Self-isolating hen

[The Harlequin]

We have nine hens and a cockrell. 5 of the hens and the rooster were raised together and are now 3 years old. We added two buffies and 2 autralorps last autumn.

One of the hens from the original batch is behaving oddly. I imagine she's ill. She's quite, but not desperately, slow. About a week ago she started roosting separately at the back of the pen and has continued to do so (see pic). She's usually on her own in the run; she will join the others when we throw down corn but moves off again to the undergrowth.

We've inspected her. Her backside is a bit of a mess but there are no obvious blockages and she doesn't feel egg-bound. I don't know if she's laying or not: we get between 6 and 8 eggs daily and I believe I can identify 4 as being sufficiently distinctive that they likely come from the new hens, so she may or may not be.

She doesn't appear to be being picked on. Any suggestions of anything to try, or might it just be old age? I believe hens are quite social, so isolating herself is not "normal"?

Thanks

 

[Perris]

self isolating is normal for chickens who are feeling under the weather.
Did you check for lice at the rear end? That sometimes is the cause of a mucky bum.

 

[Eggcessive]

Her tail position is down, so along with separating herself, she may be suffering from a reproductive disorder or infection. Salpingitis, egg yolk peritonitis, and others are possible. Those can be common causes of death in birds over 2-3. I would clean up her vent area to make it less likely for flies to lay maggot larvae on it which can result in flystrike.

I would check her crop to make sure that it is emptying overnight.

Probiotics and feeding her her usual feed and a little scrambled egg bits or tuna to entice her to eat would be good. A vet would be helpful, but if not available, some choose to treat reproductive problems with an antibiotics, such as amoxicillin (FishMox online) or others. Most require an egg withdrawal time.

 

[The Harlequin]

self isolating is normal for chickens who are feeling under the weather.
Did you check for lice at the rear end? That sometimes is the cause of a mucky bum.

Thanks. If she has lice wouldn't the others be suffering also?
Cheers
H

 

[The Harlequin]

Most require an egg withdrawal time.

Hi, thanks for the speedy and helpful suggestions.
May you expand on this please?: "Most require an egg withdrawal time"?

A vet isn't an option, btw.

 

[The Harlequin]

Her cloaca is absolutely swarming with maggots. It looks like Flystrike as described on another site.

 

[Eggcessive]

That is a deadly situation. Get her into a warm soak of Epsom salts water, soapy, or water with disinfectant for 15-20 minutes. Pick off any maggots that do not fall off. Maggots can continue to hatch for a24 hours, so you may need to bathe again later today or tomorrow. Get some Vetericyn Wound spray, or a disinfectant that can be mixed with water to use in a spray bottle. Use it 2-3 times a day. If you can’t do these treatments for the next few days, I would put her down.

 

[Eggcessive]

It would be a good idea to remove her, and check any birds that may have a messy vent. Warm weather and flies can affect chickens with messy bottoms. Treat flies in coop with permethrin spray or fly traps. Here is a good article about flystrike:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/flystrike-in-backyard-chickens-causes/

 

[The Harlequin]

That is a deadly situation. Get her into a warm soak of Epsom salts water, soapy, or water with disinfectant for 15-20 minutes. Pick off any maggots that do not fall off. Maggots can continue to hatch for a24 hours, so you may need to bathe again later today or tomorrow. Get some Vetericyn Wound spray, or a disinfectant that can be mixed with water to use in a spray bottle. Use it 2-3 times a day. If you can’t do these treatments for the next few days, I would put her down.

Thank you, on the case right now!

 

[The Harlequin]

Thank you, on the case right now!

We did all that was suggested but she was so weak at the end of it, we decided to put her out of her misery. Need to be more on the ball next time. Thanks for the wise advice.