Sick Chicken!! Please help

[BabeMj]

Hi,

I have a chicken who has been on and off lethargic, fluffed up, and not wanting to eat or drink for like 2 months now! Some days she’s okay but most days she just doesn’t have energy like she used to. She also hasn’t laid an egg in about 6-7 months. I believe she is about 4 years old.

She usually is the most energetic and at the top of the pecking order and usually will peck some of the chickens when they go for food but she doesn’t even have the energy for that anymore.

She will eat some veggies early in the day but by mid day she is fluffed up and doesn’t want to move or eat. Please help

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

What does her poop look like? And pictures will help as well-of the bird and the poop

 

[Eggcessive]

At her age and not having laid eggs for 7 months, she may well be suffering from one of the reproductive disorders. Cancer is also common in older hens. Has she lost weight when you pick her up? Can you check her crop early in the morning to see if it is emptying overnight? Also look her over for any lice or mites. What do her poops look like?

 

[BabeMj]

At her age and not having laid eggs for 7 months, she may well be suffering from one of the reproductive disorders. Cancer is also common in older hens. Has she lost weight when you pick her up? Can you check her crop early in the morning to see if it is emptying overnight? Also look her over for any lice or mites. What do her poops look like?

Well we are in the cold weather but it’s uncommon for her not to lay eggs in previous winters. She hasn’t lost much weight. At first she had a protruding vent but we resolved that. Then recently looked to have vent gleet and we fixed that too. I don’t see worms in poop.

 

[Eggcessive]

Many of the 4 year old hens I have had were no longer laying eggs through the winter. Some stopped completely, and some would lay an egg out of the blue occasionally. They can begin to lay internally where the egg pops out into the abdomen, and eventually forms a mass of egg material. About all you can do is to make sure that she is eating a nutritious diet of balanced chicken feed, and limit table scraps. She should have good source of calcium in layer feed, or having a separate container of crushed oyster shell to take as she needs.

Have you checked all of the things I recommended in post 3? That will help to figure out her problems.

 

[BabeMj]

What does her poop look like? And pictures will help as well-of the bird and the poop

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you answer some of the questions we have asked? Are all of her droppings like the latest picture? Are her urates yellow in all droppings?

 

[BabeMj]

Many of the 4 year old hens I have had were no longer laying eggs through the winter. Some stopped completely, and some would lay an egg out of the blue occasionally. They can begin to lay internally where the egg pops out into the abdomen, and eventually forms a mass of egg material. About all you can do is to make sure that she is eating a nutritious diet of balanced chicken feed, and limit table scraps. She should have good source of calcium in layer feed, or having a separate container of crushed oyster shell to take as she needs.

Have you checked all of the things I recommended in post 3? That will help to figure out her problems.

Can you answer some of the questions we have asked? Are all of her droppings like the latest picture? Are her urates yellow in all droppings?

Most of her dropping are like this yes. Not always yellow no. Sorry I’m not very experienced with hens trying my best.

 

[BabeMj]

Can you answer some of the questions we have asked? Are all of her droppings like the latest picture? Are her urates yellow in all droppings?

Actually as of today all of it has been yellow and like this! What do you think that means.

 

[Eggcessive]

The white urates can appear yellow if there is yellow fluid in the dropping. But it you see yellow urates instead of white in all of the droppings, yellow urates can signify liver disease. Liver disease can be common with internal laying, egg yolk peritonitis, cancer, ascites (water belly,) and fatty liver disease.

Make sure that her crop is emptying overnight by checking it in early morning before she eats or drinks. Check her weight often. Try to offer her some wet chicken feed and a bit of scrambled egg to get her eating. I usually hold those up to the beak in a small cup or bowl. When I lose a hen like this, the best way to find out what was happening, is to do a necropsy (autopsy) to look at the organs. We can help if pictures are posted here.