Lethargic hen, watery thin stools

[HeiHeiMeg]

Hi! Can someone help with my favorite hen? She is usually so bright and spry. She stopped laying about a week ago and I thought maybe she was taking a late break. I isolated her and have been giving epsom salt baths, calcium and nutri-dench. She is standing weird but not totally penguin like. What do you guys think? Can we save her? What can I do?

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Have you added any new birds lately? Can you feel a stuck egg? Sick chickens often stop laying so that alone doesn’t necessarily mean she is egg-bound. Does she have any nasal discharge? How does her crop feel? It should be full at night and empty in the morning.

Edit to add: has she ever been wormed?

 

[HeiHeiMeg]

Have you added any new birds lately? Can you feel a stuck egg? Sick chickens often stop laying so that alone doesn’t necessarily mean she is egg-bound. Does she have any nasal discharge? How does her crop feel? It should be full at night and empty in the morning.

Edit to add: has she ever been wormed?

Thank you so much for this response! No nasal discharge and I cannot feel a stuck egg either at her vent or abdomen. She is asleep now but I will check her crop in the morning. She has not ever been wormed but is on the roostys mix in her food.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

She has not ever been wormed but is on the roostys mix in her food.

I have no idea if this stuff actually works. I’ve never tried it.

Another possibility is coccidiosis and that’s easily treated with Corid. You would have to stop the NutriDrench during treatment but if it works you would start seeing improvement quickly. Usually this isn’t a problem when you haven’t added new birds or moved the ones you have to new soil but it is a very common and easily remedied problem.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I will tag someone who can help a bit more @Eggcessive

 

[HeiHeiMeg]

I will tag someone who can help a bit more @Eggcessive

Thank you so much! I have corid here - do you recommend I try that tomorrow? Would you continue to do epsom salt baths?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She is usually so bright and spry. She stopped laying about a week ago and I thought maybe she was taking a late break. I isolated her and have been giving epsom salt baths, calcium and nutri-dench. She is standing weird but not totally penguin like

She has not ever been wormed but is on the roostys mix in her food.

If she's able to eat/drink on her own and interact with her flock without being picked on, I'd leave her with her flock.

She stopped laying about a week ago, I'd give her 300mg Calcium Citrate+D3 now, then once daily for a week. She may be having a hard time expelling and egg or lash material.

Check her crop to make sure its emptying overnight and look her over for lice/mites.

Her poop is quite thin, I would probably consider deworming her with an anthelmintic. You can find Safeguard Liquid Goat Dewormer (10%) at stores like TSC. Dose is 0.23ml per pound of weight given orally once daily for 5days in a row.



Here's how to give oral medications:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Follow @Wyorp Rock advice. I have only heard of epsom salt baths for egg binding recently. Personally I avoid bathing chickens because it seems to stress them out. The calcium supplement, however, works without traumatizing an already ill bird.