One of my hens started on Christmas eve to look unwell. Ruffled feathers, lethargic and eyes that kept closing, gave her some diarolyte and she picked up and started eating and drinking. Yesterday she looked unwell again and this morning was really bad started the diarolyte again and some porridge but she deteriorated really fast, checked her at lunchtime to give some more diarolyte and her breathing was quite heavy, checked her again at 4.30 and at 5.30 picked her up for some more fluids and she was floppy swallowed a bit and then passed away in my arms.
Not sure what was wrong with her - from Christmas eve to now she lost a dramatic amount of weight and you could feel all her bones in her chest. She started to have some watery diarrhoea but i think that was more to do with the lack of food apart from the lethargy no other symptoms apart from a couple of really thin shelled eggs (not sure if they were from her or one of the others) the shell was like skin laid about one a day for 4 days previous to her being ill and none since. I felt her belly and no hard lumps.
I phoned the Battery Hen careline and they didn't think it was coccidiosis as she was about 14 months old and full vaccinated also lived in a cage for most of her life. So no idea.
I am new to chicken keeping and i am hoping it wont spread to the others.
Has anyone had anything similar and/or any ideas on what was wrong with her. We are going to worm the rest of them this week.
Not sure what was wrong with her - from Christmas eve to now she lost a dramatic amount of weight and you could feel all her bones in her chest. She started to have some watery diarrhoea but i think that was more to do with the lack of food apart from the lethargy no other symptoms apart from a couple of really thin shelled eggs (not sure if they were from her or one of the others) the shell was like skin laid about one a day for 4 days previous to her being ill and none since. I felt her belly and no hard lumps.
I phoned the Battery Hen careline and they didn't think it was coccidiosis as she was about 14 months old and full vaccinated also lived in a cage for most of her life. So no idea.
I am new to chicken keeping and i am hoping it wont spread to the others.
Has anyone had anything similar and/or any ideas on what was wrong with her. We are going to worm the rest of them this week.
