Low Energy Hen

[mrswalker]

What do you do when your hen is doing all the normal functional things but still seems off? Not lethargic, exactly, but noticeably quiet and low-key? She hid for the first time ever the other day. (Perched, not on a nest, just sitting in the dark.)

No fluttering or balancing when I pick her up or move her around, which isn't usual for her.

I brought her inside for an epsom salt bath, no signs of injury, mites, etc. Eating, drinking, pooping, moving around, but somehow just not herself. I'm waiting for her to lay an egg before I let her go back outside but something just feels wrong. She's just not perky like normal. What would you do?

 

[rosemarythyme]

If you have any Poultry Nutri-Drench on hand, I'd give them a few drops directly to the lower beak. It's just a pick-me-up but if I have a hen that's just feeling "bleh" with no other obvious signs of problems it helps perk them up.

 

[aart]

When I have a bird that is acting 'off' this is what I do:
I isolate bird in a wire cage within the coop for a day or two....so I can closely monitor:
-their intake of food and water,
-crop function(checking at night and in morning before providing more feed),
-and their poops.
Feel their abdomen, from below vent to between legs, for squishy or hard swelling. Check for external parasites or any other abnormalities.

Best to put crate right in coop or run so bird is still 'with' the flock.
I like to use a fold-able wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller mesh(1x2) on bottom of crate under tray.
Then you can put tray underneath crate to better observe droppings without it being stepped in. If smaller mesh is carefully installed, tray can still be used inside crate.