Troubled hen. Is she sick?

[hawkz]

About a week ago, my 2 1/2 year old hen started becoming "depressed". I'm not sure how to call it really, but she started isolating herself from others and would only meet up with the other flock every now and then. Her eyes are and red and her pupils appear to be constricted. Also, she often twitches/shakes her head and does this strange movement of stomping her feet twice all the time. It's really strange.

Is this some sort of disease? If so can it be passed on to the other hens? Or she is growing old?


Should I isolate her from the other hens and discard her eggs (maybe they might be infected?)

Also, how can I cure or make her feel better, I'm not sure what to do as this is my first time encountering this strange behavior.

Thank you very much in advance!

EDIT: Also, before the symptoms occured she would always be the first one to rush out to me when I have food. However, whenever I bring food, she just stares at me and doesn't even react to me. It's like she lost energy...

 

[realsis]

have you treated lately for worms and external parasites? maybe she has them? is she laying?how is her poo? is her breathing normal? she might have parasites? maybe start there if no other symptoms. look listen and feel for any other symptoms that might give you a clue to what's happening. best wishes

 

[seminolewind]

How skinny is she? Can you feel her breastbone without meat on it?

 

[hawkz]

She still has meat on her breastbone and she she isn't that skinny. It seems like shes a bit delusional because she normally gobbles up her food, but now she just picks it up, puts the food in her mouth and then spits it back out.

 

[seminolewind]

It's hard to say what's wrong. So many things can go wrong in a chicken that we never know what happened.