**NEED HELP** New hen losing weight and holding wings out???

[chic hens]

Hello everyone,
I have a young Black Sex-Link hen that has just recently started laying. I noticed her holding her wings out to the sides slightly last week a couple of times but thought perhaps she was cooling herself in our unusually hot winter here in Florida. Last night I noticed her doing it again on the roosting pole, so I picked her up and was shocked to feel her breast bone!! She has definitely lost weight. Her appetite seems normal, she acts normal, foraging and chasing bugs, and loves her treats and an occasional finger...ouch.

A bit of a back story...I went to a Farm Swap in January (UGH!! yes, I have learned my lesson...OH! and another valuable lesson: never trust anyone that says, "yeah! stick 'em in there with your chickens at night and they'll be just fine in the morning."...thus exposing everyone to sneezing and wheezing. yay).

It was my new rooster that showed signs of wheezing and sneezing first. I isolated him for 10 days and administered antibiotics (Tetroxy) starting on Feb 2nd. He showed some improvement and then I had 5 hens start sneezing. So Tetroxy for everyone! Everyone seems healthy...a few occasional sneezes from the rooster. The only wheezing I hear is from my rooster, when I have to chase him around 4 acres to put him up earlier than he thinks he should go in.

I am using Bragg's ACV in their water. Epsom salts in their pellets. Butter milk or yogurt, spinach or romaine lettuce, oatmeal, brown or white rice, strawberries, apples or grapes, and wheat bran mash at night.

Seven Dust and Diamatious Earth in the coup and in their dust bathing areas.

I have not wormed yet. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thank you everyone for any help you can offer!!

 

[Rennuke]

Sounds like your doing good on their diet. You could try feeding her some garlic, and puting some oil in with there feed (don't use corn oil it's probably GMO). And if your in to herbs and the problem is worms or bacteria you can put some black walnut tincture in there water.

 

[Chickengirl47]

My chickens do that to. Well my buff orpington does not, i wonder what they are doing? Its weird.

 

[chic hens]

Thanks for the comments guys!

I added the garlic and olive oil...a new favorite.

I found several other hens holding their wings out and what looked like panting. It was a crazy hot day. Just not sure about the weight loss. What could be going on? Could it be worms??

Oh! And for an extra nice surprise I found a nasty and VERY stinky bum on one of my hens. :/ She is really messy around her vent. It is red on one side and has yellow sticky poop. A lot of her feathers looked matted together. She is a Black Cochin with loads of feathers so I didn't notice until I picked her up to check her over for weight loss, mites, etc. What the heck is wrong with her bum? Is this Vent Gleet?

 

[Rennuke]

Was the one with the stinky bum the one that started holding her wings out first? Are the other ones holding there wings out losing wate to ?
As to Vent Gleet you can check the vent and see if there the droppings stick to the vent feathers. If it is Vent Gleet you shouldn't haft to worry for your birds as it doesn’t spread much if others start having the same symptoms it's probably something else.
Something else you could do is put some apple cider vinegar in there water.
hope this helps.

 

[chic hens]

Hi Rennuke,
Thanks for the reply!
No she isn't one of the hens that is holding her wings out.
The other hens holding their wings out are not losing weight. Although one of them is still fairly young and still growing and putting on weight so I don't know if that is normal to feel the breast bone while they are still young. I got my original hens when they were a couple years old and they are heavy girls, so I am unfamiliar with having young chicks.

 

[Rennuke]

Well from what you said I guess it sounds like if it’s really that hot out the holding the wings out is probably just from the heat.
As to the weight some chickens like Road Island Reds are just very thin.
And younger ones are more prone to it than older ones. What kind of chickens do you have anyway?

 

[chic hens]

It must have been the heat because she hasn't done it in a couple of days. Plus we got a cold snap so it's been nice cool weather.
My gang consists of 2 barred rocks, 2 americaunas, a polish, a cochin, a new hampshire, my black sex link and a VERY fortunate salmon faverolle rooster who was almost dinner tonight.
I was really wanting to add an astralorpe and silver laced (foxes got mine a couple years ago) but the wonderful rooster I bought introduced some kind of "cold" with occasional sneezing and wheezing. Actually, thinking back now...my girls never really got sick...I wonder if THEY are the carriers??? Ugh!! Either way, I dont want to expose anyone else. All because I had someone one tell me..."all ya gotta do is put them in the coup at night. They'll wake up in the morni g and be fine." :/

 

[silkiemomma28]

I read a post on BYC that called garlic, Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar, and Diamatious Earth the Holy Trinity for chicken health! I immediately began to add the recommended amount of Oganic Apple Cider vinegar to their water, chopped up garlic (which they LOVE), and was already using the diamatious earth. My bantam silkes are happy and healthy! I want to keep that that way, organically! Thank you, whomever that was that posted that!

 

[afarrington2]

My chickens do that to. Well my buff orpington does not, i wonder what they are doing? Its weird.

Chickens hold their wings out when they are overheating......