- Aug 6, 2014
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Sorry for long post trying to give as much info as possible. I'll do a proper intro later but right now I need to get this figured out!
I have 6 chickens, all allaying hens (2 Isa Browns, 2 Buff Orphingtons, and 2 Rhode Island Reds). I got them all at the same time as day old chicks, and they are 13 or 14 weeks old today. Up until this point I have had 0 problems and they have all been very healthy and happy. They are pretty much "free range", have a brand new nice coop in a 38x38 fenced area for them to roam around in, they have constant fresh water and shade available in it. They were given organic non medicated started feed until about 10 weeks old, which I still thrown them a handful of every now and then. None of them are laying yet.
Last night I got home after working 13 hours and went to shut up the coop at about 9pm. The hens always go into the coop at night on their own. 5 were in the coop, and there was 1 Isa Brown sitting down under the ramp of the coop. The 5 other hens were perfectly normal and fine and inside the coop. I went to pick her up to put her in the coop and immediately could tell something was different. She basically seems weak and or lethargic, not your typical chicken when picking her up. If you go to put her down she goes right to sitting. I did notice that she seemed to be favoring her right leg, but after setting her down and observing for a minute she would walk a little bit, but very slowly and not much.
I'm new to chickens, but after some internet searching I did what I could. I checked for evidence of mites and/or lice and could find none. I could not find any blood or sign of a struggle or an attack. There was dried mud and/or poop on her underside above her vent that was stuck in her feathers which I cleaned off of her, almost as if she had been sitting in something for to long. I felt around to see if I thought she was egg bound but couldn't feel anything, I also held her over steam to relax her vent for a few minutes and nothing seemed to change. She kept shutting her eyes, seemed very lethargic, and would not eat or drink when put in front of her. Since they don't get feed they go crazy over it, and even that didn't perk her up and she wouldn't take any.
I decided to keep her in a box with some food and water in the garage for the night. This morning when I inspected her she seemed the same. She was in the same spot as I put her, food and water looked un touched, she seemed very lethargic. There was some poop under her which I looked at and it pretty much looked the same as usual from what I could tell. I was able to gently tilt her head into the water bowl and take a few sips, but she wouldn't drink on her own without me tilting her beak into the water. I had to go to work but she seemed so weak that I'm not sure she'll make it through the day.
IM AT A LOSS, PLEASE HELP WITH ANY IDEAS OR OTHER THINGS I CAN DO TO TRY AND HELP HER. THANK YOU!
I have 6 chickens, all allaying hens (2 Isa Browns, 2 Buff Orphingtons, and 2 Rhode Island Reds). I got them all at the same time as day old chicks, and they are 13 or 14 weeks old today. Up until this point I have had 0 problems and they have all been very healthy and happy. They are pretty much "free range", have a brand new nice coop in a 38x38 fenced area for them to roam around in, they have constant fresh water and shade available in it. They were given organic non medicated started feed until about 10 weeks old, which I still thrown them a handful of every now and then. None of them are laying yet.
Last night I got home after working 13 hours and went to shut up the coop at about 9pm. The hens always go into the coop at night on their own. 5 were in the coop, and there was 1 Isa Brown sitting down under the ramp of the coop. The 5 other hens were perfectly normal and fine and inside the coop. I went to pick her up to put her in the coop and immediately could tell something was different. She basically seems weak and or lethargic, not your typical chicken when picking her up. If you go to put her down she goes right to sitting. I did notice that she seemed to be favoring her right leg, but after setting her down and observing for a minute she would walk a little bit, but very slowly and not much.
I'm new to chickens, but after some internet searching I did what I could. I checked for evidence of mites and/or lice and could find none. I could not find any blood or sign of a struggle or an attack. There was dried mud and/or poop on her underside above her vent that was stuck in her feathers which I cleaned off of her, almost as if she had been sitting in something for to long. I felt around to see if I thought she was egg bound but couldn't feel anything, I also held her over steam to relax her vent for a few minutes and nothing seemed to change. She kept shutting her eyes, seemed very lethargic, and would not eat or drink when put in front of her. Since they don't get feed they go crazy over it, and even that didn't perk her up and she wouldn't take any.
I decided to keep her in a box with some food and water in the garage for the night. This morning when I inspected her she seemed the same. She was in the same spot as I put her, food and water looked un touched, she seemed very lethargic. There was some poop under her which I looked at and it pretty much looked the same as usual from what I could tell. I was able to gently tilt her head into the water bowl and take a few sips, but she wouldn't drink on her own without me tilting her beak into the water. I had to go to work but she seemed so weak that I'm not sure she'll make it through the day.
IM AT A LOSS, PLEASE HELP WITH ANY IDEAS OR OTHER THINGS I CAN DO TO TRY AND HELP HER. THANK YOU!
