sick hen

[capall beag]

We have 10 hens, they were born this year.

All were doing great. Beautiful shiny feathers, alert very healthy looking, all except one.

She does not have any discharge from her beak but her comb and wattles are now a pale pink not bright red.

She seems thin and is not really eating, that I notice.

She is all puffed up and tucks her head under her wing and sleeps most of the day. She has stopped laying. All the others are laying.

She has no feather loss.

I feel badly for her it is cold here and she just stands around looking sickly.

It has been about a week that since I have noticed, she isn't getting better or worse.

I can't get any info on the internet so thought I would try here.

 

[StellaLenoir]

you may have tried here, but this site I find helpfull for my chickens.

backyard chickens

good luck with her!

 

[Sterling]

Chicken ailments are so hard to conquer sometimes. Sometimes it is something that is happening internally where they don't show any outwards signs and it runs them to the ground. I usually keep a packet of Teramyacin handy in the barn....when I see an unthrifty chicken I will quarantine her if the others seem healthy....keep her warm (put up my heat lamp) feed her separately so she won't get bullied out of the feed pan and give her a dose of Teramyacin. I usually only have to do that for about a week or so.

Have your other hens stopped laying? Usually a young first timer chicken will stop laying eggs for a spell before picking up the cycle again.

Another thought....have you checked her egg vent? I had a little Old English hen that would constantly get eggs stuck in her vent. I had to continuously pull out the KY jelly, lube her up and with my fingers gently probe out the egg that would get stuck. Sh'ed be good for a few days until another one would get stuck. When this would happen she would be very quiet...just stnd around and not move much. Just something to look into as well. Hope your little one gets better.

 

[capall beag]

Thanks for the info and suggestions!

All the other hens are laying.

She is acting like you said just very quiet and she looks uncomfortable.

I will check her vent and I think I will seperate her and do the heat lamp and see how she goes.

She is very lethargic and not very interested in food but she roosts at night with all the others.

 

[Dairygirl]

Have you wormed them lately? Could be she has worms if not but you have to be watch worming one that is this sick because killing off the worms fast can kill them. This is just a ideal to your problem, may not be it but just a ideal.

 

[capall beag]

No I have not wormed them.

What do you use.

Gosh have to admit have never heard of worming hens and my family always kept them.

 

[h2t99]

I have never wormed mine, but I do know that you can get wormer in liquid and you put it in their water. Mine are free range so kinda hard to do anything with them!!

I do know that the way they have bred chickens now some can have heart problems, depending on the breed!!

Good Luck

 

[Sterling]

You can worm chickens.....there are products called Sulmet and Piperazine. Have to look at the label again to see which one is for Coccasidiosis (sp?) and worming. Word of warning when using any kind of these products including antibiotics...there is a withdrawl period .....so check the labels for the manufacturer's warnings...or your local agri. dept. Wen I've given my flock any kind of these products...just to be on the safe side I've withdrawn for about a month.

Your withdrawl period will be from eating the eggs or the chicken itself.

Ok....just researched...Piperazine is for the worms....Sulmet is for the Coccidiosis.