Grayce is an old EE hen 4-5 years old I think. She's part of a 15-bird laying flock, one of several here, so I haven't been observing her particularly closely. I know that every hen in her flock is not laying, or at least not frequently, so I really don't know if/when she has laid her last egg. She & her coop-mates have been eating/drinking/acting/pooping well, with no major health issues lately until now.
For the past week or so she has been acting more & more lethargic. When I open their coop in the morning she will be setting on the floor and won't move until I approach her. Then she jumps up & scoots away from me. But she spends more & more time during the day setting on the ground.
It's not a leg issue because she can move well when inspired. She is heavy & free from mites. Her abdomen isn't swollen, mushy, or hard. Her crop is normal. Her breathing is normal, not congested or wheezy. There is no nasal discharge. Her comb is a bit pale.
Fearing it might be something contagious I have her in a separate pen. She ate a bit yesterday when I placed a dish of her favorite, wetted chick starter topped with scratch. She hasn't eaten or drank much today, just setting on the bottom of that cage. She did move to go inside the straw-lined box there.
I didn't see any poops in that cage or box, but she does have some loose stuff down her backside under her vent.
Okay, just typing this all out has me thinking it's probably an internal laying issue in its beginning stages. Please let me know if you think it might be anything else, with any other remedy for it.
If it's internal laying then I'll let her back in with her flock-mates to finish out her days, when it gets too bad and she gets too uncomfortable I'll gently help her to The Other Side of the Road. I know there are things that some folks do for their hens, some of those things I've tried with no success with other old hens. I'd rather not add to Grayce's troubles by trying them on her.
For the past week or so she has been acting more & more lethargic. When I open their coop in the morning she will be setting on the floor and won't move until I approach her. Then she jumps up & scoots away from me. But she spends more & more time during the day setting on the ground.
It's not a leg issue because she can move well when inspired. She is heavy & free from mites. Her abdomen isn't swollen, mushy, or hard. Her crop is normal. Her breathing is normal, not congested or wheezy. There is no nasal discharge. Her comb is a bit pale.
Fearing it might be something contagious I have her in a separate pen. She ate a bit yesterday when I placed a dish of her favorite, wetted chick starter topped with scratch. She hasn't eaten or drank much today, just setting on the bottom of that cage. She did move to go inside the straw-lined box there.
I didn't see any poops in that cage or box, but she does have some loose stuff down her backside under her vent.
Okay, just typing this all out has me thinking it's probably an internal laying issue in its beginning stages. Please let me know if you think it might be anything else, with any other remedy for it.
If it's internal laying then I'll let her back in with her flock-mates to finish out her days, when it gets too bad and she gets too uncomfortable I'll gently help her to The Other Side of the Road. I know there are things that some folks do for their hens, some of those things I've tried with no success with other old hens. I'd rather not add to Grayce's troubles by trying them on her.
