Hi all,
I noticed this afternoon that one of my banties was standing in the middle of the garden, not moving, with her tail down and looking for all the world like she was roosting save for the fact she was in the middle of the garden on her own in 17°(c) heat. She hasn't really been leaving the garden at all (their hutch is there and they're free range, the others were on the far side of the house) the last day or so and then combined w the droopy tail I was concerned. She also doesn't seem to be drinking water, but she'll peck up mealworms with the others when I throw them down. I've only seen her pass waste once and it was basically just clear liquid. I checked her vent with a finger and didn't feel anything, and her abdomen is soft. The other hens in her hutch are silkies, so their eggs are all the same, and she's the dominant hen (besides the rooster) so she's not being bullied or anything. Asides from a soft crop, there's no other symptoms of disease. Her vent is clear, her comb and wattles look healthy, her mouth looks normal. I'm at an utter loss. She's still regrowing her stomach feathers from being broody, could it just be leftover weirdness from broodiness? Even the lethargy is odd because she's not lacking in energy by any means, she put up a proper screaming match when I picked her up and when I've maneuvered her to check her out and her eyes are bright and clear, but asides from that she's not wandering around. Even now, she's on the floor of the bathroom just standing there. I tried getting some cat food into her because that tends to work when my hens weren't sick but needed a pick me up but to no avail.
I am utterly at a loss. I have worming solution, but I'm hesitant to use it as she's fairly small. She's only drank water when I've held her beak to it, so my next move is to get the little syringe and put water straight down her throat. Any advice greatly appreciated as always, thank you!
I noticed this afternoon that one of my banties was standing in the middle of the garden, not moving, with her tail down and looking for all the world like she was roosting save for the fact she was in the middle of the garden on her own in 17°(c) heat. She hasn't really been leaving the garden at all (their hutch is there and they're free range, the others were on the far side of the house) the last day or so and then combined w the droopy tail I was concerned. She also doesn't seem to be drinking water, but she'll peck up mealworms with the others when I throw them down. I've only seen her pass waste once and it was basically just clear liquid. I checked her vent with a finger and didn't feel anything, and her abdomen is soft. The other hens in her hutch are silkies, so their eggs are all the same, and she's the dominant hen (besides the rooster) so she's not being bullied or anything. Asides from a soft crop, there's no other symptoms of disease. Her vent is clear, her comb and wattles look healthy, her mouth looks normal. I'm at an utter loss. She's still regrowing her stomach feathers from being broody, could it just be leftover weirdness from broodiness? Even the lethargy is odd because she's not lacking in energy by any means, she put up a proper screaming match when I picked her up and when I've maneuvered her to check her out and her eyes are bright and clear, but asides from that she's not wandering around. Even now, she's on the floor of the bathroom just standing there. I tried getting some cat food into her because that tends to work when my hens weren't sick but needed a pick me up but to no avail.
I am utterly at a loss. I have worming solution, but I'm hesitant to use it as she's fairly small. She's only drank water when I've held her beak to it, so my next move is to get the little syringe and put water straight down her throat. Any advice greatly appreciated as always, thank you!
