Lethargic hen

[Peepchirpquack]

Today my red sex link hen has been acting rather lethargic. She has been trying to lay an egg all day but couldn't, she hasn't been eating any of her favorite treats ( she is usually the pushy one of our three hens ), and she is walking very slowly if walking at all. Also, her poops are watery and white with little pink ( not red ) flecks in it. At first I thought she was egg bound, but my mom put on a latex glove and put her index finger about 2 inches inside her vent and felt no egg. I feel really bad for her but I don't know what to do. She is a part of the family and I would hate to see anything bad happen to her. Any advice would help.

 

[Peepchirpquack]

here is a picture of her feces

 

[Hens rule]

She sounds egg bound. Sometimes when you feel for an egg you may not feel it because it's farther in like in the oviduct. Her poo looks like my hen Lila's when Lila was egg bound. Try putting her in a warm bath for 10-20 minutes and giving her calcium.

 

[Peepchirpquack]

The next day she felt better but I took her to the vet anyway. The vet said it was hypocalcemia (lack of calcium), and that if we gave her some oyster shell it should clear up. We gave her some oyster shell and she started acting better. But this evening she started drinking LOTS of water, when she poops she just poops water. She also doesn't have a huge appetite.

 

[izziebean]

This sounds like it could be infectious bronchitis. They drink more water because the virus begins to shut down their kidneys. You need to make sure they are eating. Do you have a scale? Keeping track of their weight will help. If it is IB, their weight will drop dramatically in a matter of 48 hours. They will looks lethargic and hold their tails down. My first one died within 12 hours after I noticed her feeling lethargic. I've had some success with giving them a massive amount of treats when they lose that much weight that fast. It's not a great diet but it keeps them alive long enough for their bodies to fight back against the disease. I also give them shots of Tylan 50. The tylan won't cure the virus, but it will kill any secondary infection that might be making them weaker. Good luck and I hope they get better soon.

 

[Peepchirpquack]

She doesn't have her tail down. Actually she seems much better today. She isn't chugging water anymore, she isn't acting lethargic and she just had a solid poop. It is very dark though. Here is a picture of it:

)

 

[izziebean]

Gosh, I was staring at that picture thinking that was the chicken. I was trying to figure out where the head was. That was quite confusing. I am not a poop expert. I think the Chicken Chick has a blog entry about that. I've never seen poop that dark though. Maybe start a new post with the headlines "Strange poop. Need help." That should get some attention from people who would know. Hope the hen continues to improve.

 

[Hens rule]

She doesn't have her tail down. Actually she seems much better today. She isn't chugging water anymore, she isn't acting lethargic and she just had a solid poop. It is very dark though. Here is a picture of it:

)

Looks normal to me. But is that yellow around it in the towel?

 

[Peepchirpquack]

Yeah it soaked in a little bit. It was an old ratty towel anyways.

 

[Hens rule]

Yeah it soaked in a little bit. It was an old ratty towel anyways.

Does her poo have a very fowl smell which is more obvious than usual? I think if it has yellow she could have an infection or if it smells worse than usual. What color is her comb?