sleepy chicken, not going outside, not eating

[Chickenslol]

ok an update: i’ve got her in the basement? i was going to put her in a bin, but it was too small. she’s got a bowl of scrambled eggs and a bowl of feed, as well as a few mealworms sprinkled in. there’s some save a chick in her water. when i went to get her she seemed much more active, but still no difference in the small size of her crop. my main priority is getting her to eat so she can poop and i can rule out worms. she’s definitely making little peeps of noise, and seems healthy except for the not eating and being separated from the flock part

 

[Chickenslol]

she’s eating!!!! only the scrambled eggs for now but i’m going to mix them with the feed so she’ll try that too

 

[Chickenslol]

she’s pooped!!!!

 

[Chickenslol]

she’s pooped!!!!View attachment 2497824

ok here comes the point where i’m not sure what to do. it’s not a parasite, it’s not lice, it’s not a respiratory disease and it’s not an impacted crop. i’m still going with the theory thst the others aren’t letting her eat but i’m worried that i’ll put her back out there and she’ll just go back to the way it was before. what now?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

yes and it was the same as it was last night, small

no droppings, not eating, small crop, almost empty

ok here comes the point where i’m not sure what to do. it’s not a parasite, it’s not lice, it’s not a respiratory disease and it’s not an impacted crop.

Her crop is "small", "almost empty". So...it's not emptying overnight correct?

It was asked if she lays eggs - i may have missed your reply?! Does she lay eggs? Have you felt inside her vent for an egg?

She has no parasites - you mean lice/mites? What about worms? Have you had a fecal float to check for worms?

I would work on getting her hydrated. Re-check that crop first thing in the morning before she's had anything to eat/drink = they crop should be empty/flat after a nights sleep. If it's not empty/flat, then I would be treating fora crop issue - start with coconut oil and read the article linked below.

Keep us posted.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

Try giving her high protien food, like chick starter or meat bird feed for a few weeks and that should help her get some weight put back on.

 

[Chickenslol]

Her crop is "small", "almost empty". So...it's not emptying overnight correct?

It was asked if she lays eggs - i may have missed your reply?! Does she lay eggs? Have you felt inside her vent for an egg?

She has no parasites - you mean lice/mites? What about worms? Have you had a fecal float to check for worms?

I would work on getting her hydrated. Re-check that crop first thing in the morning before she's had anything to eat/drink = they crop should be empty/flat after a nights sleep. If it's not empty/flat, then I would be treating fora crop issue - start with coconut oil and read the article linked below.

Keep us posted.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

when i say small i mean as almost empty, so there’s nothing to empty. we don’t have the vet or money for a fecal float test so the very fact that her poop is normal is what i’m going off of. there’s been no unusual poop at all and i’ve checked everywhere. it’s winter, and we’re getting so little eggs i cannot tell if she’s been laying or the last time she laid. her vent looks normal though. my only issue with the sour crop theory is that until i gave her scrambled eggs and separated her, she wasn’t eating or drinking dinner her crop was completely flat, meaning she was eating, stopped, and her crop kept emptying until it couldn’t. all of the sour crop:impacted crop articles i’ve read say the crop should be big, but hers was like the others in the morning all day, though it got bigger. that’s why i think it’s less of a medical issue and more of a pecking order problem. she can walk and move fine, she just genuinely prefers to be alone and inside, separated from the flock. when she’s not outside she’s sheltering from the wind or fluffed up in the dust bathing area. i’ll check her crop when i let them out in a sec

UPDATE: I checked her crop, it definitely emptied a bit. i wanted to see if she’d eat at all so i had her try some bread cubes (a personal fav of my girls) and she went for it right away. then she actually went down from the roost and went to go fight over the rest of the bread chunks with her sisters. thank god. it seems as though whatever issue she was having is doing better, she’s much more active for the time being. i’ll keep you updated though, chickens are unpredictable. thanks everyone for the help!

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

Great!

 

[Eggcessive]

I would use caution feeding bread to chickens. It can get gummy inside the crop and cause further problems if given often. I would scramble a couple of eggs and feed those. Bits of tuna are also a good treat. Glad to hear that she has eaten and passing droppings. The one in the picture appears very black. Hopefully the others will be more normal. If she seems bullied from food, I would try her inside a wire dog crate with food and water, but keep it inside your coop. That way she remains part of the flock.

 

[Chickenslol]

I would use caution feeding bread to chickens. It can get gummy inside the crop and cause further problems if given often. I would scramble a couple of eggs and feed those. Bits of tuna are also a good treat. Glad to hear that she has eaten and passing droppings. The one in the picture appears very black. Hopefully the others will be more normal. If she seems bullied from food, I would try her inside a wire dog crate with food and water, but keep it inside your coop. That way she remains part of the flock.

yea we learned to not feed them too much bread early. It's mostly a special treat, but it's great for training and I know they'll always go for it in a pinch. My family owns a sourdough bread business so we've always got stale crusts on hand and I know there no preservatives. We're going shopping today so I'll see about tuna. I did notice her droppings were black but I did a little *dissecting* and i didn't see anything unusual.