Just laying around the chicken yard —

[jBabychickn]

I have a 3yr old Silked Easter Egger who’s the Head Hen of our little flock.
Pippa is normally quite active with a bright personality; however, today is Day 3 of her preferring to lay around the chicken yard instead of being her little Head Hen self…
She does get up to drink and eat occasionally through the day. She does still interact with the flock, here & there, like when another hen laid her egg earlier today and everyone chimed-in with her Egg song, so did she…But, then she’s right back to laying down. — This is not her normal behavior.

I’ve checked her all over for mites & lice.
I’ve palpated her body; her belly isn’t hard or squishy fluid-filled.
I DID feel a prominent Keel Bone.
I put on gloves and used some KY jelly to assess inside her vent.
I felt in about 1 1/2 to 2 inches deep and I didn’t feel an egg or anything abnormal.
I should mention that she hasn’t laid in a week. She usually lays 4-5 eggs per week.
I listened for & watched for labored breathing, I did not see any signs of her having trouble with breathing.
Her poops seem normal
The rest of the flock is doing well.

As of yesterday, I’ve added Poultry Cell to the flocks water.
I was thinking of tonight, before her roost,
I should dose her with some Poultry Cell orally, as even though I saw her drinking today, I doubt it was as much as she usually does.

My only thought is to perhaps worm the flock, as I haven’t wormed them yet this year. I usually do it around Nov/Dec.
I do have Valbazen on hand.

Anyone else agree?

Would this be a safe course of action if she happens to be sick with something else?
I don’t want to do anything to make her worse, of course…

Thanks!

 

[coach723]

Any signs of molt? This time of year it's common and sometimes they don't eat well or feel well. Any pin feathers coming in anywhere? Molt will also stop her from laying until it's complete.

 

[CoopBoots]

Just some additional data points that might be helpful:

Poop appearance?
Does crop seem full/round/large before bed and flattened first thing in the morning?
Any signs of molt beginning?

Pictures can help assess how she's feeling as well; is she "puffy" at all or just laying with smooth feathers like usual?

 

[jBabychickn]

Any signs of molt? This time of year it's common and sometimes they don't eat well or feel well. Any pin feathers coming in anywhere? Molt will also stop her from laying until it's complete.

Thank you, great question. No, I’m not seeing that from her. - I don’t notice any shedding of feathers, nor did I notice any new pin feathers during my overall feather assessment/looking her over for mites & lice…

 

[jBabychickn]

Just some additional data points that might be helpful:

Poop appearance?
Does crop seem full/round/large before bed and flattened first thing in the morning?
Any signs of molt beginning?

Pictures can help assess how she's feeling as well; is she "puffy" at all or just laying with smooth feathers like usual?

I will do an assessment of her crop tonight & in the AM and then I will update the thread.

Poops seem normal; they are dark blue right now as they had blueberries recently

She isn’t puffy, her feathers are flat and smooth while laying down.
She isn’t broody. However, she was a few weeks ago.

What types of signs do you tend to see at the “beginning” of a molt?

 

[CoopBoots]

What types of signs do you tend to see at the “beginning” of a molt?

For me, it's suddenly more feathers in the yard and coop (if she's a unique color in the yard that can help; if she isn't that at least tells you that some of your birds are probably starting), seeing pin feathers sprout from bare backs or any other sparse areas, standing around more than foraging (which can sometimes include laying around more than usual but if I note a change as dramatic as yours, I start considering other possibilities), and a decline in egg production.

 

[jBabychickn]

I have a video clip from their pen. They usually have full access to their pen & coops along with most of the backyard, but we had a thunderstorm coming so I put them up early today.

I was able to get this footage of her —
She’s the “White Silkie/Cross” that you will see trying to eat from their picnic table in the middle of the pen. Then you will see her walk a bit and sit. Then walk a bit, then sit…

Just click here:
VIDEO CLIP

 

[jBabychickn]

For me, it's suddenly more feathers in the yard and coop (if she's a unique color in the yard that can help; if she isn't that at least tells you that some of your birds are probably starting), seeing pin feathers sprout from bare backs or any other sparse areas, standing around more than foraging (which can sometimes include laying around more than usual but if I note a change as dramatic as yours, I start considering other possibilities), and a decline in egg production.

Okay, yeah. Then, she’s not molting right now.
I did have a few do a soft molt recently, but not her

 

[CoopBoots]

I'm sure you'll get better responses soon, but my current thought is to check the crop at roost time, then morning, just to ensure it isn't sour or impacted. I've treated for coccidiosis when I had nothing else to go on with my runt-hen went lethargic last year; she chose a safe spot and just laid there nearly all day and while I knew something was up, I didn't have other symptoms aside from loss of appetite, vigor, and her desire to rest. Still don't know if I was correct in my guess, but she came through just fine so at least it didn't do any harm. I used Corvid from my local TSC and treated the entire flock to be safe as they were all still pretty young.

Worming I have far less experience with but I also think it's a good guess. If you want to be sure, a fecal float test can give you better info (since worm infection doesn't always leave visible evidence for us to observe.)

I'm still a little concerned about the cessation of laying so suddenly if she isn't molting. I'd rather someone else weigh in on that possibility though, as I'm not experienced enough to know how much you can or should treat for at once.

 

[coach723]

Worming is pretty safe in general. Sometimes you would not want to worm a very sick bird unless you know for certain that is the issue. But having said that, I deal with roundworm all the time and if I get a sick bird, crop back ups, I will often worm as I know that it can be an issue in my flock. I haven't hurt or killed one yet by worming them. She doesn't look like she has coccidiosis, and I would think you would be seeing more severe symptoms or changes in droppings if it were that. Sometimes it can be hard to narrow down. I would definitely check her crop function, and keep an eye on her. Let us know what you find on that in the morning. Also could be something reproductive, those are often hard to diagnose until there is something obvious. Check where she is roosting tonight after dark, and then get a good look at her droppings left overnight. Do they have access to oystershell for calcium?
Often the first signs of new feathers/pin feathers are around the face/head/neck, around the vent, or under the wings.