Lethargic Hen

[casportpony]

Glad she is improving! You can get more amoxicillin here:
http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=30e07301-7b6a-11d5-a192-00b0d0204ae5

-Kathy

 

[atxnatheart]

Our hen didn't make it. Yesterday morning her crop had not emptied and it seemed somewhat "thicker" and not as squishy as normal. I read up on what I could find and we removed food from her crate and started massaging downward. My husband did this several times during the day. When I got home from work she wasn't doing well at all. She wasn't able to sit or stand. I held her for quite awhile last night and loved on her. Her breathing wasn't quiet and she didn't have any fight left in her. This morning when I checked on her: she had passed away during the night. Thank you again for all who helped us.

 

[casportpony]

I'm so sorry, I know you really tried!

-Kathy

 

[yellowchicks]

After reading through this entire post, I am in tears! The OP had tried so hard to keep this hen alive. Her dedication and detailed documentation of every efforts were simply amazing. More so was that @casportpony (Kathy) stayed on offering guidance every step of the way.

The reason why I was searching under this topic was that today, I found my favorite hen "Yellow" looking very lethargic. She sat inside the nest box next to the golf ball (not on top of it) no matter how many times I moved her out of the coop or put her on the roosting bar at night. She just keep returning to the nest box no matter what.

She is missing a large patch of feather on her abdominal, not sure that was due to molting or feather eating. Our small flock of four 1-yr old White Leghorns hasn't have any feather plucking issue before. "Yellow" was not responding to the shake of the treat jar today, which was unusual. She usually runs to me, flies up to my arm and eat out of my hand.

I checked for mites and lice, didn't find any. She just laid an egg at 4 PM today (very late in the day), doesn't seem to be egg-bound. Her crop is soft, poop seemed normal and solid. No symptom of respiratory issue. All four hens were dewormed every 6 months with Valbazen. The last round was in May 2015, so it shouldn't be worm. Maybe she ate some wild mushroom in the yard? I am at a lost on why "Yellow" is so lethargic. She ate a few pieces of cooked chicken tonight as a protein boost, not much else. Tonight, I moved her to inside the house for observation since she was sleeping inside the nest box.

I thought white Leghorns usually don't get broody, so there is something wrong, but I have no idea what. I hope she is not getting sick because I am really not very good with nursing animals, but I hate to lose her, as she is my favorite. Help and suggestions are appreciated.

 

[casportpony]

After reading through this entire post, I am in tears! The OP had tried so hard to keep this hen alive. Her dedication and detailed documentation of every efforts were simply amazing. More so was that @casportpony (Kathy) stayed on offering guidance every step of the way.

The reason why I was searching under this topic was that today, I found my favorite hen "Yellow" looking very lethargic. She sat inside the nest box next to the golf ball (not on top of it) no matter how many times I moved her out of the coop or put her on the roosting bar at night. She just keep returning to the nest box no matter what.

She is missing a large patch of feather on her abdominal, not sure that was due to molting or feather eating. Our small flock of four 1-yr old White Leghorns hasn't have any feather plucking issue before. "Yellow" was not responding to the shake of the treat jar today, which was unusual. She usually runs to me, flies up to my arm and eat out of my hand.

I checked for mites and lice, didn't find any. She just laid an egg at 4 PM today (very late in the day), doesn't seem to be egg-bound. Her crop is soft, poop seemed normal and solid. No symptom of respiratory issue. All four hens were dewormed every 6 months with Valbazen. The last round was in May 2015, so it shouldn't be worm. Maybe she ate some wild mushroom in the yard? I am at a lost on why "Yellow" is so lethargic. She ate a few pieces of cooked chicken tonight as a protein boost, not much else. Tonight, I moved her to inside the house for observation since she was sleeping inside the nest box.

I thought white Leghorns usually don't get broody, so there is something wrong, but I have no idea what. I hope she is not getting sick because I am really not very good with nursing animals, but I hate to lose her, as she is my favorite. Help and suggestions are appreciated.

Have you checked her for a stuck egg?

-Kathy

 

[yellowchicks]

Have you checked her for a stuck egg?

-Kathy

She laid an egg yesterday, another one today, so I don't think she has a stuck egg. She still insist on sitting in the nest box whenever possible, even flew out of another pen to get back into the coop. When I closed the coop door, she flew up 6' to stand on the roof of the coop. I kept her inside last night, tried to remove her from the nest many times today, put ice under the nest box, gave her a bath, kept her indoor, nothing works, She went right back in the nest, or sat on the coop floor, or became agitated if locked in the run. She seems fine today otherwise, ate a little. Maybe I have a broody Leghorn?

I also noticed that she is obsessive with grooming, lost lots of feather under her wings and on her abdominal. Is she pulling/eating her own feather or molting? I gave them scrambled eggs, BOSS and meal worms as treats all the time. Why is she losing feather?

 

[casportpony]

Maybe @Eggcessive will have some ideas.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

If she's on the ground, will she roll eggs under her if you place them in front of her?

-Kathy

 

[RichnSteph]

She laid an egg yesterday, another one today, so I don't think she has a stuck egg. She still insist on sitting in the nest box whenever possible, even flew out of another pen to get back into the coop. When I closed the coop door, she flew up 6' to stand on the roof of the coop. I kept her inside last night, tried to remove her from the nest many times today, put ice under the nest box, gave her a bath, kept her indoor, nothing works, She went right back in the nest, or sat on the coop floor, or became agitated if locked in the run. She seems fine today otherwise, ate a little. Maybe I have a broody Leghorn?

I also noticed that she is obsessive with grooming, lost lots of feather under her wings and on her abdominal. Is she pulling/eating her own feather or molting? I gave them scrambled eggs, BOSS and meal worms as treats all the time. Why is she losing feather?

Sounds like she's going broody.

 

[casportpony]

 
She laid an egg yesterday, another one today, so I don't think she has a stuck egg. She still insist on sitting in the nest box whenever possible, even flew out of another pen to get back into the coop. When I closed the coop door, she flew up 6' to stand on the roof of the coop. I kept her inside last night, tried to remove her from the nest many times today, put ice under the nest box, gave her a bath, kept her indoor, nothing works, She went right back in the nest, or sat on the coop floor, or became agitated if locked in the run. She seems fine today otherwise, ate a little. Maybe I have a broody Leghorn?

I also noticed that she is obsessive with grooming, lost lots of feather under her wings and on her abdominal. Is she pulling/eating her own feather or molting? I gave them scrambled eggs, BOSS and meal worms as treats all the time. Why is she losing feather?

Sounds like she's going broody.

It sure does, but leghorns don't usually, so it could be a sign that she isn't feeling well.

-Kathy