Need help!

Lee21

Chirping
Sep 28, 2015
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Hi guys I have a Rhode Island Red hen that is usually active and greedy but since yesterday is lethargic and not wanting to eat. She still moves around a little bit and occassionly pecks at the ground. And her poop is green. What could be wrong with her? I'm still new to chickens and don't know what to do. Thanks.
 
It could be a number of things. You’ll need to go through a process of elimination. Start with a exam.
Could it be her crop?
Does it feel squishy & big?
Does her breath smell bad?
Is it emptying properly?
To check her crop you’ll need to check all the things above. Then bring her in for the night to withhold food and water OR take up all the food and water in the coop. And check her first thing in the
Morning.
Check crops are full right before bed time. They load up on food to last while they sleep. In the morning a good functioning crop will be empty. Actually hard to find.
Is she laying eggs?
How old is she?
What do you feed your chickens?
What type of treats?
 
Thanks. Her crop seems to be emptying. I felt her crop a moment ago and it had some food in it. But they have been outside for about 2hrs already. No bad breath. The day before last she laid a shellless egg. She has done this before and had no side effects. About 2. A standard layer mix and scratch. The get kitchen vegetable and fruit scraps and sometimes brown bread. I felt for egg binding but didn't find anything. I don't think it's an injury or parasites. But she was limping a while ago. When I checked in her beak to see if anything was a miss I did see a black patch on the roof of her mouth. Is this normal?
 
Hi guys I have a Rhode Island Red hen that is usually active and greedy but since yesterday is lethargic and not wanting to eat. She still moves around a little bit and occassionly pecks at the ground. And her poop is green. What could be wrong with her? I'm still new to chickens and don't know what to do. Thanks.

The day before last she laid a shellless egg......But she was limping a while ago. When I checked in her beak to see if anything was a miss I did see a black patch on the roof of her mouth. Is this normal?
Hi @Lee21
Can you post some photos of your hen, her poop and the black patch on the roof of her mouth. It would really be helpful to see that patch.

You mention that she laid a shell less egg, did you notice if she has any discharge from her vent? Was the shell less egg "whole" as in it did not break/spill the contents when she laid it?
Re-check her crop first thing in the morning to make sure it's empty.

Where are you located (state/country)?
I would get some poultry vitamins into her along with extra calcium. You can use TUMS or 1/2 tablet human calcium like Caltrate.
Get her drinking first, then offer her some wet feed.
 
I'll see what I can do about photos. It was whole until she decided to to eat it. I didn't see any discharge. I'll recheck her crop in the morning. I'm based in Kwazulu Natal South Africa. I'll try what you have suggested.
 
The other shellless was a while ago. I can't remember exactly when. About 2 years old. No the limp is no longer a problem. Something I forgot to mention was that it has been very hot here over the last three days and with the research I've done it looks like it might be heat stress. When I go to catch her she still runs like the dickens and protests when I pick her up. She seems to be eating as her crop is fuller than when I checked it earlier.
 
I'll see what I can do about photos. It was whole until she decided to to eat it. I didn't see any discharge. I'll recheck her crop in the morning. I'm based in Kwazulu Natal South Africa. I'll try what you have suggested.

The other shellless was a while ago. I can't remember exactly when. About 2 years old. No the limp is no longer a problem. Something I forgot to mention was that it has been very hot here over the last three days and with the research I've done it looks like it might be heat stress. When I go to catch her she still runs like the dickens and protests when I pick her up. She seems to be eating as her crop is fuller than when I checked it earlier.
It could be heat stress. Watch to see if she's drinking and finding a shady spot. If you have electrolytes, I would offer those for 1-2 days to see if that helps.
 
Hi guys I have a Rhode Island Red hen that is usually active and greedy but since yesterday is lethargic and not wanting to eat. She still moves around a little bit and occassionly pecks at the ground. And her poop is green. What could be wrong with her? I'm still new to chickens and don't know what to do. Thanks.
@casportpony
 

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