Please Help! Urgent!!!

[chickenperson77]

My 3 year old buff orpington hen won't move much and is hardly eating. She started this yesterday and is still doing it. She just lays down and doesn't really move or eat. She has gotten worse. She doesn't appear sick just she won't move or eat much. PLEAE HELP!! I have no idea what is wrong with her.

 

[sbhkma]

Is she in the nest box? How is her comb color? Are her eyes bright or dull? Have you checked to see if she might be eggbound? and welcome to BYC. Unfortunate this is the circumstance but I'm sure someone here can advise. It's a great group of chicken-folk!

 

[Farmer Pete]

I think sbhkma is right. It sounds like she may be egg bound. Keep us posted, the more the information the better, sbhkma's questions were a good place to start.

 

[seminolewind]

If she doesn't "look" sick, is she maybe broody? What happens if you pick her up and place her outside? BO's are very business like about being broody.

Otherwise, if she looks sick, it may be something else.

 

[chickenperson77]

She's not in her nesting box she's just in the ground. And the rest of my chickens seem fine. I have noticed she has lost a lot of weight. She did lay an egg on the floor yesterday. She's getting worse.

 

[chickenperson77]

Does anybody have any ideas what could be wrong? I'm clueless?!
•she's not broody
•she's laying down and won't move except if I physically move her
•she's not eating much or drinking
•I put the vitamin packet thing in her water
• she did lay an egg yesterday
•appears fine
•color is fading lighter
•comb appeares fine

 

[Brookliner]

I would keep her warm and check her over. You might weigh her and one of your other hens about her same size to see if she is under weight. Have you wormed your chickens? If not you could take a sample of her poop to a vet for testing for parasites..any vet can do the test. If she is wormy use safeguard (don't use wazine it only does one kind of worm). Look her over especially under her wings and around her vent for signs of lice or mites. Are her legs ok. She may not want to stand if she has hurt a leg. You can do an advanced search in the disease section for worming, lice , mites or what ever you find during your examination. Good luck. Let us know what you find. Perhaps post a picture. There are some very knowledgable people on this site.

 

[chickenperson77]

I've never wormed my chickens but do they come wormed when you get them or is that something you have to do yourself? And I checked her poop there was no worms. An her poop was watery and looked like egg yolk. She did walk out her cage when I let them free range. Any ideas?

 

[lizanne]

Is her crop full or empty? I had a hen that died a while back from an impacted crop. I noticed she was getting a little thin, but her crop was full whenever I checked it. By the time I tried to treat her it was too late. She just got weaker and weaker. I probably could have saved her if I had caught it sooner.

 

[lizanne]

Her crop is where the food goes after she eats.