NEED HELP!! My hen is acting unusual!

[Beau plus penny]

her comb is fairly i would try corrid what do her stools look like

 

[chicken tender lady]

For egg binding 300-600mg of calcium citrate plus d3. Per day for no longer than 7 days. This isn’t a bad idea to give her a dose now since she’s been laying soft eggs. Do they get oyster shell free choice?

She could be getting ready to molt and going through a reset. Sometimes my hens will get crop issues or start laying wonky for a few weeks before they molt. It’s as if the stress of getting ready to molt can cause some issues to pop up. I know that doesn’t really explain the instability. I hope she is just going through something temporary and will pull out of it. You might try getting some vitamins into her if you haven’t already. Perhaps B vitamins particularly, they can help support nerve function.

Okay. I believe chickens can take human or food grade supplements correct? I think I've done this before! I've been thinking about giving her vitamin B. I did have a similar issue with another one of my hens in the past. Wobbly, unstable and I read somewhere that Vitamin B can be helpful. I also just gave my flock in a separate water feeder poultry cell. Which has all kinds of essential vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Hopefully this helps her too. Yes I do give free choice oyster still and I mix a little bit in their feed to make sure my hens get calcium!

That makes sense! I haven't noticed her losing feathers yet but maybe she's getting ready to go through molt! I know molting can be hard on our birds! But I will try to give her calcium citrate and D3. Can I crush it up and give it to her like in her feed?

 

[chicken tender lady]

She does seem just a bit gimpy. Have you checked the bottoms of her feet, esp that right foot?

I thought of this too. Maybe an injury? I will check her feet and legs today or check for sensitivity on her legs and feet!

 

[chicken tender lady]

I agree with the others, it looks like she may have injured herself somehow.

Along with checking bottoms of her feet, gingerly feel up and down her legs if you have already. Look for swelling, bruising and lumps/bumps out of place.

Okay will do! I will throughly check her for almost these things mentioned above. Do you think it's necessary to isolate her from the others? Or should I just keep her under observation and if she gets worse isolate her then?

 

[alinas2010]

her comb is fairly i would try corrid what do her stools look like

I’d be shocked if a hen acting such as Summer needed corrid treatment, but it doesn’t hurt to keep coccidiosis it in the back of your mind.

The good thing about corrid is that it is easily accessible if needed. A lot of times hens as young as 3 months have built up immunity to coccidiosis in the soil around them already.

Okay. I believe chickens can take human or food grade supplements correct? I think I've done this before! I've been thinking about giving her vitamin B. I did have a similar issue with another one of my hens in the past. Wobbly, unstable and I read somewhere that Vitamin B can be helpful. I also just gave my flock in a separate water feeder poultry cell. Which has all kinds of essential vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Hopefully this helps her too. Yes I do give free choice oyster still and I mix a little bit in their feed to make sure my hens get calcium!

That makes sense! I haven't noticed her losing feathers yet but maybe she's getting ready to go through molt! I know molting can be hard on our birds! But I will try to give her calcium citrate and D3. Can I crush it up and give it to her like in her feed?

yes human vitamins are great. You can crush it up and give it to her sprinkled over food if needed, but it is relatively easy to get a chicken to take a pill once you get the hang of it. Gently pull her wattles down, pop the pill in her mouth and let her swallow. Sometimes they’re feisty and I give up and do sprinkle over food, but it’s best to try to get a full dose in when it’s really needed.

Okay will do! I will throughly check her for almost these things mentioned above. Do you think it's necessary to isolate her from the others? Or should I just keep her under observation and if she gets worse isolate her then?

Unless she is getting picked on or kept from food and water, I wouldn’t isolate her. They can get pretty stressed out when they’re separated from the flock and placed somewhere unfamiliar. But do watch that she isn’t getting bullied or kept from food/water. Maybe check on her frequently throughout the day.

 

[chicken tender lady]

her comb is fairly i would try corrid what do her stools look like

Okay. Not sure what fairly means? Lol. I haven't noticed what her stools look like? I'll keep an eye on that when I notice her droppings I'll take a pic and post it on here for further diagnosis.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

will try to give her calcium citrate and D3. Can I crush it up and give it to her like in her feed

No need. Just open her beak by pulling down on her wattles and pop it in. She can swallow it no problem.

Okay will do! I will throughly check her for almost these things mentioned above. Do you think it's necessary to isolate her from the others? Or should I just keep her under observation and if she gets worse isolate her then?

No need to isolate, whatever she may have, all the birds have already been exposed to.

 

[chicken tender lady]

I’d be shocked if a hen acting such as Summer needed corrid treatment, but it doesn’t hurt to keep coccidiosis it in the back of your mind.

The good thing about corrid is that it is easily accessible if needed. A lot of times hens as young as 3 months have built up immunity to coccidiosis in the soil around them already.

yes human vitamins are great. You can crush it up and give it to her sprinkled over food if needed, but it is relatively easy to get a chicken to take a pill once you get the hang of it. Gently pull her wattles down, pop the pill in her mouth and let her swallow. Sometimes they’re feisty and I give up and do sprinkle over food, but it’s best to try to get a full dose in when it’s really needed.


Unless she is getting picked on or kept from food and water, I wouldn’t isolate her. They can get pretty stressed out when they’re separated from the flock and placed somewhere unfamiliar. But do watch that she isn’t getting bullied or kept from food/water. Maybe check on her frequently throughout the day.

Noted. I will keep that in mind if I give her vitamins! Okay sounds good. I will keep corrid in mind. Okay I was thinking the same thing. It's not good to isolate them unless absolutely necessary! Like if they look sick or you suspect they have something contagious! Thanks for all your advice! Hopefully I can get to the bottom of what's going on with her! I will keep you all posted!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

No vitamins during Corid treatment, only afterward.

 

[chicken tender lady]

No vitamins during Corid treatment, only afterward.

Ok thanks. I'll keep that in mind if I treat her with Corrid! Thank you!