Virginia_Newby
Hatching
- Aug 1, 2022
- 2
- 2
- 4
One of our 2 ½ yr old hens (currently the lightest in our flock) has been extra sleepy and laying down down with her eyes closed the last three days, decreased appetite, feather loss around vent, watery “poop,” pale comb. We have NOT noticed (but could have missed): worms in eggs or poop, obvious signs of mites, redness around vent. I’m embarrassed to admit that she showed signs of diarrhea for a few months (soiled butt feathers)
but was acting fine and we did not address right away.
Since yesterday, we've been offering her some homemade electrolyte mix and scrambled eggs. She's been drinking regularly and passing the clear fluid. She's eaten some of the scrambled egg. (most of an egg yesterday, less than half of one today). As far as we can tell, she’s not been eating any of the layer pellets.We gave her a good soak and rinse yesterday to clean her backside and got some pictures of her vent area. When we were washing her we could see her cloaca pulsating.
She seems to be doing a little better today. She may have laid today. When we washed her yesterday, her abdomen felt like it had a large firm, egg shaped mass in it. This afternoon the mass in her abdomen was still there but smaller (like maybe a second smaller egg).
We've had hot humid weather all week (high's in the mid to upper 90s) until yesterday when it cooled off a bit.
**Edited to add: her comb is still very pale and tail feathers down but she's been standing up whenever I've looked in on her today and even came out (slowly) to join her flock-mates when I brought the scrambled eggs.**
What should we do next? Is this egg binding? Vent gleet? I'm headed to tractor supply to buy vitamin/electrolyte mix. What else can we do?
Thanks!
UPDATE 8/1 : the past two days she was sleeping with head just drooping but today she she had her head tucked in her feathers and we heard that that was a good sign. we noticed twice this morning that this weird clear liquid came out of her mouth (one time was while i was carrying her right after she was eating and the other was while she was eating). She has been eating scrambled eggs and a small amount moistened pellets and drinking an electrolye/probiotic mix in the water. Resting in her own space away from the others. We also gave her an epsom salt bath this morning which she didn't seem bothered by.
Since yesterday, we've been offering her some homemade electrolyte mix and scrambled eggs. She's been drinking regularly and passing the clear fluid. She's eaten some of the scrambled egg. (most of an egg yesterday, less than half of one today). As far as we can tell, she’s not been eating any of the layer pellets.We gave her a good soak and rinse yesterday to clean her backside and got some pictures of her vent area. When we were washing her we could see her cloaca pulsating.
She seems to be doing a little better today. She may have laid today. When we washed her yesterday, her abdomen felt like it had a large firm, egg shaped mass in it. This afternoon the mass in her abdomen was still there but smaller (like maybe a second smaller egg).
We've had hot humid weather all week (high's in the mid to upper 90s) until yesterday when it cooled off a bit.
**Edited to add: her comb is still very pale and tail feathers down but she's been standing up whenever I've looked in on her today and even came out (slowly) to join her flock-mates when I brought the scrambled eggs.**
What should we do next? Is this egg binding? Vent gleet? I'm headed to tractor supply to buy vitamin/electrolyte mix. What else can we do?
Thanks!
UPDATE 8/1 : the past two days she was sleeping with head just drooping but today she she had her head tucked in her feathers and we heard that that was a good sign. we noticed twice this morning that this weird clear liquid came out of her mouth (one time was while i was carrying her right after she was eating and the other was while she was eating). She has been eating scrambled eggs and a small amount moistened pellets and drinking an electrolye/probiotic mix in the water. Resting in her own space away from the others. We also gave her an epsom salt bath this morning which she didn't seem bothered by.
