what's wrong with my hen???

[growlingrooster]

Ooh great idea! It is very possible she is egg bound. Have you seen her eggs at all? How many chickens do you have? Sorry if you have a lot, because since i only have two i can tell which one laid what eggs.

I only have two hens ahahah, but I havent seen their eggs in a week (either of them) and I'm suspicious they went find another spot since I did a big cleanout of their coop, I'll put an egg in there see if they come back to lay.

 

[growlingrooster]

is it possible she is egg-bound? How is she walking when you get her out of the coop? Try a warm soapy bath to clean her vent area and give her somewhere quiet to recoup?

I didnt notice her walking differently but then again I didnt really thought of it and look for it... I wanted to give them all a bath with some vinegar too however it's getting a bit cold here in canada, would it still be safe if the temperature doesnt drop under 10C/50F ?

 

[Hopethehen]

I only have two hens ahahah, but I havent seen their eggs in a week (either of them) and I'm suspicious they went find another spot since I did a big cleanout of their coop, I'll put an egg in there see if they come back to lay.

Haha I have something really cool to show you. My chicken coop has a built in nesting box, you know. So one day, before they laid, my dad said "Go check if theres any eggs," then i said "Theres probabaly none there, and if they did start laying, it probably wouldnt be the nesting box on their first time," then i looked and found three eggs. By the way, he always knew the eggs were there.
Yes, putting and egg in the nesting box is a good idea.

 

[Hopethehen]

I didnt notice her walking differently but then again I didnt really thought of it and look for it... I wanted to give them all a bath with some vinegar too however it's getting a bit cold here in canada, would it still be safe if the temperature doesnt drop under 10C/50F ?

It might be bad, but here, where i live, i never had it too cold. Maybe try giving their baths insides in some warm water, make sure it isnt too hot, and make sure they are dry enough to go back outside.

 

[Eggcessive]

If you find lice or mites, it would be best to get some permethrin garden dust or 10% spray from your feed store. Lice need treating at 10 day intervals, and the coop also would need spraying after bedding is cleaned out. Do not treat unless you see lice or mites. Vinegar will not treat them, and would be harmful to spray on a chicken full strength.

All of the questions asked by Biophilliac are good ones to give us an idea of what might be wrong. Crop problems, internal laying, parasites, and respiratory infections can all make hens feel ill.

 

[biophiliac]

I havent found any egg in the coop lately, but I'm not sure if they just found another place to lay, I'll try to let one egg in to stimulate them and see if they lay inside again....however she seems to have lost weight, she is not smaller than her daugher and they used to be about the same size. It's very hard to take her and feel her because she do not like to be handled at all! I tried this morning and got my arm clawed. I will try to grab her while she sleeps tonight!

It's a bit hard to see for her poops too because she sleeps completely against the rooster and I imagine their poop would get all mixed together haahha!

I'm thinking isolating her to get a better chance to observe everything but I'm concerned getting her separated might be too drastic...?


:::EDIT:::
forgot to say, I feed my birds laying hens food and scrap from the table.

If she were mine I would(remember to wear long sleeves when handling her ) and do those checks - is her crop full when she goes to roost, use a light to check for external parasites, make sure there is no wound from the skunk you mentioned...

Then in the am before she eats I would try to see if her crop is empty. I would try to weigh her if possible.

I would isolate her in a wire enclosure/cage within the coop so she is still with the flock and you can check what she is eating, drinking and pooping; since you said she did not leave the coop on her own anyway.
@Wyorp Rock , @Pyxis , @Eggcessive ??

Wow thats a lot a questions.

Yep.

 

[biophiliac]

If you find lice or mites, it would be best to get some permethrin garden dust or 10% spray from your feed store. Lice need treating at 10 day intervals, and the coop also would need spraying after bedding is cleaned out. Do not treat unless you see lice or mites. Vinegar will not treat them, and would be harmful to spray on a chicken full strength.

All of the questions asked by Biophilliac are good ones to give us an idea of what might be wrong. Crop problems, internal laying, parasites, and respiratory infections can all make hens feel ill.

I'm such a slow poke w/ this keyboard! You are here already!

 

[growlingrooster]

If you find lice or mites, it would be best to get some permethrin garden dust or 10% spray from your feed store. Lice need treating at 10 day intervals, and the coop also would need spraying after bedding is cleaned out. Do not treat unless you see lice or mites. Vinegar will not treat them, and would be harmful to spray on a chicken full strength.

All of the questions asked by Biophilliac are good ones to give us an idea of what might be wrong. Crop problems, internal laying, parasites, and respiratory infections can all make hens feel ill.

@biophiliac
tagging you as well because I'm new to forums and I'm not sure how to answer many people in one reply haha...


my feed store doesn't sell much, in fact I had to get medication for respiratory infection years before and they didnt sell anything I had to buy meds on ebay...


I went in the coop and managed to grab her, which wasnt easy task but she ended landing on my arm and I wont like I did feel a bit like a falconer hahah! Then i observed her from close, she did poop, it seemed maybe a little liquid, but it wasnt soup...more like a wet poop... She doesnt seem to have parasites, she has a tons of feathers growing back (bunch of little white spikes, a true dino) I'm not a pro of hen anatomy but i patted around her vent a bit, and it doesnt seem to have a mass in there...
I'm not sure if it was the stress but she seemed to have a weak wing...I've put her in a medium dog cage with a branch to roost, food and water. I put respiratory infection meds in her water since I heard her sneeze during the past week and we will hope for the best!
At least she was very hard to catch which I suppose is a good thing! more for her than for me ahahah!
I also found an egg but there is no way to know if she did it or if her daughter did it...

 

[Hopethehen]

Aww its nice to see your babies baby grow up and lay eggs, isnt it?

 

[growlingrooster]

Aww its nice to see your babies baby grow up and lay eggs, isnt it?

Aww its nice to see your babies baby grow up and lay eggs, isnt it?

it has been quite an experience, back then I was scared the cats get the chicks!
here is a bad photo of them last year!