UPDATE: PIC ADDED What's wrong with hen, here are the symptoms

[Tacswa3]

I know you all get a lot of these same questions but I'm hoping for some direction. Yesterday I found one of my RIR laying on the ground in the run. Laying in one of their dig spots. I picked her up and she wouldn't extend her legs. Wherever I placed her she would lay right there. It was obvious something was wrong so I moved her indoors in a dog crate.

She will eat and drink when its presented right in front of her and will occasionally stand to drink. Although standing up seems a bit difficult for her to do. I noticed diarrhea in her make shift box as well. Greenish brown it seems. Last night I thought I felt her crop which seemed like a hard knot but I really don't know what I'm doing in regards to that. I plan to check for her being egg bound when I get another set of hands to help. Also her tail feathers droop and she seems a little puffy (feathers) when she stands. Its been 24 hours since I found her laying in the run. SO basically yesterday morning sometime after walking out of the coop she decided to lay down.

I thought she might be broody but now I don't think that is the case. She seems alert, eyes are clear and good color in the comb. I don't see any mites but that doesn't mean she doesn't have them. Flock was wormed last year but that doesn't mean anything as well. She has had very little food because I know she didn't get any on her own yesterday and I only gave her a little for fear of her impacted crop. Any ideas?

 

[Eggcessive]

How old is she, and has she recently been laying eggs? Hens suffering from internal laying or egg yolk peritonitis can suffer pain when walking and sometimes lie around or become lame. I would check inside her vent an inch or so with a finger to find out if she is egg bound. Feel of her keel or breast bone to check for any weight loss, check for any swelling in her lower abdomen. The crop should feel full in the evening, and should mostly empty by morning. I would go ahead and worm her with Valbazen or SafeGuard along with the others. Was she vaccinated for Mareks? Usually a broody hen will lie down when they are moved, but then they will usually get up and run back to a nest box, or go to eat. I hope you can figure it out, or perhaps take her to a vet.

 

[Tacswa3]

I'm not sure if she has recently laid an egg as I have other chickens laying. No vaccination for Mareks to my knowledge. She is 2 years old, maybe a little older. I have noticed her poops are pretty much straight liquid but she has been drinking a lot vs. eating. I've held off on a lot of food in case of the crop. I fed her more this evening.

 

[Tacswa3]

Well this evening I checked for an impacted egg. I didn't feel one. Hen still has diarrhea. While cleaning her cage I placed her outside. She slowly walked and fed on some grass. You can tell she is tired or something is impairing her walking, just not sure what it is. Again she eats and drinks when presented. If she could have her way she would still just lay there. I have a litter box with shavings for her bed. She stepped out of it herself to eat but did not go back in. Just laid down where she stood when she finished eating.

 

[Tacswa3]

Here is a pic of her poop this morning. It will either look like this or with less white and more greenish. Does this help with ant ideas what could be wrong?

 

[Eggcessive]

With her age, I would still suspect that she is laying internally. Cancer is also very common in chickens. Many times we don't know exactly what's wrong until the chicken dies, and a necropsy can be done to look at the organs. Here is a thread where people discuss internal layers and show their pictures of necropsies: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/186940/warning-graphic-pics-of-internal-egg-layer-necropsy

 

[Tacswa3]

I wish I knew for sure. I'm leaning toward the decision to cull her. We are day 3 and really no change. I'd rather not do it, but this can't keep going on and I'd rather her not suffer. If I knew whatever was wrong with her, was curable I'd treat it. How can you treat something if you don't know what it is?

 

[Tacswa3]

Here is a couple pics of how she lays ;

 

[Tacswa3]

I do believe this chicken is going to pull through. I literally dug her hole to be buried in last night and placed her outside while doing so. When I finished I was evaluating her and I saw improvement. It was dark outside but by the light from the flashlight she would actually come to food and do some scratch and scrounging. I decided to leave her in the fenced yard as I'm still a little nervous of anything contagious to the flock and give her one more day. Well this afternoon there is still marked improvement and she greeted me when I entered the yard. I let the flock out of the run to free range together and this is where I'm now at with the situation. Rest, vitamins and probiotics is all I did for her.

Any idea of what she may have or had to where they can recover on their own?