Treatment?

[Disheygirl]

Three year old BCM, had a light molt (can still see her neck feathers coming in). All flock, free choice eggshell, dried bugs (black fly larvae), and snacks here and there - organic veggies. I let them out in the yard when I’m with them for a few hrs on weekends and 30 mins weekdays.

Yesterday she was kind of standing puffy but then eventually went on to dig for bugs with the rest of the girls. Today, she had a dust bath and was then standing puffy like this. No bloody poop on the bar, vent looks fine, don’t feel an egg on external exam. She hasn’t laid in a while but none of them do when they molt, and honestly, she’s always been a poor layer (once a week most weeks over the years). She’s definitely not herself.

What would you treat for? I have just about everything in my chicken medicine cabinet.

 

[Debbie292d]

Awe, poor thing!

She possibly has either an egg-binding issue or coccidiosis.

How's her poop look?

Is she eating/drinking?

Has she been dewormed recently?

Checked for mites?

She could be trying to get her first post-molt egg out; that's one possibility. I would give her 300 mgs of Calcium Citrate. This won't hurt her if it's not an egg issue. The pill she can take whole. Just open her beak and put it in. One of these a day for a few days. If you don't have any of that, any calcium would help, including a TUMS. If TUMS, just break it in half and put one half at a time in her beak. Some have crushed that and put it in a mash of feed/water, but then they don't get it all unless they eat the whole dish of mash.

If nothing else, coccidiosis would be rare in an adult hen, especially if no other chickens are ill; however, treating with Corid wouldn't hurt.