Lethargic Hen... Help

[Kel2u]

When I came home from work today and went to check on my flock I found one of my 7 month old Barred Rock hens lethargic. She is normally overly friendly and devours scratch when I give them some, but she would not eat and was moving slowly and only when I tried to get her. He head and neck are pulled down into her body and her chest looks very large compared to normal. I checked her crop and it doesn't seem like its sour or impacted (however I am new to chickens and I could have missed it). I also looked at her vent and it seems ok as far as I can tell. What else should I look for? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

Is she laying? Could she be egg bound?

Whatever the reason, I'd would keep her separated in a dog crate or something so you can watch her better. Check her crop first thing in the morning before she's had a chance to eat to make sure it's empty. See what her poop overnight looked like. Also feel her belly area between her legs and vent to see if it is swollen or if you can feel a lump.

 

[Kel2u]

Is she laying? Could she be egg bound?

Whatever the reason, I'd would keep her separated in a dog crate or something so you can watch her better. Check her crop first thing in the morning before she's had a chance to eat to make sure it's empty. See what her poop overnight looked like. Also feel her belly area between her legs and vent to see if it is swollen or if you can feel a lump.

She laid yesterday, but not today, and that is normal for her. She is laying about 4-5 eggs a week right now, so I would be expecting one tomorrow.

I will check her abdomen and vent in the morning, as she is already up to roost tonight. I was worried she wouldn't get up there, but she did! I will also check her poop in the A.M.. Thank you for the advice.

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

If her crop seems normal in the morning but she still seems slow/uncomfortable I would give her a human calcium supplement... it should help her lay if she is egg bound and won't hurt if she isn't.

Also does her comb look paler than usual? It's looks a little pale in the photo but I can't tell if it's from the camera's flash or if it's accurate.

 

[Kel2u]

If her crop seems normal in the morning but she still seems slow/uncomfortable I would give her a human calcium supplement... it should help her lay if she is egg bound and won't hurt if she isn't.

Also does her comb look paler than usual? It's looks a little pale in the photo but I can't tell if it's from the camera's flash or if it's accurate.

Yes, her comb may be a little paler than normal. How do you give chickens human calcium? I will google, but I am very new to chickens. This is my first issue. I hate it!!

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

Yes, her comb may be a little paler than normal. How do you give chickens human calcium? I will google, but I am very new to chickens. This is my first issue. I hate it!!

There will be more issues... that's just raising chickens. I recommend perusing the emergencies and disease forum here whenever you have a few extra minutes. It can be informative as to the extent of things that can go wrong as well as helpful in learning things to look out for.

A pale comb can be from a lot of things. In winter when it's cold and the hens slow/stop their laying the comb will become paler--that's normal--but if a comb seems unusually pale to me I check everyone over for signs of mites/lice and also consider how likely it is that they have a heavy worm load.

If you have calcium citrate tablets you can *just* open her beak and put in there to the side back and let her swallow. If you have Tums you'll have to break it into pieces to give her or crush it into some food she will eat.

Let us know how she's doing in the morning... Other things that might be helpful to know is what you feed her, whether she free ranges and the likelihood of her having eaten something bad (mold, metals or plastics, etc), and if you've ever dewormed your birds.

 

[Kel2u]

There will be more issues... that's just raising chickens. I recommend perusing the emergencies and disease forum here whenever you have a few extra minutes. It can be informative as to the extent of things that can go wrong as well as helpful in learning things to look out for.

A pale comb can be from a lot of things. In winter when it's cold and the hens slow/stop their laying the comb will become paler--that's normal--but if a comb seems unusually pale to me I check everyone over for signs of mites/lice and also consider how likely it is that they have a heavy worm load.

If you have calcium citrate tablets you can *just* open her beak and put in there to the side back and let her swallow. If you have Tums you'll have to break it into pieces to give her or crush it into some food she will eat.

Let us know how she's doing in the morning... Other things that might be helpful to know is what you feed her, whether she free ranges and the likelihood of her having eaten something bad (mold, metals or plastics, etc), and if you've ever dewormed your birds.

It has been very cold here... snowed yesterday and highs in the low 30's, lows in the teens. I have never dewormed my chickens... I guess that is something I should look into. I did not see mites or lice.

My chickens do not free range... too many predators. I feed them crumbles with 16% protein and give them some greens and scratch as treats sparingly. They have been on the same food for a while now. I will watch for an egg in the morning and try calcium if she hasn't laid. The rest of my flock do seem "normal." Thank you for all the advice and I will post a update tomorrow.

 

[Kel2u]

UPDATE: Well, she laid an egg this morning and seems better today, although not entirely herself. I will keep a close eye on her.