Sick or Broody Hen

[JeanieCoop]

Hi everyone. I have a hen who has been showing lethargic behavior for several days, but was not sitting in a nesting box. She tried to stick with the flock but as time went on she stayed in the opened coop. I was concerned she had fly strike as I saw poop on her butt. I gave her an epsom salt bath and cleaned her up; but her vent looked normal. The vent color was not pink, more pinkish to milky coloring (is that okay?) She seems/looks puffy. No runny nose or watering eyes. Not eating much or drinking as far as I can tell. She is pooping broody looking poops, runny white with green. Her comb is a little purplish at the tips (I learned that is a sign of not get enough oxygen...?). She's been in my bathroom since Sunday afternoon (this is Friday 10/10/2025). I have tried giving her electrolites with vit B12 supplement through a syringe, she takes a little bit from it. She's not wheezing, but when I pick her up I can hear a little rattling in her breath. I cooked an egg for her, not interested. She is quarentined in my bathroom, and has food and water... so is she being ultra broody or is she sick? I read that chickens will only last 3-4 days without food or water, is this true? We are on day 5 of these symptoms, no better, no worse. Anyone have thoughts or ideas please comment! Thank you

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi everyone. I have a hen who has been showing lethargic behavior for several days, but was not sitting in a nesting box. She tried to stick with the flock but as time went on she stayed in the opened coop. I was concerned she had fly strike as I saw poop on her butt. I gave her an epsom salt bath and cleaned her up; but her vent looked normal. The vent color was not pink, more pinkish to milky coloring (is that okay?) She seems/looks puffy. No runny nose or watering eyes. Not eating much or drinking as far as I can tell. She is pooping broody looking poops, runny white with green. Her comb is a little purplish at the tips (I learned that is a sign of not get enough oxygen...?). She's been in my bathroom since Sunday afternoon (this is Friday 10/10/2025). I have tried giving her electrolites with vit B12 supplement through a syringe, she takes a little bit from it. She's not wheezing, but when I pick her up I can hear a little rattling in her breath. I cooked an egg for her, not interested. She is quarentined in my bathroom, and has food and water... so is she being ultra broody or is she sick? I read that chickens will only last 3-4 days without food or water, is this true? We are on day 5 of these symptoms, no better, no worse. Anyone have thoughts or ideas please comment! Thank you

Do you have photos of her and her poop?

It sounds more like she's not well than broody.

Since she's not laying eggs and should have, you can try giving her 300mg Calcium Citrate+D3 once daily for a week to see if she expels and egg or lash material.

Check her crop to make sure it's emptying overnight.

With the comb turning a bit purple along with a rattle sound when picked up, feel her abdomen below the vent between her legs to see if it's tight like a drum or bloated. Possible she may have some fluid in the abdomen that can be drained to give short term relief or she may have a reproductive disorder brewing. It can be hard to know.

Observe for lice/mites and consider getting a fecal float to see is she may benefit from deworming.

Work on hydration, then offer wet mushy feed.

 

[JeanieCoop]

Do you have photos of her and her poop?

It sounds more like she's not well than broody.

Since she's not laying eggs and should have, you can try giving her 300mg Calcium Citrate+D3 once daily for a week to see if she expels and egg or lash material.

Check her crop to make sure it's emptying overnight.

With the comb turning a bit purple along with a rattle sound when picked up, feel her abdomen below the vent between her legs to see if it's tight like a drum or bloated. Possible she may have some fluid in the abdomen that can be drained to give short term relief or she may have a reproductive disorder brewing. It can be hard to know.

Observe for lice/mites and consider getting a fecal float to see is she may benefit from deworming.

Work on hydration, then offer wet mushy feed.

Thank you for you reply...she is alive. She has been drinking electrolyte water with vit.B12 added on her own, and has been pecking at the crumble. I soft boiled an egg but she wasn't interested in it. I tried a small piece of baked salmon, but she wouldnt take it. She pecked at a little seed mix. I tried bringing her back to flock this evening, but the top hen was dominating her. When the girls went back to the coop she wasnt in the coop with them. I went in the house, about 15 minutes later she pecked on my sliding glass door, wanting in (smart girl!), so she's back in the house. I didn't hear the rattling in her breath like I did last time.

I'll try the Ca citrate. Her abdomen feels bloated, her poops are still white with green. I dont know what her crop would feel like if its empty. How would I get flid to be drained from her abdomen? Can chickens be depressed?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you for you reply...she is alive. She has been drinking electrolyte water with vit.B12 added on her own, and has been pecking at the crumble. I soft boiled an egg but she wasn't interested in it. I tried a small piece of baked salmon, but she wouldnt take it. She pecked at a little seed mix. I tried bringing her back to flock this evening, but the top hen was dominating her. When the girls went back to the coop she wasnt in the coop with them. I went in the house, about 15 minutes later she pecked on my sliding glass door, wanting in (smart girl!), so she's back in the house. I didn't hear the rattling in her breath like I did last time.

I'll try the Ca citrate. Her abdomen feels bloated, her poops are still white with green. I dont know what her crop would feel like if its empty. How would I get flid to be drained from her abdomen? Can chickens be depressed?

Once a hen has been separated out from the flock, often it's a challenge to reintroduce them, they can be viewed as a newbie or intruder. Once she's better, try a see no touch method like caging her within the coop or run so they can become more familiar with one another. The Top Hen is doing her job, I know it can be hard to watch, but unless she's being beaten up badly and injured, letting it play out (with you just monitoring) can be helpful. The Top Hen is making sure the "newbie" knows her place. Now, some Top Hens can be quite overt too, so monitor closely.

To check the crop, feel of it when she goes to roost, then first thing in the morning before she's had anything to eat/drink. At night, you should be the crop fairly full if she's been eating/drinking well. (If she's really eating good, the crop may feel very firm and quite large like a tennis ball).
In the morning, before she eats/drinks, feel the crop again, it should feel flat or empty.
The crop is on the right side of the breast, it's like a elastic pouch that holds food/water to be processed. It can feel fuller/emptier during certain times of the day, this is normal due to eating/drinking and of course processing of foods and pooping. The best way to gauge function is morning after a full night's sleep and the bird has been processing food(s) overnight.

Not hearing the rattling a good. She may be somewhat naturally reabsorbing some to the fluid and expelling it from the body, it's hard to know.
Draining is done with a needle, there's a video below.

Alternatively IF the fluid is not too severe, you can try giving an Aloe Detox which may help with the reduction in the fluid.

IF she's having respiratory distress, having a hard time walking/moving, the comb is turning purple, etc. then draining can sometimes give that temporary relief, then you can see if a maintenance of Detox may be beneficial.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...le-to-move-now-laid-egg.1446105/post-24045478