Lethargic Hen

[azygous]

Her eyes are bright and alert, indicating she isn't sick. Her posture is upright and normal, so she isn't in any pain. Her profile indicates a normal crop. What has her poop looked like?

What are you giving her to eat? Have you tried other foods besides her chicken feed? Have you smelled the feed? Does it smell fresh or does it have an unpleasant unusual odor?

Right now, try giving her one cup of water with one teaspoon of sugar stirred in. Dip her beak a couple of times to show her it's sweet. Let her drink as much as she wants. This will elevate her glucose so she will feel more energy, and it may restore her appetite. Start her off with some cooked egg.

 

[Birking-chickens]

Her eyes are bright and alert, indicating she isn't sick. Her posture is upright and normal, so she isn't in any pain. Her profile indicates a normal crop. What has her poop looked like?

What are you giving her to eat? Have you tried other foods besides her chicken feed? Have you smelled the feed? Does it smell fresh or does it have an unpleasant unusual odor?

Right now, try giving her one cup of water with one teaspoon of sugar stirred in. Dip her beak a couple of times to show her it's sweet. Let her drink as much as she wants. This will elevate her glucose so she will feel more energy, and it may restore her appetite. Start her off with some cooked egg.

Her poop looks watery and she isn’t pooping much. We are giving her Purina Layena Layer Pellets. The pellets are from a brand new bag and the other chickens are happily eating it. She will peck at some mealworms but doesn’t show much interest in that either. My concern is that she hasn’t laid an egg in a few days now and she normally lays daily. How long after she drink should I give her a cooked egg? Should it be a scrambled egg?

 

[azygous]

Give her egg any way you wish to cook it at any time. Also, give her a calcium tablet, calcium you may take for strong bones or a Tums if you have no calcium supplement. From the process of elimination, it's possible she has a stubborn egg trying to get out, or even two back to back. Give the calcium immediately even if you have to go to the store to buy it. It will stimulate contractions to help get the egg moving. If one comes out, another could be on its heals, so be on the watch.

Here's what to buy if you need to go to the store.Give one tablet now. One tomorrow if still no egg appears.

 

[azygous]

I meant to add, stuff the tablet into her beak. She will have no problem swallowing.

 

[Birking-chickens]

I meant to add, stuff the tablet into her beak. She will have no problem swallowing.

If I give her a tablet (probably tums because I don’t have the other) will it hurt her if an egg isn’t the issue?

 

[azygous]

No, it will do no harm. Look at it as an insurance policy. If there is a stuck egg, calcium might save her life. I keep a bottle of those tablets in my run all the time to pop into a hen at the first sign she is having an egg problem. It often works within an hour or two, and the egg comes out. Often the egg is without a shell. Shell-less eggs are very hard to expel.