Is my hen sick, what do I do?

xishells

Hatching
May 19, 2024
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Hi, I'm new to keeping chickens and I'm worried my hen is sick. I've been out all day today and she was fine as of yesterday, I checked on the flock first thing after getting home. She's almost 1 year old and is usually very social, gets along with the other hens, very vocal, always comes running when I open the gate to my backyard, etc. but she was standing under a bush and didn't react at all to my presence which is pretty odd. Her feathers are slightly puffed up, she keeps her eyes closed for long-ish periods of time, she's very quiet and is not mingling with the other chickens like she usually does. She stays standing, she has some kind of white discharge dripping from her vent (diarrhea?), is not moving much and doesn't care for food or water. She went to lay an egg this morning when I let her out of the coop if that's worth mentioning, though I'm not sure if she just sat there or actually laid an egg (I had to leave for something right after, so I didn't check). She just seems super off in general, should I be worried or is it no biggie, and is there anything I can do to help her?

Any advice is appreciated :( Thanks so much!


Edit: I found the egg she laid, it was in a spot in the yard that she's never used to lay before, and it's coated with some kind of greyish powder but is otherwise normal and fully intact. I got her to drink a few sips and eat some tiny sausage pieces/tiny cabbage leaf pieces with a lot of encouragement, but she stopped soon after and won't even look at the regular feed I offered her (it shouldn't be a problem with the feed, I buy good quality organic layer's feed). Thanks again!
 
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What's her diet? Do you have any calcium citrate or tums?
I buy the Scratch and Peck Feeds layer mash and throw in some grit and oyster shell. The flock is free range so they eat bugs and other things they find in the yard. I believe I have Tums somewhere, if not I can easily get some from the store. Should I crush it and mix it with her food, and how much would you suggest?
 
I buy the Scratch and Peck Feeds layer mash and throw in some grit and oyster shell. The flock is free range so they eat bugs and other things they find in the yard. I believe I have Tums somewhere, if not I can easily get some from the store. Should I crush it and mix it with her food, and how much would you suggest?
It would better to get calcium citrate, you just pull down on her wattle and pop it into her beak.
Is she hunched over at all, or kinda standing like a penguin?
 
It would better to get calcium citrate, you just pull down on her wattle and pop it into her beak.
Is she hunched over at all, or kinda standing like a penguin?
Ok, sounds good! She was standing like a penguin, but I've been keeping an eye on her for the past hour and a half and she pushed out another egg, this one without a shell. After that she's been walking around and eating and acting more like her usual self. How long should I give her the calcium citrate for? Thanks for your help!
 

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