Little background for you- I have a backyard flock of 5 hens, all about 15 months old. No previous injuries or issues to note.
About a month ago, one of my barred rocks started looking "depressed." It's important to note that she doesn't necessarily act depressed all of the time: She leaves the coop with the rest of the girls, scratches, foraging, eats, drinks, poops, dustbathes, enjoys treats, runs to us, etc. In fact, she still beats the rest of the girls to a fresh worm or butterfly.
The concerning stuff: About half of the day, she is seen in a kind of hunched position with her eyes closed. It looks a little like sleeping while standing. She hasn't laid an egg in many days (10+ days?), has lost all color in her comb and wattles, her comb is actually laying down more than it used to (see pictures). Since her last weigh-in in April, she has lost one pound. She also goes to roost at night a good 2 hours before the rest of the girls, while there's still plenty of sunlight.
We've looked at her poop under the microscope- no worms. We've put her in a tub to soak, but that didn't seem to do anything. We've examined and palpated her belly and vent area (with the thought of an impacted egg), but we didn't notice anything abnormal.
The posted pictures are of her with her eyes closed, pale features, and body position. There's also a picture of her "twin" to show what she normally looks like. Up until a month ago, it was very difficult to tell them apart, but you'll notice the differences now.
We've been adding Corid to the water, but haven't noticed a change. Any thoughts are appreciated!
About a month ago, one of my barred rocks started looking "depressed." It's important to note that she doesn't necessarily act depressed all of the time: She leaves the coop with the rest of the girls, scratches, foraging, eats, drinks, poops, dustbathes, enjoys treats, runs to us, etc. In fact, she still beats the rest of the girls to a fresh worm or butterfly.
The concerning stuff: About half of the day, she is seen in a kind of hunched position with her eyes closed. It looks a little like sleeping while standing. She hasn't laid an egg in many days (10+ days?), has lost all color in her comb and wattles, her comb is actually laying down more than it used to (see pictures). Since her last weigh-in in April, she has lost one pound. She also goes to roost at night a good 2 hours before the rest of the girls, while there's still plenty of sunlight.
We've looked at her poop under the microscope- no worms. We've put her in a tub to soak, but that didn't seem to do anything. We've examined and palpated her belly and vent area (with the thought of an impacted egg), but we didn't notice anything abnormal.
The posted pictures are of her with her eyes closed, pale features, and body position. There's also a picture of her "twin" to show what she normally looks like. Up until a month ago, it was very difficult to tell them apart, but you'll notice the differences now.
We've been adding Corid to the water, but haven't noticed a change. Any thoughts are appreciated!
