I have 13 spunky hens (mixed breeds) and one handsome rooster. The hens range in age from almost 2 years to about 9 months. They are free-range, but have a spacious coop to roost in at night.
This is a mystery to me, so I will try to offer as much of a description as possible:
Yesterday afternoon while we were outside doing yard work, I noticed that one of our rhode island reds (almost 2 yrs. old) was acting unusual. She was sitting still, and not moving about and/or scratching for food. I picked her up and her crop was pretty empty and she had poor coloring. I immediately brought her into the house and got her set-up in the bathroom in a cardboard box. I mixed up some honey and water and she drank a little bit. I mixed up some bread, olive oil and garlic and she ate some (usually a favorite). I then tried giving her some feed mixed with water and she seemed to really enjoy that. So, at first this TLC seemed to be helping. However, as I watched her longer, I noticed that she will hold her wings out from her body (like they do when hot). She was doing this on and off.
By the end of the night, her crop was full, and she had pooped, which looked fairly normal. Her coloring had improved. This morning I cleaned out her box, put some hard-boiled egg mixed with feed and water and went off to work. I left her in the house b/c her strength was still quite low.
When I returned home, she had definitely pooped quite a bit, but did not seem to have touched her food. She was still holding her wings out from her body (on and off), and would not eat anything except a bit of lettuce. She is very lethargic, and clearly does not have an appetite. I tried everything! She would literally walk away from the food/move her head away. However, she would perk up when hearing the other hens outside (window was open). So, I brought her outside and watched her. Rather than drinking from the waterer right in front of her, she walked all the way down the hill to the little creek and stood there seemingly taking a drink now and again. She then slowly walked back up to the coop. She had a bit of trouble getting up the ramp, which shows how weak she is. When she got inside I picked her up and placed her on the roost b/c I knew she could not make that jump. She stood there with her wings held out for a few seconds and then finally settled down.
What could these symptoms mean? What should I do?
I have never lost a hen and I certainly hope this is not my first! I want to try everything I can to help this little one!
Any help would be most appreciated.
This is a mystery to me, so I will try to offer as much of a description as possible:
Yesterday afternoon while we were outside doing yard work, I noticed that one of our rhode island reds (almost 2 yrs. old) was acting unusual. She was sitting still, and not moving about and/or scratching for food. I picked her up and her crop was pretty empty and she had poor coloring. I immediately brought her into the house and got her set-up in the bathroom in a cardboard box. I mixed up some honey and water and she drank a little bit. I mixed up some bread, olive oil and garlic and she ate some (usually a favorite). I then tried giving her some feed mixed with water and she seemed to really enjoy that. So, at first this TLC seemed to be helping. However, as I watched her longer, I noticed that she will hold her wings out from her body (like they do when hot). She was doing this on and off.
By the end of the night, her crop was full, and she had pooped, which looked fairly normal. Her coloring had improved. This morning I cleaned out her box, put some hard-boiled egg mixed with feed and water and went off to work. I left her in the house b/c her strength was still quite low.
When I returned home, she had definitely pooped quite a bit, but did not seem to have touched her food. She was still holding her wings out from her body (on and off), and would not eat anything except a bit of lettuce. She is very lethargic, and clearly does not have an appetite. I tried everything! She would literally walk away from the food/move her head away. However, she would perk up when hearing the other hens outside (window was open). So, I brought her outside and watched her. Rather than drinking from the waterer right in front of her, she walked all the way down the hill to the little creek and stood there seemingly taking a drink now and again. She then slowly walked back up to the coop. She had a bit of trouble getting up the ramp, which shows how weak she is. When she got inside I picked her up and placed her on the roost b/c I knew she could not make that jump. She stood there with her wings held out for a few seconds and then finally settled down.
What could these symptoms mean? What should I do?
I have never lost a hen and I certainly hope this is not my first! I want to try everything I can to help this little one!
Any help would be most appreciated.
