Sick Chicken...

[Colberon]

Went out this morning to find one of my chickens, who I'd say is around 4 years old to be "puffed" up and drinking A LOT of water. When not drinking she would stand with her eyes closed. I brought her in the house and gave her .5 Nutri-Drench and put her in a small cage with food and water in my office with me for the day. She has continued to drink a lot, wouldn't touch her regular food, but ate some tuna. She is having explosive poops that are mostly clear. She layed down in the cage most of the day but would stand up with her eyes closed some too. Her comb is nice and red and she doesn't appear to have mites at this time (has had them in the past). She has a long history of laying VERY thin shelled eggs no matter what we do, including oyster shells, egg max pellets, very few to no treats, D3/Calcium Citrate. I'd say she is the leader of the flock, just got rid of our rooster so still figuring that out, but she is very near the top, therefore is not being picked on. Any thoughts on what this could be and what we can do to help her? I took her back out to the coop (we have two coops, one on each end of a 5X15 run) and I put her in one with the window open and closed the door so she could be alone, the other will sleep in the other coop tonight. She immediately jumped up on the roosting bar. Another side note, we live in Northern Maine but it's been VERY hot and humid here for a couple weeks, high 80's and low 90's.

 

[Tookie]

How full is her crop? Check her crop early in the morning before she eats or drinks anything and see if it emptied.
When was the last time she laid an egg?

 

[Aunt Angus]

I'm sorry your hen is having these issues. Since she has been having egg issues, this could be a reproductive issue. It could just as easily be something else, though: worm overload, something like leukosis, cancer, etc.

Has she lost weight/is her keel bone really palpable? Is there any swelling under her vent? Is her crop function normal, or is it squishy or does it feel like a water-balloon? I would check those things first.

 

[Colberon]

How full is her crop? Check her crop early in the morning before she eats or drinks anything and see if it emptied.
When was the last time she laid an egg?

It wasn't terribly full when I discovered her this morning, but wasn't empty. It's difficult to check before she eats because our run is hooked to the coop and we don't typically close the doors at night. She is alone in the coop tonight and I have food and water with electrolytes in it available in their, but I can take it out. I believe she layed one yesterday or the day before, it's difficult to tell because they are so soft shelled they break in the nesting box just about every time she lays one, I actually wished she stop laying because it makes such a mess, we'd obviously keep her as our pet.

 

[Tookie]

It wasn't terribly full when I discovered her this morning, but wasn't empty. It's difficult to check before she eats because our run is hooked to the coop and we don't typically close the doors at night. She is alone in the coop tonight and I have food and water with electrolytes in it available in their, but I can take it out. I believe she layed one yesterday or the day before, it's difficult to tell because they are so soft shelled they break in the nesting box just about every time she lays one, I actually wished she stop laying because it makes such a mess, we'd obviously keep her as our pet.

I would take food and water away from her for the night and check her crop in the morning.
She might have some sort of reproductive disorder.

 

[Colberon]

I'm sorry your hen is having these issues. Since she has been having egg issues, this could be a reproductive issue. It could just as easily be something else, though: worm overload, something like leukosis, cancer, etc.

Has she lost weight/is her keel bone really palpable? Is there any swelling under her vent? Is her crop function normal, or is it squishy or does it feel like a water-balloon? I would check those things first.

I'm leaning towards worms since they are not free range and we had added pea stone last year, but it had worked it's way into the ground over the winter and spring leaving mud and poop. She seems to have lost some weight recently and some of the other look like they may have as well and some pasty butt. Her crop seemed normal and no swelling under her vent that I could see, I gave her a thorough look over, including her vent, as well as checking her over for parasites.

 

[ChickNanny13]

It's could also be the "heat" ... She's drinking more water, what breed is she?
Since she's having soft shelled eggs, and it sounds like you've been doing all you can. Have you tried oyster shell flour on moisten feed, along with the oyster shells & layer feed. Not sure what it's called but have read there is a suppository or injectable (Vet) to halt laying, like a birth control.

You could try some moistening some cat food, tuna is good too ... attempting to getting her to eat. Nutri Drench or Rooster Booster Poultry Cell good supplement. Check her weight and monitor her crop ... Check her poop ... You're been given good advice but it would be great if they could "talk".

 

[Colberon]

It's could also be the "heat" ... She's drinking more water, what breed is she?
Since she's having soft shelled eggs, and it sounds like you've been doing all you can. Have you tried oyster shell flour on moisten feed, along with the oyster shells & layer feed. Not sure what it's called but have read there is a suppository or injectable (Vet) to halt laying, like a birth control.

You could try some moistening some cat food, tuna is good too ... attempting to getting her to eat. Nutri Drench or Rooster Booster Poultry Cell good supplement. Check her weight and monitor her crop ... Check her poop ... You're been given good advice but it would be great if they could "talk".

She's a white leghorn, I've never heard of oyster shell flour, I'll have to look for it, I'd be super interested in the med to halt egg laying and I totally told my husband today I wish she could tell me what is wrong.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Found some on Amazon ... Another thing I do is the Oyster Shells I offer (100%) leaves a fine dust & small particles. I sift the shells with a strainer, collecting the fall out; put the shells in a separate dish & sprinkle the "dust" not the feed which I ferment.

I have one that has soft shell issues but it's been good ... The others eat it but I feed Flock Raiser (not layer) so thinking they're ok and will eat the OS as they need ... My thinking.