Poorly Hen

[inplacebo]

Hi,

I need some help, my hen really doesn't look well. Over the past 2 days her appetite has dwindled and she seems depressed and sick. Today I went to let the hens out, she came out, looked at the floor, but wasn't really foraging or doing what hens would normally do. She then sat down and closed her eyes, not acting like her normal self.

I've checked her poo, it seems okay (sort of runny and yellowish) but solid enough not to be deemed as diarrhoea.

In terms of laying, she hasn't laid for several days now. We had issues before when she was trying to lay eggs but they weren't coming out as normal eggs, but soft eggs with no shells. She also got a prolapsed vent, but we had that fixed. I've put my hopes in that she's not trying to lay anymore, especially after several days of not trying to lay. I haven't seen her try to lay an egg so I can't put my finger on that.

That's all I can figure out at the moment, please help.

 

[mustang56]

I'm wondering if perhaps egg or shell is hanging up in her vent...
she might be getting an infection...
I would give her soaking baths in warm water, if you haven't already....
because of the prolapsed vent.....and the way she's acting...
I'd put some antibiotics in her water.... you might want to ask others about that...
but that is what I would do..... I'd also give her molasses off and on during the day for energy.
or poly vi sol with no iron...

 

[inplacebo]

she went into the nest box for an hour no egg. She's come back out and huddled under the vegetation in my garden. Any ideas?

 

[rebrascora]

My guess would be egg bound as suggested by the previous poster. Did you give her a soak in warm water (you can add a teaspoon of Epsom salts to it if you have some) and you could do a gentle internal investigation with a well lubricated gloved finger to feel for an egg and perhaps try to lubricate her vent to help ease it out if there is an egg.

If she has had problems recently with her egg laying then this has to be the most likely cause. You could also give her a quarter of a calcium tablet like Tums.

Good luck with her but I would suggest you need to act quite quickly rather than hoping it will resolve itself. Do be sure to dry her well after bathing particularly if your weather conditions are not hot.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you post some photos of how she stands and lays down?

As suggested above she could be egg bound or suffering from an internal laying/ reproductive disorder, something like Peritonitis, tumors or even cancer.

Give her a soak in some an epsom salt bath, and as suggested, insert a lubricated finger about an inch inside her vent to feel for an egg. If you can, keep her separated in a quiet, calm place.

Offer some calcium (crushed tums) or liquid calcium which can be found at the feed store. If you have them, put some poultry vitamins in her water. For food, give her normal feed, scrambled/hard boiled egg, tuna, mackerel or meat.

Depending on the cause of her illness, antibiotic therapy may help with any secondary infections, with Peritonitis antibiotics may give some comfort/relief but generally are not that effective.

http://www.chickenvet.co.uk/health-and-common-diseases/egg-laying-issues/index.aspx
http://scoopfromthecoop.nutrenaworld.com/tag/laying-issues/
http://www.hobbyfarms.com/livestock-and-pets/6-causes-of-chicken-swollen-abdomen.aspx