Please help, my hen is acting strangely.

[combsrael]

Hello, I have 7 hens and one rooster. I have 2 Buff Orpingtons, 1 White Rock, 4 Golden Comets, and my rooster is a RIR. The Orpingtons, white rock and rooster are about 3 1/2 years old and the comets that were added to the flock a month ago are about 1 1/2 years old. During the last few days my white rock has been acting strange and I think she is sick. She has always been the lead hen, so she has always been the first one to feed in the morning and has always helped my rooster lead the flock. The last few days I have noticed she is hanging back and eating last, she is keeping more to herself in the run and while ranging, when I round them up to put them back in the run and coop at night she is the slowest and last one to go in, her stools are mostly liquid and he feathers in the back are black and she has an odor about her. She is eating and drinking she is last to do it. Also, if I don't let them range in the evening she is the first to roost about an hour or two before everyone else. Last night I did catch one of the other hens pecking at the black stuff in her feathers. The rest of the flock are doing fine. Any ideas on what could be going on?

 

[realsis]

How long has it been since she laid last? Do you notice a discharge from her vent? You said she smelled that can indicate a few things. Is the smell from her face and head or her bottom? Is she breathing normally? Have you noticed any noise when she breathes? Any mucus present.? Are her eyes swollen? Have you brought her inside and cleaned her up to get a better look at her vent? You might want to sperate her and bring her inside. Cleanup her bottom and get a good look at her vent. See if she is discharging anything from it.locate exactly where the smell is coming from. Watch her behavior closely. Is she straining as if to lay? Do a total exam on her and post all findings. Look listen and feel for abnormalities. Once she's clean you might want to do a vent exam to make sure you don'tfeel a stuck egg. Also make sure she's she's not discharging anything from the vent. Feel her abdomen make sure its not hot or swollen with fluid. Check her crop and make sure its emptying. See if that smell is commimg from her crop. After you have checked these things please post what your findings were and then we can be of more help. More information is needed to make a diagonis as to what might be happening with her. So please post what you found upon insecption of these things then we can be of more help to you. Wash her up.listen to her breathing check for mucus. Check her crop feel her abdomen check the vent. Let us know what you find. Find out exactly where the smell is coming from that's going to be a big clue as to what's happening with her. Then let us know what you find. Without checking these things there is not enough information as to what is happening with her to help. So please let us know how these things faired when you checked them. Then we can be of more help. I wish you the best. I'd keep her seperated from the flock inside right now. Once we know a bit more about what's going on hopefully we can help

 

[combsrael]

Thanks for the feedback. She hasn't laid an egg in quite a while. I will give her a bath and inspect her and let you know what I find today.

 

[Eggcessive]

Before you bathe her, try to trim off the poop around her vent. It is hard to get that stuff off unless you cut it out sometimes. Then you can see her bottom more clearly.

 

[Eggcessive]

Also since you added chickens a month ago from somewhere else, they can bring in a strain of coccidia that your other chickens have not built up immunity to, so just keep that in mind. Most of us wouldn't think a 3 year old chicken could still get cocci, but that is how it happens. Internal laying, coccidia, sour crop--those are things to consider.

 

[combsrael]

Thank you. I have given her a bath and let her soak for about 30-45 minutes. I washed her butt really good and still couldn't get all of it off. Her vent itself is clean and pink its the spot just below her vent that is still somewhat crusty but I rubbed and scrubbed so much I was afraid it was irritating her, I checked to see if she was egg bound and there wasn't anything there, she immediately pooped and her abdomen doesn't feel distended or anything. The odor was coming from her rear end. Her comb is red and soft as it is normally. She is breathing normally and I haven't seen any mucus, coughing, sneezing or cloudy eyes. She actually enjoyed the bath she was very quiet and fell asleep while soaking. She even was very relaxed with the hair dryer blowing on her. I have her in a cage right now out in the sun to finish drying. I just don't know what the problem could be. Its her loose stools and odd behavior that has me really concerned. I have some amoxixillian on hand would it be helpcul to start her on it? It was originally prescribed for my rooster when he got a cut on his leg but that has healed so I have a bunch leftbover.