Out of character! Is she sick?!

[augustiner05]

Hi!
I have a an approximately 6 month old hen who's acting really strange and out of character. She's the feistiest one of the bunch (we have two others), very loud and dominant. However, this morning, she was very quiet and, when I let her out of the coup, she just laid down on the grass only about a foot away. At first, I just thought she was sunbathing, but then I noticed that she wouldn't open her left eye that often. (When she did open her left eye, I was able to see that it was healthy; not cloudy or crusted at all.)
Later on, she was acting normal and loud and she did lay an egg at around 11:00, but a little later, she was doing the same stuff. She wasn't very interactive with the other hens at all and she just kept laying down and closing her eyes.

Can anyone tell me if something is wrong with her? She was absolutely fine yesterday and she's never done anything like this before.
Thank you so much!

 

[mccabe]

Aloha Augustiner05, Yes, there is something wrong. But she is a chicken. Fowl are so fragile. Isolate her. Give her greens and fresh grain and lots of water, keep her draft free and warm. Check little things...she may have been egg-bound and just got that taken care of. Look for excessive mite infestation (dust her if so), or leg mites, (coat legs with vaseline), keep close watch of eyes; make sure she has no cut, a worm hasn't burrowed in her foot or a nail or something cut her and made an infection. Did she pick up something nasty or something that can't get past her crop? I can't tell you how many times one of mine has gone listless. I isolate, let her rest, feed well, lots of water, and if she gets a bit droopier, i will give a small dose of antibiotics, either tetracycline hydrochloride (little bag of soluble powder is available at the feed store) or a natural antibiotic called bio-active silver hydrosol (at the health food store), both cheap. Then it is up to her.

If she can get out and scratch and get sunshine, she can also pick up things. Just like you and me. She is obviously in good hands. If you do all you can, give them supreme care and attention, even if they die, it is with dignity and peace. That's a lot. Good luck.