sleepy hen, any thoughts?

[capow21]

I have a Wyandotte hen that's almost a year old that hasn't totally been herself lately. She has been standing around kind of puffed up throughout the day for the past few days. She eats their chicken food, greens, worms, bugs, and is drinking. She follows the others around, but after grazing for a while she gets all puffed up, sinks her head in and closes her eyes for a while like she needs a nap. And I saw her do like a yawn two or three times. I saw her poop twice today. They were small, but normal consistency and fairly normal color, maybe a little more green than it should be, but I also think she's eating more grass than anything. Her crop seems fine to me. She's really hard to catch though, so I've only had my hands on her once. She is also kind of moulting. She still has some feathers coming in on her head and neck and her rear. I'm going to try and catch her again to see if I find any mites or lice on her. Could lethargy be a symptom of that? I checked one other hen who I can catch and I didn't' see any lice or mites, but I understand they can be hard to see. They have ACV in their water and they also have consumed a little DE, so I really don't think internal parasites is a problem.

Any ideas or suggestions if I find no sign of mites or lice?

 

[LaynaDon95]

Has she laid an egg recently? Could she be egg bound?

 

[capow21]

I don't think she is laying right now, because she started moulting a few weeks ago. I'm wondering if she has a sour crop. I checked a couple of the others for lice and mites and didn't see any, so I imagine she's not having a problem with that since they would most likely have them too. So tomorrow I'm going to look more into checking out her crop and try to feel if she is egg bound, but I'm pretty sure she isn't laying. Her and one other started to moult about a month ago and I don't think either has started back up again.

 

[LaynaDon95]

I don't think she is laying right now, because she started moulting a few weeks ago. I'm wondering if she has a sour crop. I checked a couple of the others for lice and mites and didn't see any, so I imagine she's not having a problem with that since they would most likely have them too. So tomorrow I'm going to look more into checking out her crop and try to feel if she is egg bound, but I'm pretty sure she isn't laying. Her and one other started to moult about a month ago and I don't think either has started back up again.

If she does have lice or mites, that's probably a sign of a weak immune system/illness right now. They tend to get them as a secondary kind of thing. I would definitely check her crop and abdomen as well as a good overall check-over. If you notice anything else out of the ordinary definitely update us. If she is still eating then I would doubt sour crop, but it's still possible. Keep me posted!

 

[casportpony]

If she does have lice or mites, that's probably a sign of a weak immune system/illness right now. They tend to get them as a secondary kind of thing. I would definitely check her crop and abdomen as well as a good overall check-over. If you notice anything else out of the ordinary definitely update us. If she is still eating then I would doubt sour crop, but it's still possible. Keep me posted!

Very true!
FWIW, whenever I have one that looks "off" I dust for mites/lice with poultry dust (DE doesn't work) even if I can't see any and I de-worm with Safeguard/Panacur (fenbendazole) 50mg/kg by mouth and repeat in ten days

 

[capow21]

Okay, thank you guys so much for the advice. I will go buy some poultry dust and wormer this morning and I will come back and dust and worm them all (my rooster will be a chore, I think I might wear my husband's welding gloves to catch him - lol) and I'll change out all of the bedding.

It really could be mites or lice, because for the winter I switched from river sand to pine shavings thinking it would be more dry and comfortable, but living in the PNW, I think it was a terrible idea. I think they still would have been warm enough with the sand, since we only had a couple of weeks that got to about 25. Plus with the sand, lice and mites won't live in it (so I've read) and the chickens were able to take dust baths whenever. Now they can't bathe in the shavings, the shavings seem to absorb some moisture just from our wet air, and because of all of our rain the ground is always wet, so they haven't been able to take as many baths as they had been. I need to switch back to sand and give them a container to bathe in in their run.

I really don't think it's a crop problem, myself. Yesterday when I was feeling her it wasn't rock hard, like it's impacted, but maybe it's too soft and mushy like it's sour. I'll check again. Plus, other than the lethargy she doesn't seem to have any other symptoms. She eats, drinks, and runs around, and you would think if something was wrong with her crop she would be feeling more sick. But, something is certainly not right with her with the way she just stops and puffs up for a nap. I will check to see if I can feel an egg in her abdomen as well. I was thinking maybe she's trying to start to lay again, who knows...

This is my first time raising chickens. I got them last March, so I'm learning.

