What’s wrong with my favorite hen?

[Lisanfloyd]

I edited my post immediately above...

Her crop wasn’t full last night. It was the night before. Right now it feels like nothing. I wouldn’t even be able to find it if I didn’t know where it usually is. I do give them grass clippings so it’s possible she ate something she shouldn’t eat. Everyone else is okay (6 others.) The food is fresh and no mold that I can see. She definitely wants to be in this box and is now laying in it instead of standing. I tried to give her more privacy and she seems to be content. My instinct is to leave her alone for a bit, but I’m unsure. Playing music to drown out disruptive noises and j pulled the shades for some darkness. She’s still reactive to unusual noises.

 

[Swbertrand1]

Her crop wasn’t full last night. It was the night before. Right now it feels like nothing. I wouldn’t even be able to find it if I didn’t know where it usually is. I do give them grass clippings so it’s possible she ate something she shouldn’t eat. Everyone else is okay (6 others.) The food is fresh and no mold that I can see. She definitely wants to be in this box and is now laying in it instead of standing. I tried to give her more privacy and she seems to be content. My instinct is to leave her alone for a bit, but I’m unsure. Playing music to drown out disruptive noises and j pulled the shades for some darkness. She’s still reactive to unusual noises.

Understood. You said she ate and drank "a little" this morning. When exactly was that and how much did she actually eat or drink? I'm sensing that she needs water immediately, and some food if we can get a cocktail of some tasty morsels mixed up shortly thereafter.

 

[Swbertrand1]

Do you have a syringe or small eye-dropper, the kind of dropper that has the bulb on the end? Also, are you able to hand-water a chicken? If not, you can find a good tutorial below. However, you'll need a syringe (WITHOUT the needle of course!) or dropper with about .5-1ml (.5-1cc) capacity, just lean to the smaller sizes since you're putting this in the hen's mouth and/or throat.

https://bitchinchickens.com/2020/02/06/how-to-safely-give-oral-medications/

 

[Lisanfloyd]

Understood. You said she ate and drank "a little" this morning. When exactly was that and how much did she actually eat or drink? I'm sensing that she needs water immediately, and some food if we can get a cocktail of some tasty morsels mixed up shortly thereafter.

Ok! She drank maybe ten times (each with a gargle pose ) out of an open waterer this morning. She won’t take water now, but just ate some scrambled eggs. Not a lot. I’ll keep working on it. She keeps straining like she has to pass something, but I can’t feel anything, still. Thank you again!!

 

[Swbertrand1]

Ok! She drank maybe ten times (each with a gargle pose ) out of an open waterer this morning. She won’t take water now, but just ate some scrambled eggs. Not a lot. I’ll keep working on it. She keeps straining like she has to pass something, but I can’t feel anything, still. Thank you again!!

That's normal; they will tilt their head back to direct the water down their throat/trachea. Do you have any molasses or mineral oil that you can mix with a little water to give her? I do feel like she might be trying to expel waste or an egg, but without her in my hand, I can't be sure of either.
When you checked her vent for being egg-bound, are you sure that you checked with your finger moving upward and forward? The egg duct is upward; the intestine is downward, and one can be mistaken for the other.

Keep trying to get water in her as that will help break a blockage, but try to add some mineral oil or molasses to the water to help things get a little more "slippery" in her digestive tract.

I really wish Eggcessive would chime back into this post...

 

[Lisanfloyd]

That's normal; they will tilt their head back to direct the water down their throat/trachea. Do you have any molasses or mineral oil that you can mix with a little water to give her? I do feel like she might be trying to expel waste or an egg, but without her in my hand, I can't be sure of either.
When you checked her vent for being egg-bound, are you sure that you checked with your finger moving upward and forward? The egg duct is upward; the intestine is downward, and one can be mistaken for the other.

Keep trying to get water in her as that will help break a blockage, but try to add some mineral oil or molasses to the water to help things get a little more "slippery" in her digestive tract.

I really wish Eggcessive would chime back into this post...

I’m not sure if anything with her tiny little vent. She’s so sweet and cooperative that when she freaks out I stop and don’t want to hurt her. She did poop that tiny bit. Ugh. I can’t get her to drink any more water. This last time, she literally broke away from me and ran back into the box and buried herself into it like she wanted to be left alone. She sits right in it if I leaver alone.

 

[Swbertrand1]

You're going to have to be sure she's not egg-bound one way or another (your little finger lathered up with some K-Y?). Try to get some "slippery" water into her as well. She MUST drink to survive; once you get her drinking some of that, I'm hopeful that whatever is causing her not to poo will work itself out, and she can carry on. This is a critical time tough. I know she doesn't like what you're doing, but it really needs to be done...

 

[Lisanfloyd]

Ok. I will check her again. Do you think there is ANY chance she’s just broody? She’s the smallest (oegb with Sebrights) in her flock and she’s the rooster’s favorite. 2 others have started laying and they use the same nest boxes. There’s been some squabbling. Maybe she likes the peace and quiet in the house?
she just ate some eggs but again didn’t cooperate to drink. I’m going to get some mineral oil and check her vent again.

 

[Eggcessive]

I was wondering about her being broody before reading your last post. Has she ever layed an egg before at 17 weeks. I have OEG bantam hen who looks just like her. She is very sweet and likes attention. She laid poorly from the start, and hasn’t laid in 7 years. Her sister laid a bunch of eggs and hid them under a nest box in the coop, and later went broody, but I didn’t know how old the eggs were, so they were tossed. I would remove her from the nest twice a day, and watch how she behaves. Broodies usually stop and may get a bite to eat or a drink of water, and may deposit a smelly pale green poop before running back to the nest. They also will cluck at everyone, and will pull any eggs under them that you set in front of them. Hopefully she is not sick, but getting ready to lay or go broody.

 

[Lisanfloyd]

I was wondering about her being broody before reading your last post. Has she ever layed an egg before at 17 weeks. I have OEG bantam hen who looks just like her. She is very sweet and likes attention. She laid poorly from the start, and hasn’t laid in 7 years. Her sister laid a bunch of eggs and hid them under a nest box in the coop, and later went broody, but I didn’t know how old the eggs were, so they were tossed. I would remove her from the nest twice a day, and watch how she behaves. Broodies usually stop and may get a bite to eat or a drink of water, and may deposit a smelly pale green poop before running back to the nest. They also will cluck at everyone, and will pull any eggs under them that you set in front of them. Hopefully she is not sick, but getting ready to lay or go broody.

Thank you! I originally thought she was broody! She’s been laying for quite some time… maybe 3 weeks or so! She started out being squawky and yelling if anyone got close to the nest box about 3 days ago. I am now thinking she got bullied out of the box and all the commotion in the coop with her 6 siblings just confused her! Right now she’s perfectly content in the “nest-box” in the living room listening to country music on the tv. Hmmm… feeling a little played I really, really hope this is the case!! I just got back with mineral oil and she never left the box while I was gone.