tired hen

[filmcmahon]

hello byc! we have 6 hens that are all about 30 ish weeks old and laying. one of our colombians, ellie, has been having a rough winter. first, she caught her comb on a fence while free ranging then healed (she was at the top of the pecking order now she’s probably somewhere at the bottom) then we built a roost that was way too high and she sprained her ankle while jumping off of it. healed now. now she looks as if she’s always tired. her eyelids are almost like, swollen? and she doesn’t really go for treats and food like she used too. also we have been getting some very pale colour eggs. like a creamy pink. also, her poop is dark diarrhea and gets on her bum feathers a lot. any idea what is up with her? all the others seem fine. she’s the nicest one so i hope to get her well very soon!!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

hello byc! we have 6 hens that are all about 30 ish weeks old and laying. one of our colombians, ellie, has been having a rough winter. first, she caught her comb on a fence while free ranging then healed (she was at the top of the pecking order now she’s probably somewhere at the bottom) then we built a roost that was way too high and she sprained her ankle while jumping off of it. healed now. now she looks as if she’s always tired. her eyelids are almost like, swollen? and she doesn’t really go for treats and food like she used too. also we have been getting some very pale colour eggs. like a creamy pink. also, her poop is dark diarrhea and gets on her bum feathers a lot. any idea what is up with her? all the others seem fine. she’s the nicest one so i hope to get her well very soon!!

I'm sorry Ellie is having troubles.

Can you post some photos of her poop and of the facial swelling?
Was she vaccinated for Marek's?

 

[Wezdin]

I'm sorry Ellie is having troubles.

Can you post some photos of her poop and of the facial swelling?
Was she vaccinated for Marek's?

x2

 

[filmcmahon]

I'm sorry Ellie is having troubles.

Can you post some photos of her poop and of the facial swelling?
Was she vaccinated for Marek's?

she is not vaccinated for anything. these are our first birds actually!
the last pic is of sunni not ellie. just for reference of a healthy looking hen. oh also after eating some food she hangs her mouth open and moves her head back and forth as if she’s choking. sometimes she just hangs it open not even while eating

 

[Wyorp Rock]

she is not vaccinated for anything. these are our first birds actually!
the last pic is of sunni not ellie. just for reference of a healthy looking hen. oh also after eating some food she hangs her mouth open and moves her head back and forth as if she’s choking. sometimes she just hangs it open not even while eating

Any way you can take a sample of her poop to your vet for testing?
I would check inside her beak just to make sure there's no canker or lesions (yellow/white cheesy material).
See that her crop is emptying overnight and look her over well for lice/mites. Look in her ears for any pus or debris. The neck movement could simply be crop adjustment but it's best to investigate that further.

Is she laying eggs at all?

 

[filmcmahon]

Any way you can take a sample of her poop to your vet for testing?
I would check inside her beak just to make sure there's no canker or lesions (yellow/white cheesy material).
See that her crop is emptying overnight and look her over well for lice/mites. Look in her ears for any pus or debris. The neck movement could simply be crop adjustment but it's best to investigate that further.

Is she laying eggs at all?

we have been getting smaller whitish ones, but we didn’t get one like that today and there was one less so i’m assuming she didn’t lay at all today. but she has been

 

[aart]

Might want to isolate bird in a wire cage within the coop for a day or two....so I can closely monitor their intake of food and water, crop function(checking at night and in morning before providing more feed), and their poops. Feel their abdomen, from below vent to between legs, for squishy or hard swelling. Check for external parasites or any other abnormalities.

Best to put crate right in coop or run so bird is still 'with' the flock.
I like to use a fold-able wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller mesh(1x2) on bottom of crate under tray.
Then you can put tray underneath crate to better observe droppings without it being stepped in. If smaller mesh is carefully installed, tray can still be used inside crate.

 

[filmcmahon]

Might want to isolate bird in a wire cage within the coop for a day or two....so I can closely monitor their intake of food and water, crop function(checking at night and in morning before providing more feed), and their poops. Feel their abdomen, from below vent to between legs, for squishy or hard swelling. Check for external parasites or any other abnormalities.

Best to put crate right in coop or run so bird is still 'with' the flock.
I like to use a fold-able wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller mesh(1x2) on bottom of crate under tray.
Then you can put tray underneath crate to better observe droppings without it being stepped in. If smaller mesh is carefully installed, tray can still be used inside crate.

thank you. may i ask what the crop is and how it is important? still in high school here

 

[Ebony Rose]

When chickens eat, all the food goes into a 'storage bag' that is called the crop, before it is pushed further along the digestive tract. They fill their crop all day, and continue to digest the food as they sleep at night. Their crop often makes their breast seem lopsided. It should be flat in the morning before you offer food or water and full at bedtime.

 

[filmcmahon]

ATTENTION EVERYONE I AM HAPPY TO SAY WE ARE TAKING HER TP THE VET!