Something is off with a hen

[Jenny421]

We have 11 hens and they are almost a year old and two roosters. They are all free range and locked up safely at night. One of our Rhode Island reds has been staying by herself in the run and roosting in the middle of the day. When I brought her on the porch to check her out she just wanted to hide under chairs. She did peck at my herb garden a little and she ate some blueberries I offered her. She also drank water. I though maybe she was egg bound so I soaked her in an epsom salt bath and checked her vent and couldn’t feel an egg. I kept her inside last night. She’s fluffed Up this morning, but hasn’t laid an egg yet. Her crop doesn’t look full. Any ideas what could be going on?

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you insert a clean finger into her vent to check for a stuck egg? Has she laid eggs recently, and have you seen any shell-less or unusual eggs? Pick her up, and feel of her crop to see if it is empty, partly full, hard, doughy, or puffy/soft. Offer some Poultry NutriDrench, electrolytes, Gatorade, or water with a bit of sugar. Scrambled egg and watery chicken feed is usually good to offer. With her tail down position, I would suspect that she may be having a reproductive problem or stuck egg. Crop impaction or sour crop can be common, and possibly related.

 

[Eggcessive]

You might consider worming her with Valbazen 0.5 ml orally, then repeat it in 10 days. Or use SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer 0.25 ml per pound given for 5 days. Getting a fecal float by your vet with same day results could rule out worms and coccidiosis. When a reproductive disorder is suspected, some use amoxicillin (Aqua Mox available online) for 10 days. Consider giving her a human calcium tablet orally in case she has an egg stuck high up.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

If it is coccidiosis you should be able to see bloody poop somewhere and you will need to treat the whole flock

 

[Ebony Rose]

Bloody poop is only seen with SOME-strains of cocci, not all. If in doubt, treat them for it as the treatment will NOT HURT THEM in any way whatsoever, but failure to treat if needed could prove fatal.

 

[Ebony Rose]

Pictures?

What's her poo look like? How is her posture when walking? That she is self-isolating means she's really feeling poorly. Is a vet an option for a fecal float test (intestinal parasite test); the test is pretty straightforward and often cheap.

 

[Jenny421]

Can you insert a clean finger into her vent to check for a stuck egg? Has she laid eggs recently, and have you seen any shell-less or unusual eggs? Pick her up, and feel of her crop to see if it is empty, partly full, hard, doughy, or puffy/soft. Offer some Poultry NutriDrench, electrolytes, Gatorade, or water with a bit of sugar. Scrambled egg and watery chicken feed is usually good to offer. With her tail down position, I would suspect that she may be having a reproductive problem or stuck egg. Crop impaction or sour crop can be common, and possibly related.

I checked her vent last night and didn’t feel an egg. It’s the first time I’ve done that so I’m not 100% sure I did it right. I went in to about my second knuckle and didn’t feel an egg. I haven’t seen any weird or odd shaped eggs, but with 11 hens I have no idea who is laying. I’ll give her some eggs and electrolytes this morning. I haven’t felt her crop, but it definitely doesn’t look full. I’ll check her now and see what I feel.

 

[Jenny421]

Pictures?

What's her poo look like? How is her posture when walking? That she is self-isolating means she's really feeling poorly. Is a vet an option for a fecal float test (intestinal parasite test); the test is pretty straightforward and often cheap.

Her poo looks normal to me. She’s walking normally when she’s walking. There is not a vet near us who will treat chickens.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would just keep observing her, getting her to drink water, and offering food. Check her crop again in the morning when it should feel empty before she has eaten. Watch her poops for anything unusual. Could the roosters be hurting her? Have you wormed her recently? She might be showing early signs of a reproductive problem.

 

[Jenny421]

I would just keep observing her, getting her to drink water, and offering food. Check her crop again in the morning when it should feel empty before she has eaten. Watch her poops for anything unusual. Could the roosters be hurting her? Have you wormed her recently? She might be showing early signs of a reproductive problem.

She’s eating and drinking fine. She just devoured some scrambled eggs. I don’t ever see the roosters hurting any of the hens. She has not been wormed.