Sleepy hen - please help

[Debbiesue]

Hi

One of my original hybrids who is a Sussex cross is now three years old and has become very sleepy. She is first to bed often going in the afternoon and last out of the coop often not coming out until mid morning. She tends to then sit in one place and sleep for most of the day showing no interest in any treats. She does move around as I have seen her next to the water which is 30 foot from the coop. I thought at first it was maybe old age but this evening when I collected the eggs she was in the coop and I noticed she has what I can only describe as a dribble of mucus hanging from the end of her beak.

Any ideas?

 

[Judy]

Have you wormed them? With what? Checked for lice/mites? Any chance she ate something bad?

Three years isn't really old for a chicken; they can live 10 to 15 years. She could be an internal layer or have ovarian cancer. Unfortunately there is no treatment for that. Any chance she is eggbound?

Does she hunch up as if cold? This along with refusal to eat or dring could be cocci, which can happen in a bird that age, though I'm sure it's unusual.

I'm sure there are other things that oculd be causing this but it's all I can think of at the moment. I hope it turns out not to be serious.

 

[Debbiesue]

Sorry not to get back sooner. I am afraid she died yesterday.

We use Diatom to protect against mites/lice and as a wormer however am now ordering Verm-x liquid just in case the Diatom is not doing the job.

When we bought the hybrids the guy said they only usually last about three years due to the pressure of extensive egg laying which is why I thought it was old age.