Please Help....

[TheClarksFlock]

Let me get started with the background of my flock and how it got started.
My husband and I bought a house that came with three gorgeous hens (a rhode island red and 2 white leghorns). Since then we have lost sunny, our red, and have grown our flock from 3 to 24.
The problem started with one of my original three.
Now mind you we don't know exactly how old she is. However, we do know her normal routines. Omelet is normally up and doing things that chickens do. She's been laying an egg a day for the past 3 or four months (as we live in Washington).The past few days she has not been roosting but laying in a nesting box at night or in the dirt during the day. She hasn't been laying and is over all lethargic like. Normally, when I go to pick her up she runs away. Today she just let me pick her up. I have isolated her from the flock and made sure everyone else is acting normal. She is supposedly 5 or 6 years old. I just want to know if there is anything I can do to make her comfortable if it is her time and/or things I should do for her. Help!! I am still new to having older hens and so I don't know much when it comes to their changes and things like that.

 

[Blue Raptor]

Let me get started with the background of my flock and how it got started.
My husband and I bought a house that came with three gorgeous hens (a rhode island red and 2 white leghorns). Since then we have lost sunny, our red, and have grown our flock from 3 to 24.
The problem started with one of my original three.
Now mind you we don't know exactly how old she is. However, we do know her normal routines. Omelet is normally up and doing things that chickens do. She's been laying an egg a day for the past 3 or four months (as we live in Washington).The past few days she has not been roosting but laying in a nesting box at night or in the dirt during the day. She hasn't been laying and is over all lethargic like. Normally, when I go to pick her up she runs away. Today she just let me pick her up. I have isolated her from the flock and made sure everyone else is acting normal. She is supposedly 5 or 6 years old. I just want to know if there is anything I can do to make her comfortable if it is her time and/or things I should do for her. Help!! I am still new to having older hens and so I don't know much when it comes to their changes and things like that.

They tend to stop laying, and are a lot calmer and let you pick them up. If she’s being lethargic and not moving around, you might want to check for any other signs of illness.

 

[T-R-O-U-B-L-E]

@Wyorp Rock @azygous

 

[azygous]

This has been only happening the last few days, correct? No problems before this?

In that case, this could be egg binding or some sort of oviduct obstruction. When this is suspected, the first thing we do is give a calcium supplement. One of these directly in the beak to swallow whole. It will encourage contractions to expel the obstruction.

It would be smart to place her in a cage or crate to better keep an eye on her progress. Be sure she has plenty of water to drink and feed if she desires to eat.

 

[aart]

This is what I do when I have a bird that is acting 'off'.
I isolate bird in a wire cage within the coop for a day or two....so I can closely monitor:
-their intake of food and water,
-crop function(checking at night and in morning before providing more feed),
-and their poops.
Feel their abdomen, from below vent to between legs, for squishy or hard swelling.
Check for external parasites or any other abnormalities.

Best to put crate right in coop or run so bird is still 'with' the flock.
I like to use a fold-able wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller mesh(1x2) on bottom of crate under tray.
Then you can put tray underneath crate to better observe droppings without it being stepped in. If smaller mesh is carefully installed, tray can still be used inside crate.

 

[3KillerBs]

Best to put crate right in coop or run so bird is still 'with' the flock.

I'd like to reiterate this.

Chickens are flock animals and can pine away from loneliness without their friends around.