Sick chicken???

[jojorose8]

Hello. I have a barred rock that is 22 weeks old. She's normally my loudest and most energetic. I went out this afternoon and noticed she was sitting by herself and didn't come running for scratch. I watched her for a while and thought maybe she was getting ready to lay her first egg. Then she slowly walked over by us, checked out the scratch and walked away. I picked her up and sat with her a while. She kept falling asleep. I checked her vent to see if she was egg bound and didn't feel anything. Just in case I gave her about 1/2 a Tums and set her in a warm bath. I also gave her a 1/4 of an aspirin. She seemed a little better so I put her back outside. Now she's just sitting by herself again. Should I be worried? What else can I do?

 

[jojorose8]

Also, I did see her poop and it seemed pretty big but normal. She was fine this morning.

 

[Eggcessive]

She may be getting ready for her first egg, but I would make sure that she is drinking some water and offer some chopped egg for a snack. If she feels bad, she could become dehydrated. Did you insert a finger into her vent and inch or two to feel inside for an egg? Check her crop to see if it is empty, full, hard or puffy. Let us know how she is doing a little later.

 

[jojorose8]

They are all in the coop roosting, including the sick one. Her crop feels empty and it has all day. I did notice her drink some water I had put Sav-A-Chick electrolytes and probiotics in, so that's good. I'll offer her some egg tomorrow morning. Do chickens sometimes act sickly before they lay their first egg?