Lethargic, closed eyes, panting and spread wings

[JuliaSunshine]

It got suddenly cold for a few nights (below freezing) from unusually warm weather.
And I found one of my light Sussex pullet (30 weeks old) looking lethargic hiding in a corner today.
I put her in a box in a heated room in the late afternoon.
She's been closing her eyes since then and wouldn't eat anything.
Her wings are a bit spread out just like the way chickens look when they are hot. But the room she's in is not hot and it was just above freezing when she was outside today.
Now her beak is slightly open and I can hear her panting softly.
I saw her standing on one foot once but now she's on two feet.
Is she having cold stress? Or something else?
Should I keep her cool or warm?
Do chickens spread their wings out when they feel cold or have fever?

BTW, I had another chicken in the same room who's been sick for 5 days but now she's on the mend. Also she had different symptoms (lethargic but jerking her head) so I don't think anything contagious is going on.

Thank you.

 

[WingsysRoost]

In my experience, I've had chickens handle some pretty big temperature shifts with no issues unless they are already having trouble for some reason. It doesn't mean that some couldn't struggle, but I would be more inclined to think there's another issue. I'll let others with more experience add on to this, though.

Is she laying yet? My first thought would be to rule out potential egg binding. Does she look as if she might be straining to lay?

Was she panting or holding her wings out when she was outside? Having wings out usually means they're too warm in my experience but I have also seen them do it if they feel uncomfortable.

How does her breathing sound, other than the panting? Is there any gurgling/raspy/other odd sounds? With trouble breathing, I would want to check inside the mouth to see if there's any sign of anythin there. I would also want to check comb and face color.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

And I found one of my light Sussex pullet (30 weeks old) looking lethargic hiding in a corner today.
I put her in a box in a heated room in the late afternoon.
She's been closing her eyes since then and wouldn't eat anything.
Her wings are a bit spread out just like the way chickens look when they are hot. But the room she's in is not hot and it was just above freezing when she was outside today.
Now her beak is slightly open and I can hear her panting softly.

Is she pooping?

I too would suspect being egg bound.

Get some Calcium into her. If you have Calcium Citrate, then give her 1 tablet now. You can also give 1 TUMS if you don't have Calcium Citrate.

I wouldn't worry about food right off the bat but do see if she's willing to drink a little for you.
Sounds like she's in distress, so I would not try to soak her or give her a bath.

Photos of her poop or a video of her actions may be helpful.

I remember your other thread and that pullet looked like she was having some neurological issues.

What do you feed your pullets?
Do you provide oyster shell free choice?

 

[JuliaSunshine]

Is she pooping?

I too would suspect being egg bound.

Get some Calcium into her. If you have Calcium Citrate, then give her 1 tablet now. You can also give 1 TUMS if you don't have Calcium Citrate.

I wouldn't worry about food right off the bat but do see if she's willing to drink a little for you.
Sounds like she's in distress, so I would not try to soak her or give her a bath.

Photos of her poop or a video of her actions may be helpful.

I remember your other thread and that pullet looked like she was having some neurological issues.

What do you feed your pullets?
Do you provide oyster shell free choice?

I feed them 18% later feed and oyster free choice.
I changed their feed brand on Oct 10th and the egg production dropped (average 7.2 from 10 hens for 10 days before the change and 6 after) and now two chickens are sick. It could be a coincidence but I'm going back to the old brand.
I'll see if she's egg bound tomorrow morning and give calcium.
I don't know if she's pooping. I'll have to put newspaper in the box instead of wood chips.
Thank you for your advice.
Edit: I just found out she's dead. I explained more below.

 

[JuliaSunshine]

In my experience, I've had chickens handle some pretty big temperature shifts with no issues unless they are already having trouble for some reason. It doesn't mean that some couldn't struggle, but I would be more inclined to think there's another issue. I'll let others with more experience add on to this, though.

Is she laying yet? My first thought would be to rule out potential egg binding. Does she look as if she might be straining to lay?

Was she panting or holding her wings out when she was outside? Having wings out usually means they're too warm in my experience but I have also seen them do it if they feel uncomfortable.

How does her breathing sound, other than the panting? Is there any gurgling/raspy/other odd sounds? With trouble breathing, I would want to check inside the mouth to see if there's any sign of anythin there. I would also want to check comb and face color.

I just went to the room and found her dead already. I don't know how she could die so quickly within a matter of hours. Maybe I didn't notice her looking sick for the past few days as 11 chickens are free ranging. She could've been hiding during the past days. I didn't go out as often because it was so cold out.

 

[WingsysRoost]

I just went to the room and found her dead already. I don't know how she could die so quickly within a matter of hours. Maybe I didn't notice her looking sick for the past few days as 11 chickens are free ranging. She could've been hiding during the past days. I didn't go out as often because it was so cold out.

I'm so sorry for your loss. I've lost a bird that fast before - looking back, she had been acting off for a while, but not so off that it raised any immediate concern at the time.

Chickens are extremely good at hiding illness and it can be really hard to tell if anything is wrong until things are already very serious.

I hope you're able to get some answers about what might have happened to her.

 

[JuliaSunshine]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I've lost a bird that fast before - looking back, she had been acting off for a while, but not so off that it raised any immediate concern at the time.

Chickens are extremely good at hiding illness and it can be really hard to tell if anything is wrong until things are already very serious.

I hope you're able to get some answers about what might have happened to her.

Thank you for comforting me. I feel so bad thinking about what I should've and shouldn't have done.
I'm trying to find out why she died. I've already posted this picture but I'll upload it here too.
I didn't notice anything special about her other than her vent. The pic is taken upside down after she died.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I feed them 18% later feed and oyster free choice.
I changed their feed brand on Oct 10th and the egg production dropped (average 7.2 from 10 hens for 10 days before the change and 6 after) and now two chickens are sick. It could be a coincidence but I'm going back to the old brand.
I'll see if she's egg bound tomorrow morning and give calcium.
I don't know if she's pooping. I'll have to put newspaper in the box instead of wood chips.
Thank you for your advice.
Edit: I just found out she's dead. I explained more below.

I'm sorry to hear she died.

Check your feed to see if it's moldy or smells off.

Hard to know what happened unless you have a necropsy. You can refrigerate the body and send it to your state lab for analysis - this will give you the best answers and may be the best idea since you have another one sick.
Alternatively, you can perform your own informal necropsy. If you choose to do that, then post your photos, we'll try to help you with what you see. https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

 

[JuliaSunshine]

I'm sorry to hear she died.

Check your feed to see if it's moldy or smells off.

Hard to know what happened unless you have a necropsy. You can refrigerate the body and send it to your state lab for analysis - this will give you the best answers and may be the best idea since you have another one sick.
Alternatively, you can perform your own informal necropsy. If you choose to do that, then post your photos, we'll try to help you with what you see. https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

Thank you. I've decided to let it go as the cause of her death doesn't look like something contagious. I'll just pay more attention to my chickens' health.