PLEASE HELP Hen Looking Sleepy/Not Moving

sp123

In the Brooder
Mar 10, 2018
6
1
11
Hey there, my barred rock bantam hen is barely moving and looks very sleepy and stumbling. Her feathers look kind of ruffled and a bit yellowed. Please help! I am afraid she is going to die. What could be causing this?
 
I'm sorry to hear about your hen.

Can you post some photos of what she looks like now with the yellowed feathers and ruffled appearance?
What does her poop look like?
How old is she?
How long have you had her?
What type of food/treats do you feed?
If she is of laying age, when was the last time she laid an egg?

Hopefully with a little more information we will be able to give you better suggestions.
 
Inspect her closely for external parasites, especially around the vent. Take a fecal sample to a vet and get it checked for worm eggs, also cocci overload on the microscopic slide.
As mentioned, when did she last lay an egg? If she is egg impacted, she wont survive.
 
Inspect her closely for external parasites, especially around the vent. Take a fecal sample to a vet and get it checked for worm eggs, also cocci overload on the microscopic slide.
As mentioned, when did she last lay an egg? If she is egg impacted, she wont survive.
Do you really take fecal sample to vet every time you suspect a illness?I love my chickens but they are still chickens.If they get sick 90% of time nothing vet can do to save them.Its waste of money.For cost of 1 vet visit you can buy flock of chickens.
 
Do you really take fecal sample to vet every time you suspect a illness?

No, but if they haven't been wormed recently and internal parasites (either worms or coccidia) may be the problem, then it makes sense to have them tested. A faecal float should not be expensive (here in the UK it is about £10 at a specialist lab that accepts samples through a mail order service and often provides next day results..... a vet may charge a bit more) and well worth having a "flock sample" routinely read rather than pumping chemicals into them if they don't need them and having to dispose of eggs afterwards in my opinion.
For cost of 1 vet visit you can buy flock of chickens
The vet should not need to see the chicken to do a faecal float and if they insist, then find an alternative service provider. Cat and dog vets should be able to do this test without having knowledge of chickens. State Agricultural Diagnostic labs in the USA should also provide this service, probably cheaper than a veterinary practice.

Many people are very emotionally attached to their chickens and the idea of culling them when sick and replacing them purely on the financial terms is offensive. Of course many people may find it shocking to pay hundreds of dollars on vets fees for a chicken, or even a dog for that matter, but what people choose to do with their money is their own choice. If people come here wanting advice on a sick chicken, then presumably they do not want to be told to just wring it's neck and get a replacement. Without seeing the chicken, it is very hard to determine what is wrong with it (indeed, it is still pretty difficult if you can examine it) so suggesting getting a pretty basic test done to confirm or rule out parasitic overload makes a lot of sense unless the bird has an obvious injury or illness. I don't have money to spend on veterinary fees for my chickens, so I have done lots of reading and research, but I still use this service to check for internal parasites..... I also perform my own necropsies and check the digestive tract of any that die or are processed for roundworms and keep a close eye out for them whilst cleaning the poop boards. To me I would rather spend money on the test than on medication and waste eggs.
 
Hey there, my barred rock bantam hen is barely moving and looks very sleepy and stumbling. Her feathers look kind of ruffled and a bit yellowed. Please help! I am afraid she is going to die. What could be causing this?
Welcome to BYC! Sorry your hen is sick. In addition to the other advice already given, I suggest that you place her n a room or cage that's 80-85 degrees because almost all sck birds will be hypothermic (too cold).
 
Do you really take fecal sample to vet every time you suspect a illness?I love my chickens but they are still chickens.If they get sick 90% of time nothing vet can do to save them.Its waste of money.For cost of 1 vet visit you can buy flock of chickens.
The symptoms mentioned in post #1 match symptoms of a possible parasite problem which can be treated rather cheaply by sp123.
I agree with you about the cost of a vet visit, too expensive, and chickens are chickens. However a simple fecal test is about $20-$25, that's all that's needed.
If it comes to certain illnesses or something internal I cant treat...I cull. No problem.
 
I spent my summers at my Grandmothers farm.She raised chickens,peacocks,sheep,goats,pigs,horses and cattle.I can remember she had same routine when dealing with any sick animal.We separate sick animal from the rest give it antibiotics and if it didn't show signs of improvement within a day or 2 we put it down.If animals showed improvement with antibiotics she would keep treating animal but always kept it quarantined for 2 weeks.I can remember how sad she was having to put down her favorite goat.I tried to talk her out of it but she said "can't risk the lives of all animals trying to save one"
 

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