what is wrong with my hen????

[chickenmama109]

hi! so yesterday i was checking on my chickens water to make sure it was not hot, the weather has been really hot. and when i went out there i noticed that my barred rock was acting weird. she is two years old. she was not walking as much and has fast has she always does and she was kinds slanting her butt to the ground? i checked her over and could not find anything wrong so i left her be and just kept an eye on her. well this morning when i went to let them out of the coop she was laying on the floor? i went over to her and know when she trys to wal she limps spreads her wings out and her butt goes to the ground? she would not go out f the coop this morning and she wont even try to walk. i have no idea whats wrong, i tryed filling her belly for an egg but im not sure how, and i did not fill anything. i sat her by the waterer cuz it is going to get hot today but should i keep her away from my other birds? what do i do??? what is wrong with her?? she has always had some trouble laying her eggs, and i have not had the money to buy them crushed oyster shell. could that be it. they eat layer pellets, and i didd just change the brand of feed they eat, could that be it?

 

[Gray Farms]

Deworm your entire flock is what you need to do.

And yes having too many worms can kill her.

Agreed

 

[Fivebots]

I was afraid I would have to do that, I an so scared I will hurt her or mess up her insides if I do.

Just be gentle and keep your finger in a straight position. You shouldn’t need to go in too far. I had a hen with the exact same issue. I did the warm bath two times, checked internally (didn’t feel anything), then separated her from the rest of the flock so she wouldn’t get picked on. I kept her in my barn for the day and when I came home from work, she had found her way out and laid an egg next to the chicken coop because she couldn’t get inside. She’s been just fine ever since!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

It looks like roundworms to me.
You can worm her with Safeguard (Fenbendazole) or Valbazen.

If using Safeguard and only treating for roundworms, Dosage is 0.23ml per pound of weight given orally once, then repeat in 10 days.

Valbazen dose her at 0.08ml per pound of weight. Give orally once, then repeat in 10 days.

Please post some photos of your hen. She likely has more going on than just worms, it's hard to know. Examine her for lice/mites, feel her abdomen for bloat or fluid and let us know what her crop feels like. Check her legs/feet for any swelling/injury and the bottom of the feet too.

Since she's not able to walk, it's good that you crated her so she can get to food/water. I would get her drinking first, then offer food.

 

[Fivebots]

It sounds like she may be eggbound. Try placing her in a warm bath for 15 minutes or so and massage her belly. You can also check inside her vent to see if you feel an egg. You can put on a surgical glove lubricated with vaseline and using your index finger, gently check inside her vent.

 

[Kiki]

Also its moving real slow... WHAT DO I DO??

Deworm your entire flock is what you need to do.

 

[chickenmama109]

So here an update. She is walking better today and actually got into the coop on her own, I am hoping she does better after getting some rest tonight. Thank you everyone for your help. I am going to go to tractor supple tomorrow and see if they have the dewormers yall showed me. Again thanks everyone I appreciate all your help.

 

[slordaz]

I have not seen her poop, but I just went out there, she is in the same spot I out her pretty much and she has a little poop stuck to her feathers, she also has a little scale that came off of her leg and it seems to be bare skin. I am about to go give her a warm bath like yall are saying and clean her butt and check her over better. I am so scared to put my finger in her vent but if I have to u will I will let yall know how it goes and tel

sounds like she might be dehydrated then if she's not popping properly, they will keep getting sicker if they are dehydrating and that's not addressed. besides the extra steps already mentioned, I added 2-3 small bowls around the yard for them to drink out of so if they got to interested in the bugs they were chasing they didn't have as far to get to water and get heat exhaustion

 

[Kiki]

And yes having too many worms can kill her.

 

[micstrachan]

Geez, sorry. I see they are on layer. She still may benefit from more calcium. Is her comb a bright red like a normal laying hen? I had a hen die from an acute septic infection and she became weak very rapidly. One little hint of the infection is that her comb was a slightly deeper red than normal (like she had a fever).