If anyone can help please give me suggestions- fearing it's too late!
Noticed a few days ago that my 4 year old BO hen was snoozing by a tree while her 3 sisters roamed the yard. Since she's usually the "rooster" it was especially weird. But when I approached, she got right up and acted pretty normal. I did notice that I could see her body move with breathing. Then yesterday when I let the girls out to free range, she wasn't clucking and scratching- just wandering, looking straight ahead. It was really hot, so I wondered if she was dehydrated and offered her some water and frozen corn when she laid down in a shady place, but she ignored it. Later I tried to feed her kid strawberry yogurt but again, she only ate what I smeared on her beak. After a few swallows, she sounded a little gurgly.
This morning she was more lethargic. I thought *maybe* she was egg bound? So soaked her in warm water twice with no imorovement. Now several hours later she's difficult to arouse and still won't eat or drink. I did glove up and genty feel inside her vent. I am woefully bad at chicken anatomy, but did not feel an egg. She does seem to be tender inside particularly when I pressed against whatever bony structure it was I could feel? And I think she has a fever? Quite warm in there, more than human body temp anyway. I could not feel her crop, empty? Poo on glove was watery brownish with some particulate, only a tiny bit. There is no poo in the cage she's been in for 6 hours, prior to that not sure but she wasn't stained. There was some clearish drainage on her feathers this morning (led me to think egg bound).
She lives in a backyard, eats Purina layer pellets, and has never been wormed. The other 3 hens look healthy. (I ordered ivermec after pouring over the forum for future use!)
Thoughts? Suggestions? Not sure whether or how to force feed/water... No clue what to do.
Thanks for any help!!!!!
Noticed a few days ago that my 4 year old BO hen was snoozing by a tree while her 3 sisters roamed the yard. Since she's usually the "rooster" it was especially weird. But when I approached, she got right up and acted pretty normal. I did notice that I could see her body move with breathing. Then yesterday when I let the girls out to free range, she wasn't clucking and scratching- just wandering, looking straight ahead. It was really hot, so I wondered if she was dehydrated and offered her some water and frozen corn when she laid down in a shady place, but she ignored it. Later I tried to feed her kid strawberry yogurt but again, she only ate what I smeared on her beak. After a few swallows, she sounded a little gurgly.
This morning she was more lethargic. I thought *maybe* she was egg bound? So soaked her in warm water twice with no imorovement. Now several hours later she's difficult to arouse and still won't eat or drink. I did glove up and genty feel inside her vent. I am woefully bad at chicken anatomy, but did not feel an egg. She does seem to be tender inside particularly when I pressed against whatever bony structure it was I could feel? And I think she has a fever? Quite warm in there, more than human body temp anyway. I could not feel her crop, empty? Poo on glove was watery brownish with some particulate, only a tiny bit. There is no poo in the cage she's been in for 6 hours, prior to that not sure but she wasn't stained. There was some clearish drainage on her feathers this morning (led me to think egg bound).
She lives in a backyard, eats Purina layer pellets, and has never been wormed. The other 3 hens look healthy. (I ordered ivermec after pouring over the forum for future use!)
Thoughts? Suggestions? Not sure whether or how to force feed/water... No clue what to do.
Thanks for any help!!!!!