 

[capow21]

Okay, I got about a "pea sized" amount of equine Safeguard in all of them. I had to give them each a small piece of bread to get the wormer down. I dusted them with a poultry powder the best I could. I splashed it on their tooshies and tried to kind of rub it in and put some on their backs and tried to get it to go down behind their wings. I think it helped when they would shake, it all seemed to kind of go everywhere. That was a little chaotic. Now I'll wait 10 days and do the wormer again. Should I dust them again? And no eggs for 24 days from today, correct?

I didn't feel anything abnormal when I was evaluating the sick one. If anything at all, her crop might be on the soft side, but I honestly don't know. Compared to the others, it didn't seem that much different. I tried to feel all over her abdomen for a lump resembling an egg in the works, but I didn't feel anything I thought was an egg. And I really don't think she has been laying. She runs to me every time I go out with the others and she gobbled up the bread like it's going out of style. She doesn't walk or run funny. This morning she was eating a little food when I went out and she has been out free-ranging with the others. She still just stops, puffs her chest and feathers up a bit and stands their like she's going to take a nap for a little while. That seems to be the only thing going on with her. This is day four of it. No worse (that I've noticed) and no better. Yesterday I gave her two pieces of bread soaked in olive oil, massaged her crop a little and gave her a little bit of yogurt just in case.

I also picked up some buttermilk. I read you should give them some buttermilk and scrambled egg after worming them? Is this the next day and something I should do?

 

[dawg53]

Okay, I got about a "pea sized" amount of equine Safeguard in all of them. I had to give them each a small piece of bread to get the wormer down. I dusted them with a poultry powder the best I could. I splashed it on their tooshies and tried to kind of rub it in and put some on their backs and tried to get it to go down behind their wings. I think it helped when they would shake, it all seemed to kind of go everywhere. That was a little chaotic. Now I'll wait 10 days and do the wormer again. Should I dust them again? And no eggs for 24 days from today, correct?

I didn't feel anything abnormal when I was evaluating the sick one. If anything at all, her crop might be on the soft side, but I honestly don't know. Compared to the others, it didn't seem that much different. I tried to feel all over her abdomen for a lump resembling an egg in the works, but I didn't feel anything I thought was an egg. And I really don't think she has been laying. She runs to me every time I go out with the others and she gobbled up the bread like it's going out of style. She doesn't walk or run funny. This morning she was eating a little food when I went out and she has been out free-ranging with the others. She still just stops, puffs her chest and feathers up a bit and stands their like she's going to take a nap for a little while. That seems to be the only thing going on with her. This is day four of it. No worse (that I've noticed) and no better. Yesterday I gave her two pieces of bread soaked in olive oil, massaged her crop a little and gave her a little bit of yogurt just in case.

I also picked up some buttermilk. I read you should give them some buttermilk and scrambled egg after worming them? Is this the next day and something I should do?

Redust them again in 7-10 days. Dust inside their coop/nests as well. Do NOT reworm her using safeguard (fenbendazole) wormer since she is in molt. Her feathers will regrow stunted and goofy looking. Hold off reworming her. The eggs will be safe to eat in 2 weeks after her first (and only) worming.

 

[casportpony]

Redust them again in 7-10 days. Dust inside their coop/nests as well. Do NOT reworm her using safeguard (fenbendazole) wormer since she is in molt. Her feathers will regrow stunted and goofy looking. Hold off reworming her. The eggs will be safe to eat in 2 weeks after her first (and only) worming.

Good catch, I did not see that! Even my book says not to.

From Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook - 7th Edition

 

[capow21]

Okay, that's good to know! Thank you. I also picked up a bottle of Wazine 17 too in case I couldn't get the other in them, but then I read on the bottle that it's not approved for chickens whose eggs are to be consumed. So are you not supposed to use that at all?

I don't think they have worms anyway. I really scrounged through different poop piles and didn't see any at all. I know they still could, but...

Should I give them some of the buttermilk and scrambled egg today?

I had my Dad come down last night, he used to raise chickens when he was younger. We both thought her crop felt normal and fairly close to the others we compared her to. So I don't think she has an impacted or sour crop. I'm basically ruling that out.

So, from what I can tell her only symptoms are that she stands around puffed up way more than the others. And her poop is dark green with white instead of the more brown and white. It's not runny at all though and I'd say at least half of her poops are on the small side..

She is still drinking, I saw her eat out of the food box, she runs to me with the others when I go out, she gobbles up BOSS, yogurt, etc. She jumps, walks, runs fine, she preens herself and yesterday I saw her cleaning the beak/face of the rooster and one of the other hens. So I don't know what the deal is. Hopefully the dusting will help. Can moulting stress them out a little? Plus I think she's lower in the pecking order. I think this will be day five since I noticed her doing it. I'll see if anything changes today.