What's wrong with my chicken?

[Rebeccajc]

Hi guys!

Yesterday my Silkie was acting very lethargic, not keeping up with the rest of the flock and sometimes breathing with her mouth open. This morning she seems almost back to normal, running around with the other chooks however I can tell she is still a little more weak than usual. When she stands still her tail is drooping down, she has also done a couple of wet sneezes. Anybody know what's going on? I just have three little silkies in my backyard and the rest all seem fine. Very worried and hope I can get to the bottom of it. Thank you!

 

[Isaac 0]

Welcome to BackYard Chickens. Could you provide some more details regarding the hen, and your setup? Lots of conditions may cause a hen to go lethargic, and open-mouth breathe so it's hard for us to "pinpoint" what the problem may be.

How old is the bird? Is she laying, how long? Where did you acquire her? Have you added any new birds to your flock recently? Is the hen eating, and drinking? What are they being fed, any supplements, such as oyster shells if they're laying? How does her abdominal area feel? Have you done a thorough physical examination checking around her vent, mouth, eyes, legs, etc? Did you notice anything abnormal?

Could you post a few pictures, or better yet a video of the hen? To post video upload it to a video platform such as youtube or Vimeo, and copy/paste the link here.

Of course, this is if the hen is laying, but open-mouth breathing, lethargy, and a droopy tail may indicate she is having problems passing an egg.

 

[Rebeccajc]

Thanks for your reply!

She is around 8-9 months old and laying. Been laying for about a month now. She's still eating and drinking although not quite as ravenously as she usually does. No new birds, the three of them all hatched from the same batch of eggs. I bought them at 6 months from a man who was moving house down the road and could no longer keep them! He didn't have any other animals. They are fed a grower chicken feed (crumble) and any leftover fruit and vegetables. They have a small coup that they sleep in at night but are free to range the backyard during the day. The usually spend most of the day pecking at the grass, scratching in the dirt and only head back to the coup to lay or sleep. And just encase it makes a difference, we have a dog too.

I haven't done a thorough check, didn't even think to! The only thing I was checking for was sour crop or compacted crop but this doesn't seem to be the issue. In the morning the crop is small and soft again. Will have a better look. Although perkier today she is still intermittently open-mouth breathing and occasionally sneezing.

I'm in Australia and its night now, so will try and get some photos and footage to show tomorrow.

Thanks so much!

 

[Aapomp831]

Thanks for your reply!

She is around 8-9 months old and laying. Been laying for about a month now. She's still eating and drinking although not quite as ravenously as she usually does. No new birds, the three of them all hatched from the same batch of eggs. I bought them at 6 months from a man who was moving house down the road and could no longer keep them! He didn't have any other animals. They are fed a grower chicken feed (crumble) and any leftover fruit and vegetables. They have a small coup that they sleep in at night but are free to range the backyard during the day. The usually spend most of the day pecking at the grass, scratching in the dirt and only head back to the coup to lay or sleep. And just encase it makes a difference, we have a dog too.

I haven't done a thorough check, didn't even think to! The only thing I was checking for was sour crop or compacted crop but this doesn't seem to be the issue. In the morning the crop is small and soft again. Will have a better look. Although perkier today she is still intermittently open-mouth breathing and occasionally sneezing.

I'm in Australia and its night now, so will try and get some photos and footage to show tomorrow.

Thanks so much!

Your chickens should be on layer feed, not grower at 8/9 months old. I would switch them over immediately and put out free choice oyster shells. I’m not saying this is the problem that you’re having, but that really stuck out to me. It takes a huge toll in their bodies to make just one single egg, so it’s a possibility she could be calcium deficient. Please switch to layer feed.

 

[Rebeccajc]

Your chickens should be on layer feed, not grower at 8/9 months old. I would switch them over immediately and put out free choice oyster shells. I’m not saying this is the problem that you’re having, but that really stuck out to me. It takes a huge toll in their bodies to make just one single egg, so it’s a possibility she could be calcium deficient. Please switch to layer feed.

ok great, will do!

 

[Isaac 0]

Thanks for your reply!

She is around 8-9 months old and laying. Been laying for about a month now. She's still eating and drinking although not quite as ravenously as she usually does. No new birds, the three of them all hatched from the same batch of eggs. I bought them at 6 months from a man who was moving house down the road and could no longer keep them! He didn't have any other animals. They are fed a grower chicken feed (crumble) and any leftover fruit and vegetables. They have a small coup that they sleep in at night but are free to range the backyard during the day. The usually spend most of the day pecking at the grass, scratching in the dirt and only head back to the coup to lay or sleep. And just encase it makes a difference, we have a dog too.

I haven't done a thorough check, didn't even think to! The only thing I was checking for was sour crop or compacted crop but this doesn't seem to be the issue. In the morning the crop is small and soft again. Will have a better look. Although perkier today she is still intermittently open-mouth breathing and occasionally sneezing.

I'm in Australia and its night now, so will try and get some photos and footage to show tomorrow.

Thanks so much!

I agree, she should be fed a diet formulated for laying hens, not growing pullets. Is that the problem (?) I'm not sure, but it needs to be corrected. If mine, I would switch her over to layer feed now, and add a calcium supplement such as oyster shells in a separate dish. It may not be a bad idea to give her a jump start and administer a calcium supplement such as Tums, calcium gluconate, or calcium citrate. Any of those will work.

I'm am interested in seeing a video of her sneezing. If it's quite often, that may indicate an environmental issue such as dusty feed, or bedding, or something more serious such as a respiratory disease.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Sorry to contradict folks, but grower feed is okay for an adult flock. It's generally the same protein content as layer feed, it simply has less calcium. Many members of BYC keep their flock on grower feed or All Flock feed because they have roosters, growing chicks, or other poultry in their flock. You only need to provide oyster shells free-choice in another container for them.

My guess would be if nutrition is an issue other flock members would be showing symptoms.

I'm am interested in seeing a video of her sneezing. If it's quite often, that may indicate an environmental issue such as dusty feed, or bedding, or something more serious such as a respiratory disease.

I agree with this sentiment.