Sick hen? Please help

powvachicks

In the Brooder
6 Years
Aug 12, 2013
13
0
22
400

I'm not sure if my hen closest to the camera is sick or not. She is moving a little slower than normal, but mostly just stays still like the pic with her tail up. I hope she doesn't have a stuck egg. Any advice is appreciated.
 
It does look like something is wrong with her. I'd check her for mites (look on the feathers/skin all over the body), injury, discharge from eyes/nostrils, odd breathing noises, and a large or abnormally hard crop. It is also possible that she is going broody.
 
It does look like something is wrong with her. I'd check her for mites (look on the feathers/skin all over the body), injury, discharge from eyes/nostrils, odd breathing noises, and a large or abnormally hard crop. It is also possible that she is going broody.
I agree.
 
I would go ahead and stick a gloved lubricated finger into her vent to check for an egg while feeling of her abdomen. Egg bound hens can have that tail up in the air posture. Make sure she can walk. If you feel an egg, give her 1/2 calcium tablet or Tums crushed, and get her into a hot bath for 30 minutes. Then check all of the above suggestions.
 
We gloved up and checked for an egg inside but didn't feel one. I have given her some water with electrolytes and some oyster shell for calcium. Not sure if there is anything else I can do. Her feathers around her vent appear to be a little yellowed (she is white) but I wasn't sure if it was just poop or perhaps from a yoke??? We gave her a warm bath earlier today which she seemed to enjoy, but I guess we will let her rest tonight and check on her first thing in the morning. Any other suggestions are appreciated and thanks for the help so far!
 
Well it is good that she doesn't appear to be egg bound. Has she had a Mareks vaccination? Try to observer her walking, for instance, take her off away from the run or where she is, and watch her walk back--does she sit back down or walk back? Does she hang out on a nest? Hopefully she just has poo on her vent, and not broken egg. Some mites do only come out at night, so sometimes it help to check in the dark around and under the vent. Check her crop in the morning to make sure it is empty.
 

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