehydrated?

 

[tctully63]

Sounds like you've got a great system of care in place! Watch her poop for clues and take pictures of anything suspicious!

Hope she recovers quickly! Is there any chance she was recently broody and became malnourished/dehydrated?

THAT is a great statement! Yes she is one of my constant broody girls, she never moves when I get the eggs, just looks at me. I'm hoping that the problem with her foot, the way she is balling it up and the inability to walk is from being malnourished, this gives me hope!!

 

[azygous]

If you suspect that this hen is malnourished, it could be because she is prevented by the others from getting to the feeder. If this is the case, you'll need to address that issue. You can refer to this https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chicken-bully-chicken-victim-a-two-sided-issue.73923/ if you determine she's being bullied away from the feeder and not just broody.

The fact she was all muddy gives me the idea she could have been the victim of an attack where several chickens stand on the victim and hammer her into the mud with their beaks. When that happens to a chicken, they normally continue to lie there and not move out of fear that it will happen again and also because they have resigned themselves to the role of being a victim. A chicken that is bullied to this extent will feel it's what they deserve and they have no right to eat. You need to change that or she could die.

 

[tctully63]

If you suspect that this hen is malnourished, it could be because she is prevented by the others from getting to the feeder. If this is the case, you'll need to address that issue. You can refer to this https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chicken-bully-chicken-victim-a-two-sided-issue.73923/ if you determine she's being bullied away from the feeder and not just broody.

The fact she was all muddy gives me the idea she could have been the victim of an attack where several chickens stand on the victim and hammer her into the mud with their beaks. When that happens to a chicken, they normally continue to lie there and not move out of fear that it will happen again and also because they have resigned themselves to the role of being a victim. A chicken that is bullied to this extent will feel it's what they deserve and they have no right to eat. You need to change that or she could die.

If she makes it it looks like she will be my new pet! I will build a coop for her and others like her. I'm pretty sure that she is the egg pecker, will chickens attack a chicken that pecks eggs?

 

[Criticalicious]

I can't see any evidence of bumblefoot in the pictures - just muddy foot. The missing feathers on her chest could be from going broody. They will pluck their own feathers to make skin contact with the eggs and keep them warm. Chickens will attack other chickens when/if they act weird. Sometimes weird means broody if the others don't want her to do it or if they want to use the nest box while she's hogging it.

Have you gotten her cleaned up? Is she doing better with some food and rest?

 

[tctully63]

She just got herself out of the sling, I put her on the floor and she still wont stand up, I put her back in, she is still hungry. Here are some poop pics.....sorry