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?

 

[micstrachan]

This bird is declining rapidly. Do you know if she still lays eggs and when the last one was? A laying disorder comes to mind or infection. Is she losing muscle across her breast? Is her abdomen (fluffy area below vent and between legs) bloated? Is she pulsing and puckering her vent? Please answer these three questions and report back. Please post photos of her whole body, too, if you can.

 

[micstrachan]

Sorry, I just reread your post. Yes, calcium could be a problem. Have you seen any soft eggs? Are they on layer feed? If you have any calcium citrate plus D3 on hand, she might benefit from taking one of those or really any calcium might be better than none. It is very hard for them to pass soft eggs. Looking forward to your answers of the other questions.

 

[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.

 

[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).

 

[micstrachan]

I agree being egg bound is the first thing to check. Sorry... I should have stated that first.

 

[chickenmama109]

This bird is declining rapidly. Do you know if she still lays eggs and when the last one was? A laying disorder comes to mind or infection. Is she losing muscle across her breast? Is her abdomen (fluffy area below vent and between legs) bloated? Is she pulsing and puckering her vent? Please answer these three questions and report back. Please post photos of her whole body, too, if you can.

I do not know when her last egg was, I have lots of other hens who lay the same color. I dont know If she is losing muscle. I'm not to sure how to check. I dont think she is bloated but I can go and check, yes she does pucker her vent, I think I answered all your questions but if I didn't just let me know, thank you so much for trying to help me I really appreciate, oh and also I have had an egg that was kinds squshy but that was awhile ago and I have not seen one lately. Thank you do much.

 

[slordaz]

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?

sounds more like she has a reproductive problem, she could be internally laying or be egg bound , she could also be dehydrating in this heat, even up north I'm putting either ice cubes or frozen corn in the water to help keep it cool as they don't like to drink warm water. Mine have been going through 3 times the amount of water they normally do with higher than normal heat and that could affect egg laying.

 

[chickenmama109]

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).

Her comb and wattles are red, I can go and look closely though and see if it's a deeper red the others

 

[chickenmama109]

sounds more like she has a reproductive problem, she could be internally laying or be egg bound , she could also be dehydrating in this heat, even up north I'm putting either ice cubes or frozen corn in the water to help keep it cool as they don't like to drink warm water. Mine have been going through 3 times the amount of water they normally do with higher than normal heat and that could affect egg laying.

What can I do for her?? I am really lost on this one??