Panting and keeping to self

[Jess718]

Hi all- very new chicken owner here. My girls are about 10 months old. Today when I went out to check on them, my girl Pickles was laying down in the corner of the run panting. She didn’t move as I picked her up to check her over. My girls let me hold them but she wasn't moving at all. Until I know what is going on, I brought her into the garage in a makeshift plastic tub coop. I don’t know if this was right or not.

The other two are acting very normal and look fine. So Pickles is panting but I don’t see any discharge, her eyes look fine and she is alert. I don’t see any injuries to her feet and she did get up and walk fine when I gave treats to the other two. I think her comb looks okay- reddish and not pale and sticking up. I did hold her up to water and she took some long drinks. I took a look at her vent and it doesn’t look crusty or anything. I don’t see signs of any bugs or mites.

What is my next step?

 

[OneHappyDuckie]

Did you feel to see if she's eggbound? What's the weather like where you live?

 

[Jess718]

Weather has been freezing but the last couple of days more mild. It was 60 today. Def not a heat issue.

I’ve not checked for egg bound. I did read how to do it but I’m nervous. If that could be it then I’ll do that next.

 

[Jess718]

Okay so I don’t feel anything. But I don’t know if I’m checking correctly.

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

Is your girl still laying regularly? You can't always feel an egg in the vent with egg binding and if you think that;s a possibility you can give her a calcium supplement (it will help to pass the egg if that is the problem and won't hurt if it's not).

I'd keep her inside overnight to check her crop functioning. Take away food and water when she goes to bed and check first thing in the morning before giving back food and water to make sure her crop is empty. Also take note of how hungry and thirsty she seems and what her poop looks like.

Check her again really thoroughly for any sign of injury. Also check her mouth/throat as best you can for blockages, lesions, or anything unusual.

Posting a picture so we can see her posture might be helpful.

 

[Jess718]

I believe she is laying regularly, but it is hard to tell. They tend to be laying less right now so I don’t see eggs from each everyday necessarily.

I will remove the food and water. Thank you for that suggestion. I also just added some calcium to the food so she will have that in the morning.

I’ll look her over again closely. How the heck do I get a chicken to open her mouth for me lol. Is there a trick? Poor girl. I feel like I’m poking all over her and she doesn’t feel well.

Her posture is strange. She’s laying but looks uncomfortable to me.

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

Do you have any calcium supplements like calcium citrate or Tums? If so I would give her one now.

Most chickens will open their mouths if you gently hold their comb near their beak with one hand and pull down on their wattles with the other. Some are even easier and will open up if you lightly pinch your fingers on either side of their beak at the corners.

Run your hand over her body looking for any reaction from her. Slip a hand under her to check her belly for signs of swelling/squishiness or any lumps.

 

[Jess718]

Thank you for all of the advice.

I tried to get her to eat some calcium but she wasn’t super into it. I’ll try again in the morning. She opened her mouth easily when I did what you said! I didn’t see anything. I felt her over again and didn’t find anything wrong. She is cooing and talking to me like normal.

I will check her crop tomorrow morning. And then I’ll give her the tums.

 

[Eggcessive]

The calcium would be best to give tonight if she is egg bound. She will swallow it if you break it in two and pop it in her mouth. Let her have some sips of water, then remove it for the night.

 

[Jess718]

Done. Gave her the calcium - I opened her mouth and she ate it right down.

I took the food and water away so I will check her in the morning.

Thank you!