1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.) Sussex Hen, 8 months old, weight is normal 2) What is the behavior, exactly. She is laying down, puffed up, very listless, with her eyes closed or half closed. Unsteady on her feet, lacks balance. Breathing sounds a bit labored, but not much. She went outside this morning, and I noticed she was laying down outside (unusual). WHen I got home from work I opened the coop door, and she was right next to the door and didn't get up or move. I picked her up and she didn't budge when I was reaching for her. She is not "laid out", she is sitting like she would sit in the nest box, upright with head pulled close to her body. She doesn't seem interested in walking around, and cannot get up on the roost, since she is so unsteady to even walk. 3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms? One day (today - 2/7/12) 4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms? Not currently 5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma? [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]no.[/FONT] 6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation. I do not know 7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all. Egg layer feed, scratch, apples, wheat bread. DOes NOT drink. 8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc. I do not know right now. 9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far? She is isloated in the house where is it 68 degrees in a quiet room. 10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet? Would like to treat myself 11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help. 12) Describe the housing/bedding in use. chickens are in a 8x10 coop that is well ventilated, without drafts. THey have shavings for bedding that I pick and turn every few days.
So sorry for your loss... If you can, have your hen necropsied so that you will know what went wrong. Most states have a lab that will do them for free or for a small fee. At least then you will know what happened and if the rest of your birds are in danger. Again, sorry for your loss...
Was she eggbound? My hen acted just like that. She had egg remains built up inside and it got really hard and she could not get it out. We had to cull her before she suffered any more with it I would have describerd every single symptom just like you did. Hope it does not happen again, sorry for the loss of your girl!
How old was your hen? I had a 6mo old pullet that just died last night after exhibiting these same symptoms (she wasn't acting like she was trying to lay an egg, though). I suspect egg binding but am not sure I'm able to get her body to Columbia (2hrs away) for necropsy. No idea why Clemson university's POULTRY PROGRAM can't do it for me.
Sorry you lost her... Sounds like egg binding to me. I would suggest joining your states thread, Or even a busy state thread like Washington's or Michigan's, cuz there are always quick responses...
Thanks everyone for your input. It is so sad if it was egg bound. I didn't soak her in hot water, but I did put her under a heat lamp. By the second day she wouldn't swallow the electrolyte water I was dripping in her mouth with a syringe. As I described in my original post, a few (2 hens, 1 rooster) are losing feathers on their backs?? I have gone out to look for mites/lice at night a few times, but I just don't SEE anything. I read that you want to distinguish between Northern fowl mite and red mite before treating because the treatment is different for each. Does anyone have recommendations for a regular mite/lice dusting schedule? Or do you just treat on an as needed basis? I put DE in the shavings in the coop, on the roosts, and in their dusting area regularly already. They are "free range" most of the time. THey have only had to stay inside like 3 times this winter, due to really cold temps. Could it maybe be pecking? Any ideas of what can be going on here with the feather loss on their backs? I will poat.
