Little Hen seems tired and listless

[Poonchie's Mama]

I am brand new here! I just got 16 chickens. I have a hen and rooster Old English (bantam). Everything has been fine, but yesterday I noticed that when I let them out, she seemed to go off by herself and sleep. She would tuck her beak in under her wing and sleep, all by herself. One of my other chickens seems concerned about her. She just hung around her and gave her a little peck once in awhile. This morning, my DH went out to let them out and said she had her wings pointed down, like a turkey strutting he said. I think she is about 5 mo. old. I have been feeding layer crumbles. Please help!

 

[kinnip]

First, separate her from the others. Be ready to keep her separated for a few days. There's a fine line between a little pecking and intentional injury.
There is a sticky post at the top of the Emergencies page that has some questions which will help with diagnosis. Post your answers back here.

 

[Poonchie's Mama]

Well, I will try to answer the questions the best I can. ..
She seems to be eating fine, she had some scratch this morning and gobbeled it right up. I have not examined her poo yet, I will do that tonight, as well as confine her. They are in a brand new coop with pine shaving bedding. I have not done anything yet treat her. I have read the lists of medicine cabinet things to have, and will be stopping at the feed store on my way home from work.

 

[kinnip]

Is her crop full in the morning (it should be empty)? Do they have access to dirt/sand/grit? Looking at the poo (scatology) is really important. Once she's separated you'll have an easier time knowing which is hers. Some poly-vi-sol drops will help-- three drops on the beak twice a day. Have you noticed any of the others acting odd? Have you checked the birds and their housing for mites or lice? It may be as simple as giving a wormer or just waiting it out, so don't give any antibiotics until you're sure of what's going on.

 

[Poonchie's Mama]

I have not checked her crop, and I will be able to seperate her tonight when I get home. I will then be able to take a look at the poo.
Yes, I have a little dish of grit for them if they need it, and they wander around the yard where there are pebbles.
The other birds all seem fine.
I just got them on Thursday, so the coop is very clean. I have been in there, getting things organized, and I have not noticed any bugs.
Shall I worm them? Will it hurt them if the previous owner already did?

 

[Poonchie's Mama]

Can someone tell me if I should worm them?

 

[kinnip]

I wouldn't worm yet. There are a couple of schools of thought here. Some folks feel like animals should be wormed regularly and that, if you worm one, you should worm them all. I don't do either of those things. I only worm when I think it's necessary and I don't always worm everyone (this particular point is hotly disputed and needs to be considered on a case by case basis). There are some wormers that have lost their efficacy in certain regions due to overuse. If you are going to medicate only when necessary, it will do you good to start doing fecal exams on your birds. a vet can do one quite inexpensively and without an appointment, just bag the poo and take it to their office. I do my own fecals. It's really easy, you get to play scientist, and after the initial cost of about $100, it costs nothing. This is a great page for instructions and a list of supplies. I went through the same lab surplus dealer that is referenced here, and was quite happy. The site itself is dedicated to goats, but fecals are run the same way. When it comes time to look for oocyts, you'll want to use a search engine like google image search using the latin names of the buggies you're looking for. You'll find ample photos. Some other good resources to have on hand are Gail Damerow's Chicken Health Handbook and the Merck Veterinary Manual. Both are available at Amazon.

 

[Poonchie's Mama]

Okay, my plan of attack will be to get some poly drops, and to seperate her from the rest. I will have an update later tonight! Thank you so much for your help!

 

[kinnip]

One more thing-- don't get the drops with added iron. Too much iron is lethal.

 

[Poonchie's Mama]

Well, I got her to take a little of the vitamins. I tried to confine her, but she flipped out. I figured she would probably hurt herself if I kept her like that. I fed her (and all the others) some yogurt which they REALLY enjoyed! I put a smaller chick feeder in the coop in case she has been getting bullied and not getting to eat. Im not sure what else to do!? I was thinking, do you think it's just because she is cold? I dont know how well that type of chicken does with the cold. Its been 60 degrees during the day and 45 at night. She just seems like such a little dainty girl.