Sick hen- I'm thinking reproductive issue?

[Manedwolfy]

Hello.
One of my black sex link hens, Otulissa, is acting quite bad.
She's been like this for about 3 days. She sits on the roost all day, and never moves, which is very unusual. She usually runs right up to me. She also sometimes lets me pick her up, and she usually never lets me.
She has no eye/nose discharge or anything. On the first day of symptoms, she free ranged a bit, barely moving from her spot and only eating a little. She's hunched back and won't move at all now. I'm going to isolate her, try to give her some yogurt or something, and pick up some NutriDrench.

What do I do now? Oh, and, she's about a year and a half.

 

[PrincessLay-a]

Hello.
One of my black sex link hens, Otulissa, is acting quite bad.
She's been like this for about 3 days. She sits on the roost all day, and never moves, which is very unusual. She usually runs right up to me. She also sometimes lets me pick her up, and she usually never lets me.
She has no eye/nose discharge or anything. On the first day of symptoms, she free ranged a bit, barely moving from her spot and only eating a little. She's hunched back and won't move at all now. I'm going to isolate her, try to give her some yogurt or something, and pick up some NutriDrench.

What do I do now? Oh, and, she's about a year and a half.

Have you checked her vent? I have had a few of hens that have done this before and it is always so hard to identify the issue.

Have you checked her crop? Does her breath smell?
If you think it could be a digestion issue, I would suggest giving her a dosage of salt water to flush out her system and then apple cider vinegar after that.

I hope that helps.
Best wishes to your little lady

 

[dawg53]

It sounds like she is eggbound, not uncommon for sex links. Black Sex Links are one of my favorites.
Soak her in a container of warm water half way up to her sides for about 30 minutes. The warm water will relax her innards making it easier to pass the egg along. Gently massage her underside front to rear while she's soaking. Massaging will help move the egg along.
When the time is up, wear a disposable glove and put a little olive oil just inside her vent and on the outside. This will make it easier for her to lay the egg. You can pat dry her with a towel and/or use a hair dryer.
Sometimes they'll lay the egg in the warm water. Hopefully she'll lay an egg for you soon.

 

[Eggcessive]

When I have had one that stays on the roost inside the coop, they are usually feeling bad. The two most common things I have found are either a laying disorder or a crop problem, and sometimes both. She is at the age when a molt may be near, or has she already molted recently?

Can you feel of her crop and tell us if it is empty, full, hard, doughy, or soft and puffy? Can you also feel of her lower belly by cupping a hand between her legs, and check if she has any enlargement or tightness in her belly? Also, put on a disposable glove if you have one, and insert a finger one inch inside her vent to feel for a stuck egg. Look her over for mites and lice while you are at it, especially under her vent area.

Sometimes they may have a large egg, or a shell-less egg that is hard to pass. It is important to give her some watery chicken feed, and put a little egg in it to get some fluids into her. Let us know what you find.

 

[micstrachan]

I agree you need to che k if she has an egg and knowing her molt status would be very helpful. Do you k ow when she last laid an egg? Can we see a photo of her?

 

[Manedwolfy]

I'm going to check for an egg tomorrow, and some pictures.
No, she has not had her molt yet. If she does have a stuck egg then I will do the bath.

And I forgot: She has not started laying yet. They weren't in good conditions before I got them and they just didn't have proper feed or anything to lay eggs. There have been a couple eggs from one of them, but she hasn't left the roost at all so I'm sure it wasn't her.

 

[micstrachan]

Can you check today? Three days is a LONG time to have an egg stuck and it could kill her. Is she pooping? (not pooping is what could kill her if an egg is blocking its way out.)

 

[micstrachan]

If she’s pooping, I would be less worried. If she hasn’t molted yet, it could be starting. Do you see any of her feathers around? Some of my girls feel so bad when they molt they seem like they will die!
Regardless, a thorough exam would be good. If she screams when you handle her, could be molt. Are your birds used to being handled?

 

[Manedwolfy]

She's pooping. It's pretty watery but she does have some poops.
Also, I didn't mean to put 3 days. It's only been 2 days.
I don't think I can check right now though... It's in the middle of the night with a downpour. The coop is quite the walk away and already locked up. We don't have any Epsom salt for a bath if she is eggbound though, we were going to pick it up tomorrow to do the bath.

 

[Manedwolfy]

They aren't that used to being handled. They usually won't let me hold them. She didn't really like it either but is calmer than usual.
She doesn't scream when I pick her up.