Sick Hen

[Lettledarlin]

I have a sick hen. I do not know what is wrong with her but I am afraid she will die. She is listless, lays with her eyes closed at times, does not eat hardly at all. She does drink some. I brought her inside yesterday and checked internally for broken eggs but found none. BUT when I hold her there is what looks like egg white that drips from her to the floor. I have her in a dog crate and she is sitting. Is it possible she is egg bound and I just can't feel it? Her abdomen is red, hot and looks swollen. She has pulled a lot of her feathers out in that area but she does not sit on the nest. She goes into the roost 45 minutes before the rest and gets on the roost and stays there.We have had very hot weather and at first thought she was heat stressed. I made electrolites and have fed her those. Any idea's?

 

[GitaBooks]

I'm sorry to hear about your hen.

I'm not sure what the problem is. The symptoms sound like egg binding, the leaking lubricants and the inability to stand. But if you can't feel the egg, perhaps it is stuck further back in the track. If that is the case, I would think only a vet could remove it. Still, sometimes they manage to pass it on their own or with a little assistance from their owner.

It could possibly be another problem, such as an infection of the reproductive track, in which case some sort of antibiotics should help.

Sorry I couldn't help more. I hope she gets better.

 

[Lettledarlin]

Thank you for your response. I am going to keep her inside for awhile and just keep checking her. I may get her some antibiotics as well. Not really sure what is going on with her.

 

[aart]

How old is she?
What breed?
Is she normally a good layer?
Is the 'egg white' substance coming from her vent or her beak?

 

[Lettledarlin]

I decided to make up some electrolyte solution and brought her inside and forced her to drink. She finally started acting better and by last evening she was eating again and drinking. Today she is back to normal! Thank you all for responding.

 

[GitaBooks]

Awesome!