chickfused
Songster
- Aug 1, 2021
- 862
- 1,499
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She's about 8 months old, has been laying for the past 1.5 months, consistently every day, to 2 days. In fact, I'm incubating some fertile eggs of hers right now.
Someone popped out a shelless egg yesterday, and it could have been her, she didn't lay, and she's the only one acting bad out of the whole flock.
She went to bed early last night, up on the roost, all fluffed up. It was very cold, and she's barely bigger than a banty, so I didn't think much of it. When I opened the door this morning, she didn't come running. When I got her down off the roost, she was very cold (it was 14F overnight) and she ran and hid under some cover.
She is bullied mercilessly after her rooster died a couple of weeks ago, but I could tell she didn't feel well. Fearing hypothermia, I brought her inside by the fire and put her in a safe pen and got her warmed up. She became more alert, but was still acting...very wrong.
Tail drooping, standing stock still in one spot, wings drooping, back hunched, but alert. I noticed her crop had not emptied overnight and seems doughy. She (and the other chickens) apparently gorged themselves on whole feed corn over the past 2 days when out ranging. No sour smell. She let out several poops over today, one small cecalish, one runny with clear liquid, green bits, and white bits. And one runny greenish poo. Eyes and nose clear, no coughing, sneezing, etc. No lice or mites that I can see. She's normally chatty and isn't making a single sound.
She doesn't seem to want to sit, just stands around. Will run or walk if encouraged. Her tail seems to be pumping ever so slightly, but when I feel her abdomen I cannot feel an egg, and I pulled her tail up to actually watch her cloaca and it doesn't seem to be opening and closing. I put a gloved and vaselined finger into her vent about 1" and didn't feel anything, but didn't want to dig around too much in case we're dealing with a soft egg. It's possible she's just exhausted and breathing hard and that's where it's easiest to see. She is drinking quite a bit, but doesn't seem very interested in food. I gave her some Corid in case it's coccidia, but that seems an odd diagnoses when literally everything is frozen solid.
I'm considering giving her a Tums and lubing up the vent with a syringe in case it's an egg situation, and she is currently in a chicken hospital pen in my warm office where she will stay until she passes or recovers. But I'm open to anyone's thoughts if you've any to share. I'm pretty sure I'm going to lose her.
Edit: She's started sitting/standing/sitting/standing in the hospital pen. I'm not sure if it's because she's weak or feels safe/warm. Or maybe she's trying to pass an egg. I just can't tell.
Someone popped out a shelless egg yesterday, and it could have been her, she didn't lay, and she's the only one acting bad out of the whole flock.
She went to bed early last night, up on the roost, all fluffed up. It was very cold, and she's barely bigger than a banty, so I didn't think much of it. When I opened the door this morning, she didn't come running. When I got her down off the roost, she was very cold (it was 14F overnight) and she ran and hid under some cover.
She is bullied mercilessly after her rooster died a couple of weeks ago, but I could tell she didn't feel well. Fearing hypothermia, I brought her inside by the fire and put her in a safe pen and got her warmed up. She became more alert, but was still acting...very wrong.
Tail drooping, standing stock still in one spot, wings drooping, back hunched, but alert. I noticed her crop had not emptied overnight and seems doughy. She (and the other chickens) apparently gorged themselves on whole feed corn over the past 2 days when out ranging. No sour smell. She let out several poops over today, one small cecalish, one runny with clear liquid, green bits, and white bits. And one runny greenish poo. Eyes and nose clear, no coughing, sneezing, etc. No lice or mites that I can see. She's normally chatty and isn't making a single sound.
She doesn't seem to want to sit, just stands around. Will run or walk if encouraged. Her tail seems to be pumping ever so slightly, but when I feel her abdomen I cannot feel an egg, and I pulled her tail up to actually watch her cloaca and it doesn't seem to be opening and closing. I put a gloved and vaselined finger into her vent about 1" and didn't feel anything, but didn't want to dig around too much in case we're dealing with a soft egg. It's possible she's just exhausted and breathing hard and that's where it's easiest to see. She is drinking quite a bit, but doesn't seem very interested in food. I gave her some Corid in case it's coccidia, but that seems an odd diagnoses when literally everything is frozen solid.
I'm considering giving her a Tums and lubing up the vent with a syringe in case it's an egg situation, and she is currently in a chicken hospital pen in my warm office where she will stay until she passes or recovers. But I'm open to anyone's thoughts if you've any to share. I'm pretty sure I'm going to lose her.
Edit: She's started sitting/standing/sitting/standing in the hospital pen. I'm not sure if it's because she's weak or feels safe/warm. Or maybe she's trying to pass an egg. I just can't tell.
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She _seems_ to be getting slightly more comfortable too. But I've had enough chickens to know they often rally really well and sink like stones.
