What is wrong with this hen?

[Tiggerandfriends]

Her left eye is open, she is eating, and she walked herself outside the wooden box I have her in (with a limp but still more movement than she has had in the last two days). This update isn’t big in quantity, but her improvement is huge and I’ll keep this post as updated as I can! Thank you all for your help!

 

[Eggcessive]

The benadryl sometimes is a good idea if there has been an insect sting or tick bite, but to me it looks more like she has been bullied. The swollen eye and head, dried blood, and feather loss is usually from pecking. Do you have a big enough coop or secure run to keep her in a wire dog crate with her own food and water? After bringing her in for some TLC, and I would keep her separated in a crate with the others, so she remains part of the flock.

With some illnesses, such as Mareks disease or an injury, the other chickens will pick on the weak one. So, once she is recovering from her injuries, try to examine her all over for other symptoms. Mareks can start with weakness in an extremity.

 

[Eggcessive]

Hopefully, it is only an injury and low pecking order, but her is a good article about Mareks disease:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/

 

[Tiggerandfriends]

Hopefully, it is only an injury and low pecking order, but her is a good article about Mareks disease:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-fag.66077/

I was thinking it was a bug bite or sting or pecking but the last thing I want to do is keep her with my other birds if she has or developes something that can spread to my other birds, so I don’t want her near them until she heals. Once she heals I will start reintroducing her to the rest of my flock. Thanks for the article, it was very helpful

 

[Nats Chickens]

Has she got some internal or external parasite or any history of that sort of thing? I suggest you separate her for a while and throughly clean the coop in case it is contagious. Poor Baby.

 

[HeiHeisMom]

Her left eye is open, she is eating, and she walked herself outside the wooden box I have her in (with a limp but still more movement than she has had in the last two days). This update isn’t big in quantity, but her improvement is huge and I’ll keep this post as updated as I can! Thank you all for your help!

Thank you for update.
Praying for the Sweety.

 

[micstrachan]

Sorry about your hen. Just an FYI, both @Wyorp Rock and @Eggcessive are very experienced and well respected. If they are telling you your hen looks like that because she’s been beaten up, they are probably right. If she has something contagious that made her weak and susceptible to bullying, the rest of the flock has already been exposed. I think the dog crate in with the flock is a good way to avoid more bullying later. Please know we are here to support and help you. I sincerely hope you will take the good advice you have been given. Good luck with your girl.

 

[micstrachan]

@Tiggerandfriends, how is your sweet Barred Rock doing today?

 

[Tiggerandfriends]

@Tiggerandfriends, how is your sweet Barred Rock doing today?

She’s a lot more active, she keeps walking out of the box I am keeping her in to eat. The eye that was gunky is starting to open. She doesn’t look miserable anymore.

 

[micstrachan]

Thanks for the update. So glad to hear that!