Weak/lethargic pullet, not egg-bound

BigBlueHen53

❤️ Exodus 20:8-11 ❤️
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Mar 5, 2019
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Well, here I am. Pictures of bird and poop follow. This started about 4 days ago. DH noticed she was squatted down on chest and did not get up when he approached, and he was able to place hands on her. Odd. So he alerted me. When I checked, she got up and walked a few steps but was easy to catch. Very odd. So we put her in the infirmary (bachelor pad, brooder, whatever) with 3 other hens (1 blind, the other two with minor issues) to watch. After a day we removed her because they were not letting her eat. She may have been partially broody for about a week but was not real serious about it. She is a 7-mo old Black Australorp. She seems weak in the legs but no sign of injuries. Alone, she eats and drinks fine. Crop feels okay at night but not hugely full, empty in morning. Gave epsom salt bath today and felt inside vent, no sign of a stuck or broken egg. No stinky breath. Tail is up in normal position. No sign of respiratory distress. No eye bubbles. Comb is a little floppy but seems normal color to me. No sign of mites or lice. She looks perfectly healthy to my inexperienced eye, except ... she's just lying on her breast looking unhappy! :he And, well, she's rather wet right now from her bath, which she didn't seem to mind too much. (Will blow-dry her shortly, she is in front of wood stove at the mo'.) I've given her egg yolk with Vit E and a crushed Tums, some water with electrolytes (Pedialyte) and some mealworms. Let me know if you need other/better pics. Any suggestions? Thanks.
@Wyorp Rock, @Eggcessive, @aart, @azygous....?

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She sits like she is broody. Has she pulled out her chest and belly feathers? Have you checked to see if she has an egg stuck? Does her poop look rusty or bloody? It may be the picture.
 
She sits like she is broody. Has she pulled out her chest and belly feathers? Have you checked to see if she has an egg stuck? Does her poop look rusty or bloody? It may be the picture.
She seems to have all her feathers. I did check, no stuck egg. Poop looks brownish/greenish, normal.
 
It helps us to see a closeup of the head and eyes of a chicken when trying to judge how she feels.

You've ruled out just about every obvious health issue, leaving bacterial infection as the default issue, but I'd like to see her eyes before choosing that option.
Okay, will do first thing in the morning. Thanks. She's not declining, so I think she'll be okay till then.
 
She sits like she is broody.
That was my thought.
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?

If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.
 
That was my thought.
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?

If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.

No. Um... I mean .... I've had broody BOs and am pretty familiar with broodiness. We have one BA that has acted somewhat "pre-broody" for about a week, but is not fully committed. Since I have 10 BA I have no way of knowing if this is that same hen or not. The one that's been thinking about being broody sits on the nest for an hour or two a day, but is fairly easily dissuaded. I can reach under her to get that day's eggs with no problem, and she'll squeal at me and fluff up, but not strike, then a few minutes later she'll get up and wander off. This hen.. sorry, pullet, does not seem broody to me. Although ... I did not really think of that. Hmm. I guess she could be! 🤣

Oh fer heb'n sake!
 
She doesn't do any of that time bomb stuff, @aart, she doesn't flatten out or screech, none of that. She just sits with her beak in a corner looking thoughtful. Like in a trance. But I'll bet you're right.
 

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