I know this gets asked a million times, but my hen has quite specific symptoms, so I'm hoping someone can shed some light as to what could wrong and how to proceed...
My brown shaver, Poppy, is roughly 4 years old but hasn't laid an egg for about a year, apart from a couple of slightly misshapen ones, However she has always been very energetic, happy and eating/drinking and pooping fine. But for the last four days she has been extremely lethargic, generally keeping her eyes shut, isolating herself from the group, keeping her feathers puffed up and her tail feathers down to the ground. I bought her inside and she has been in a dog crate in my bathroom. I have noticed she is barely pooping and when she does it is green, white and sloppy. She still has her appetite, but won't make an effort to get and up get food, only if it is right in front of her will she bother eating or drinking. I have had her on a diet of water with olive oil, and yoghurt with a bit of garlic mixed in. She doesn't seem to be getting worse, but she's not any better either.
When I feel around her vent I can feel a hard lump underneath her next to her right leg, that made me think she was egg bound - but if she really was egg bound, wouldn't she have passed away by now? I read egg bound chooks rarely last 48 hours. My other thought is she could have a tumour or liver problems...
Just wondering what you all think. My local vet doesn't specialise in poultry, and rural vets are very pricey here. I don't want to pay hundreds of dollars jut to be told she needs to be put down. But I also don't want t go ahead and have her put down if it's something she could spring back from!! ARHG!
Chickens huh
My brown shaver, Poppy, is roughly 4 years old but hasn't laid an egg for about a year, apart from a couple of slightly misshapen ones, However she has always been very energetic, happy and eating/drinking and pooping fine. But for the last four days she has been extremely lethargic, generally keeping her eyes shut, isolating herself from the group, keeping her feathers puffed up and her tail feathers down to the ground. I bought her inside and she has been in a dog crate in my bathroom. I have noticed she is barely pooping and when she does it is green, white and sloppy. She still has her appetite, but won't make an effort to get and up get food, only if it is right in front of her will she bother eating or drinking. I have had her on a diet of water with olive oil, and yoghurt with a bit of garlic mixed in. She doesn't seem to be getting worse, but she's not any better either.
When I feel around her vent I can feel a hard lump underneath her next to her right leg, that made me think she was egg bound - but if she really was egg bound, wouldn't she have passed away by now? I read egg bound chooks rarely last 48 hours. My other thought is she could have a tumour or liver problems...
Just wondering what you all think. My local vet doesn't specialise in poultry, and rural vets are very pricey here. I don't want to pay hundreds of dollars jut to be told she needs to be put down. But I also don't want t go ahead and have her put down if it's something she could spring back from!! ARHG!
Chickens huh
