Some idea/No experience but sick hen

[tabs_flock]

Okay So.

I have this red sexlink. She turned 1 year last month and has been acting pretty normal as of 4/18 and by normal, I mean she is digging, scratching, exploring, trying to get into new spots. Part of this involved digging under our deck last week. Part of it's involved getting into the (I thought) cordoned off side yard for veggies. Her name is Link and sometimes she just....lives up to the name.

Said red sexlink, 1-yo and hen, did not lay today (4/20/22) or the day before yesterday (4/19/22). I am less worried about that and more worried about the marked change in behavior between Monday (4/18/22) and today (4/20/22). On Monday, she was energetic enough to break into my cordoned-off garden and eat a bunch of newly-planted stuff, then protest (vociferously) when she was evicted. Yeah, this sexlink was very active as of Monday.

Now, yesterday (4/19/22) she was not nearly as active. She spent most of her time examining the boundaries of our yard (the fence boundary, essentially), but mostly just picked a spot and stood. It was a...a...medium or low version of her usual activity. Well, today, her activity went from mostly-normal-but-hmmm to straight out to "hmmm something is going on." I separated her from the flock but all she did was stand or sit in the farthest corner of the run. I coaxed her into eating an egg (scrambled), some coconut oil, and (I think) some wetted food. But otherwise she did nothing but stand in the farthest corner of the run and/or rest in that position.

I mean, obviously something is wrong but idk what. Her stools are mostly watery, but she was drinking/eating when she was with the flock. She stands in the corner and can be lured out but not by treats once I isolate her. This morning I offered the flock some mealworms and she was literally the only one turning up her beak. This evening she came out but I think it's bc I let her join the others. She drank a bit, ate a bit, then retired to the coop before anybody else.

Gah, I'm sure nobody will read this but I hope I can make her better.

 

[Bonwell]

Could be some sort of reproductive problem, since Red sexlinks are bred to lay large eggs and have high production they're very prone to issues of that nature. And 13 months old should be way to young to stop laying in general, since the stopping of egg production and her odd behavior are coinciding, I would think it's a reproductive issue of some sort but I'm not an expert and could definitely be wrong. Also tbh I'm not sure about how to go about treatment for something like that. Hopefully someone else can give some insight.

 

[tabs_flock]

Could be some sort of reproductive problem, since Red sexlinks are bred to lay large eggs and have high production they're very prone to issues of that nature. And 13 months old should be way to young to stop laying in general, since the stopping of egg production and her odd behavior are coinciding, I would think it's a reproductive issue of some sort but I'm not an expert and could definitely be wrong. Also tbh I'm not sure about how to go about treatment for something like that. Hopefully someone else can give some insight.

Thanks for this. She did just lay a very soft-shelled egg (her first one in a while) today and seems to be more interested in exploring the crate and getting out than she was before. That said, she's still not really eating.

I wonder if eating all the greens in my yard + the spinach they got the other day might have gotten her a little sick, as it looks like too much spinach can cause soft eggs. But it could be a reproductive issue- she has started laying later and later in the last couple of weeks, then skipped a day, went back to laying in the morning and then...this. No idea. Maybe one day a bird vet will actually call me back about my hennie and I can ask.

 

[coach723]

Soft shelled eggs can be very hard for them to pass and can make them feel really unwell. Some greens can inhibit calcium absorption, and some birds may be more sensitive than others to that. Do they have access to oyster shell all the time for calcium? If she's still having issues then I would give her a calcium citrate + D tablet once a day, just put it in her beak and she'll swallow it, see if that helps firm up the shells, and it will also help with contractions. Sometimes if they have an egg that takes longer to pass they can have kind of a traffic jam in there with more than one in the pipe, so to speak. If it continues then she may be having and issue with her shell gland or developing a reproductive problem.

 

[tabs_flock]

Soft shelled eggs can be very hard for them to pass and can make them feel really unwell. Some greens can inhibit calcium absorption, and some birds may be more sensitive than others to that. Do they have access to oyster shell all the time for calcium? If she's still having issues then I would give her a calcium citrate + D tablet once a day, just put it in her beak and she'll swallow it, see if that helps firm up the shells, and it will also help with contractions. Sometimes if they have an egg that takes longer to pass they can have kind of a traffic jam in there with more than one in the pipe, so to speak. If it continues then she may be having and issue with her shell gland or developing a reproductive problem.

Thanks for that. They usually do have oyster shell but I haven't been putting it out lately because the dang rooster keeps knocking over the container. I need to resume that. Where would I find the calcium citrate + D tablet? Is that something I can snag at a grocery store or do I need to order from a vet supply place?

 

[coach723]

You can usually find it in grocery stores, pharmacies, Walmart, etc. It's good to have on hand for just these kinds of things.

 

[tabs_flock]

You can usually find it in grocery stores, pharmacies, Walmart, etc. It's good to have on hand for just these kinds of things.

Good to know, I will grab some. I've ordered some aqua-mox too, as I don't have any of that on hand, either. The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know!

 

[coach723]

Happens to us all! It's very much a learning curve with birds.
I use empty plastic milk/juice/vinegar/etc jugs for oyster shell. Cut a window that covers two sides, leaving a few inches at the bottom to hold stuff, tie wrap them to a post or the wire so they can't be knocked over. Since they are basically repurposed trash, you can replace whenever they need it. Picture below.

 

[tabs_flock]

Just going to throw a quick end of day update out here and hopefully get a little advice. Link's poops are back to normal, she is eating and drinking again (but still doesn't have much weight, but it could be a different issue). She is also being very clear that she would like to rejoin everybody outside but is staying in for at least one more night. I am wondering:

IF I get a normal egg in the morning, do I let her out with the others?

• Reasoning: the soft-shelled egg was likely causing the distress seen yesterday. Assuming this is true, and as the egg did not break inside her, she may not have an infection and can be considered "recovered", I'll just keep giving her the calcium citrate for another 4 or so days and monitor.
• Pros: Gets her back to the flock sooner
• Cons: She has lost a lot of weight. I think my comment on this is that Mr. Roo has been bullying her pretty consistently and I think he's put her off her feed. She has multiple fear responses whenever he approaches, once bad enough she almost made it over our 8-ft fence. So isolating *her* won't solve the issue. I need to separate *him* from the girlies for a few days.

Alternatively: Do I keep her in the house, monitor her weight to ensure that it *is* Mr. Roo & then do a broad spectrum antibiotic treatment anyway, just to be safe?

• Reasoning: Her low weight is a concern. If I keep her in the house, I can monitor food and water intake in addition to ensuring that no other eggs get "stuck"
• Pros: Observation & monitoring
• Cons: I will not get my antibiotics for at least another 5-7 days so I would be isolating her for at least 2 weeks, which seems excessive.

I suppose I could also reintegrate her with the flock and then give them ALL antibiotics but everyone else seems fine. I even have an Egger who's getting broody and told me off for taking her out of the coop instead of letting her sit on the eggs all day!

Right now, I'm leaning toward option 1, I can still monitor weight and give her the calcium if she's with the others. All of this of course leans on the idea that she will produce a relatively normal egg tonight or tomorrow morning, which I think will be quite telling.

Any thoughts?

 

[tabs_flock]

Happens to us all! It's very much a learning curve with birds.
I use empty plastic milk/juice/vinegar/etc jugs for oyster shell. Cut a window that covers two sides, leaving a few inches at the bottom to hold stuff, tie wrap them to a post or the wire so they can't be knocked over. Since they are basically repurposed trash, you can replace whenever they need it. Picture below.
View attachment 3072695

I should do something like this. It would be a lot harder to kick over!