Sudden Onset Symptoms *please advise!!*

[CarlieO]

I have an 8 month old Speckled Sussex hen that I found today to be laying down A LOT. She will get up to eat mealworms that I throw on the ground then she'll lay right back down. She will get up and walk normally if I go up to her but she'll immediately lay down again. Her head is drawn into her body and she's kind of puffed up. Her comb is bright red (not pale) and she's not limping. There is no sneezing, no discharge, no labored breathing, nothing other than laying down a lot, being puffed up, and having a withdrawn head/neck. They haven't been free ranging today, they've been in their indoor/outdoor pen. They did free range yesterday and she was fine last night. No other chickens are showing symptoms.

Could she be egg bound? Or is it something else? Worms? Parasites? Can a person worm the whole flock or treat for parasites even if you're not sure they have any? As a preventive measure?

Any help or advice will be appreciated. This has been a bad week for me and my birds. I had a hen with a prolapsed vent but she's recovered, I have a dying (of an unknown cause) 6 week old Orpington chick that the vet said there's nothing I can do for (but not to worry about the rest of my flock), and now I have this hen beginning to show these symptoms.

Thanks for any and all help and suggestions.

 

[Marthab1953]

Sorry about your hen here is where you can go and post your question a lot of knowledgeable folks can help answer and hopefully you can help her to get better.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/10/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures

 

[CarlieO]

Strange! I did post it there. I just double checked and it is on that forum.

 

[Eggcessive]

If your hen is not eating and having diarrhea, I might suspect coccidiosis. That would be treated with Corid (amprollium.) First, you can take a rubber glove, lubricate a finger, insert it into the vent 1 1/2 inches to check for an egg. Then I would check her for mites and lice, and consider worming the flock with fenbendazole (SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer) or Valbazen. Check her crop in the early morning to make sure it is empty and not impacted or sour.

 

[CarlieO]

If your hen is not eating and having diarrhea, I might suspect coccidiosis. That would be treated with Corid (amprollium.) First, you can take a rubber glove, lubricate a finger, insert it into the vent 1 1/2 inches to check for an egg. Then I would check her for mites and lice, and consider worming the flock with fenbendazole (SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer) or Valbazen. Check her crop in the early morning to make sure it is empty and not impacted or sour.

She is eating, mealworms at leas,t because I throw them down each time I go check on them and her and she will come from wherever she is and eat them. I haven't seen any of her stool to know if she's having diarrhea but I did do a 'vent check' and saw no signs of diarrhea nor did I feel any eggs bound in there. I didn't see any mites or lice around her vent area but I do have a spray that I picked up so maybe I'll spray them all with it just in case. I will check her crop in the morning to see if it feels full or squishy. I will definitely worm the whole flock.

I'm used to horses where everything is on a set schedule such as deworming, etc. Give me chickens and I have NO idea if they should be the same or not, lol. It's a learning process for sure. I'm just deathly mortified of something going around and killing my entire flock.

Thank you so much for the helpful info! It's greatly appreciated!!!