Sparrow-Song
In the Brooder
- Aug 6, 2022
- 9
- 29
- 37
Ok, so I said that my next post would be introducing my flock, and I got so many positive responses so I’m really excited to get around to that, but unfortunately it’s been delayed a while and in the meantime I have a hen that needs help…
I am hoping that someone on here will have some idea what’s going on, I did a cursory browsing but I’m pretty worried and nothing matched up exactly.
She’s a Rhode Island Red, really pretty hen. I don’t know how old she is, because she and her flock came with our new house. But she’s mature and is a laying hen, I don’t know how her egg production has been lately for sure. She’s a fairly normal weight, from what I can tell, maybe a little lighter than normal.
She’s been sick for a few weeks, I brought it up a while ago but we didn’t get around to it so now it’s gotten worse.
She has a poopy butt. Her stool seems to be smellier and greener than normal, although the consistency is more… porous? I’m not sure how to describe it but it’s more loosely held together but not runny. She also does a lot of panting, and tends to lay down in corners of her coop and just start panting. When I checked on her today, she had poop right behind her, like she pooped laying down and didn’t move afterwards. Also, she wouldn’t leave the coop until I lifted her out, although she did walk when I put her down. But when she did she only walked to another nearby coop, and she did this odd flappy thing, like she was stumbling into it, and laid down inside, panting.
She’s been cohabitating with another Rhode Island Red around her age who hasn’t exhibited any of these symptoms, but it’s probably worth noting that the other gal has a pretty bad case of swollen crop that she’s had for months and isn’t bothered by. Georgia (sick chicken) hasn’t caught this issue despite living together. So neither of them seem to get the other sick, but after today I’m definitely going to separate the other gal so Georgia can rest.
There’s no bleeding or injury that I could tell, or anything. It seems she’s just gotten sick. We have been a little lax about cleaning their coop lately, which is definitely our fault, but that was addressed fairly recently. The coop has quickly gotten smelly and dirty again mostly because of Georgia’s odd poop. We use pine shavings as bedding.
She seems to be eating and drinking normally, but did go to eat immediately when I got her up, so it’s possible she’s usually too tired/ill to get up and do so.
We haven’t done a lot of treatment so far (I think most people in my family have just been hoping it will somehow resolve itself?) and we’re going to go to a vet later today, but I wanted to post just in case anyone had additional advice or counsel or if the vet doesn’t do chickens.
More info about Georgia: she’s a healthy gal who we took out of her old coop because she was getting badly bullied. she has free range of our yard and previously enjoyed roving around and eating grass and greens. She got her coopmate, Charlotte, a few months ago, when Charlotte was separated because of her crop issue. They’ve been in the same coop since, and didn’t seem to fight— my impression is that they mostly ignore each other.
She shares grazing area with the new kids, who are just barely grown up from pullets, if that, with some cockerels and one rooster.
Georgia is a slightly skittish hen but usually lets us pick her up and is fairly friendly. We are hoping she will be able to recover because she’s a favorite of ours, especially of 4 yr old kid.
One of the reasons I haven’t posted flock picks yet is because my phone memory is shot, but I’ll get pics of Georgia and her condition up when I can. EDIT: (like 5 min later lol) did some fixing so I can now add pictures. Georgia moved when I lifted her tail to take pics, which is why she’s up.
TL;DR Free range hen, Rhode Island Red, staying in coop all day, laying down and panting, not moving away from poop which is greenish and strangely porous. She eats when made to move around but has trouble getting up and down from coop, flapped a lot and stumbled into other coop when moved, unsure if she’s still laying eggs. very lethargic, seems to have lost weight.
I am hoping that someone on here will have some idea what’s going on, I did a cursory browsing but I’m pretty worried and nothing matched up exactly.
She’s a Rhode Island Red, really pretty hen. I don’t know how old she is, because she and her flock came with our new house. But she’s mature and is a laying hen, I don’t know how her egg production has been lately for sure. She’s a fairly normal weight, from what I can tell, maybe a little lighter than normal.
She’s been sick for a few weeks, I brought it up a while ago but we didn’t get around to it so now it’s gotten worse.
She has a poopy butt. Her stool seems to be smellier and greener than normal, although the consistency is more… porous? I’m not sure how to describe it but it’s more loosely held together but not runny. She also does a lot of panting, and tends to lay down in corners of her coop and just start panting. When I checked on her today, she had poop right behind her, like she pooped laying down and didn’t move afterwards. Also, she wouldn’t leave the coop until I lifted her out, although she did walk when I put her down. But when she did she only walked to another nearby coop, and she did this odd flappy thing, like she was stumbling into it, and laid down inside, panting.
She’s been cohabitating with another Rhode Island Red around her age who hasn’t exhibited any of these symptoms, but it’s probably worth noting that the other gal has a pretty bad case of swollen crop that she’s had for months and isn’t bothered by. Georgia (sick chicken) hasn’t caught this issue despite living together. So neither of them seem to get the other sick, but after today I’m definitely going to separate the other gal so Georgia can rest.
There’s no bleeding or injury that I could tell, or anything. It seems she’s just gotten sick. We have been a little lax about cleaning their coop lately, which is definitely our fault, but that was addressed fairly recently. The coop has quickly gotten smelly and dirty again mostly because of Georgia’s odd poop. We use pine shavings as bedding.
She seems to be eating and drinking normally, but did go to eat immediately when I got her up, so it’s possible she’s usually too tired/ill to get up and do so.
We haven’t done a lot of treatment so far (I think most people in my family have just been hoping it will somehow resolve itself?) and we’re going to go to a vet later today, but I wanted to post just in case anyone had additional advice or counsel or if the vet doesn’t do chickens.
More info about Georgia: she’s a healthy gal who we took out of her old coop because she was getting badly bullied. she has free range of our yard and previously enjoyed roving around and eating grass and greens. She got her coopmate, Charlotte, a few months ago, when Charlotte was separated because of her crop issue. They’ve been in the same coop since, and didn’t seem to fight— my impression is that they mostly ignore each other.
She shares grazing area with the new kids, who are just barely grown up from pullets, if that, with some cockerels and one rooster.
Georgia is a slightly skittish hen but usually lets us pick her up and is fairly friendly. We are hoping she will be able to recover because she’s a favorite of ours, especially of 4 yr old kid.
One of the reasons I haven’t posted flock picks yet is because my phone memory is shot, but I’ll get pics of Georgia and her condition up when I can. EDIT: (like 5 min later lol) did some fixing so I can now add pictures. Georgia moved when I lifted her tail to take pics, which is why she’s up.
TL;DR Free range hen, Rhode Island Red, staying in coop all day, laying down and panting, not moving away from poop which is greenish and strangely porous. She eats when made to move around but has trouble getting up and down from coop, flapped a lot and stumbled into other coop when moved, unsure if she’s still laying eggs. very lethargic, seems to have lost weight.
