Lethargic chicken

[M Brennen]

I just found one of my 1 1/2 year old Araucana chicken huddled up on the ground. She has been fine until today. No labored breathing and no eye or nasal discharge, just sleepy and lethargic and not eating. It has been very cold here and she does seem a little thin. Any suggestions what could be wrong with her?

 

[azygous]

Have you seen her bullied away from the feeder? Chickens avoid hypothermia in very cold weather, not by putting on a warmer coat as we do, but by eating more calories. If instead, they are actually consuming less due to being prevented adequate access to food, they quickly get into a hypothermic condition. Extreme lethargy is a symptom and it will progress to imbalance and trouble walking.

To find out if your hen is hypothermic and not suffering from some other issue, give her warm sugar water with a pinch of salt and baking soda while keeping her warmed. You can jump start the rewarming by using a hair dryer on warm setting on her breast and wing pits. If she revives, then you will know she just needs access to more calories.

If she doesn't improve but gets worse, then it's an organic or pathological issue, and perhaps an oral antibiotic is needed.

 

[M Brennen]

Have you seen her bullied away from the feeder? Chickens avoid hypothermia in very cold weather, not by putting on a warmer coat as we do, but by eating more calories. If instead, they are actually consuming less due to being prevented adequate access to food, they quickly get into a hypothermic condition. Extreme lethargy is a symptom and it will progress to imbalance and trouble walking.

To find out if your hen is hypothermic and not suffering from some other issue, give her warm sugar water with a pinch of salt and baking soda while keeping her warmed. You can jump start the rewarming by using a hair dryer on warm setting on her breast and wing pits. If she revives, then you will know she just needs access to more calories.

If she doesn't improve but gets worse, then it's an organic or pathological issue, and perhaps an oral antibiotic is needed.

Thank you. I brought her in and have tried to give her a little vitamin water. I will try the sugar water. I do feed them higher calorie food in the winter and have plenty of feeders around that are always filled. Still, there is a possibility that she could be bullied. Thanks for the advice.

 

[M Brennen]

Unfortunately, my chicken just passed away. It was really quick, within a couple hours of finding her.