Update: Happy Ending - Bleeding from nostirls, very lethargic

[l'uccello]

Came home from a day trip to find one of our 3 month old Barred Rock pullets bleeding from a nostril and acting very lethargic. There is blood spattered all over the place as if it was shaking its head to clear it or something.

Do you think this could be the result of an injury, or is there a condition that might cause this? I tried to look in its mouth and didn't see any obvious injury, but the bird struggled, then got even more lethargic when I tried. I wiped the blood when I had the bird in hand and it does not appear that any new bleeding has occurred. This really doesn't look good, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed as we have a very upset little chicken owner here right now. Any help greatly appreciated.

 

[JennsPeeps]

I don't have any ideas on what it could be but you should separate this bird from the others asap. That will prevent them from picking on her and could prevent any cross-infection if that's in the cards.

 

[l'uccello]

Thank you. We did put her in a cage by herself just in case.

 

[LadyShred]

SEPARATE IT! A bloody nose is a bad bad bad sign. It usually is the start of a mean viral infection that can spread like a plague in a flock of chickens. I don't have any experience with this just yet, so I'll leave it to the pros to answer you more efficiently. Just research until a good answer can be posted. And keep a watch on the rest of your flock.

 

[l'uccello]

Update:
I was certain we'd find the bird dead the next morning as late Sunday night it was down on the bottom of the cage, head down and tilted, eyes open just a slit and literally heaving with every breath. She fooled me though, and in the morning I found her standing (but wobbly) and seemingly aware of her surroundings. Came home to check at lunch and she was a bit stronger and moving around a bit. By last night she was eating, drinking, peeping and pacing in the cage. We noticed her droppings were black last evening, then started looking normal a bit later and today they look fine. Wonder if the bleeding was from an injury and she ingested enough blood to make her very ill, then came around as it cleared her system. Just a thought, but she's looking real good at this point and we're hoping it's over.

 

[BFeathered]

Whew! Glad she's better, hope she stays better. Sounds like blood ingestion might indeed have gotten the better of her, but I'd still keep her isolated until you're absolutely sure she's healthy.