1y.o. RIR not eating or drinking, her sis died

[BirdGuy2018]

Hello -

So had 1 of 5 RIR die about a week ago. Only 1y.o. in good health as far as I know. Suspected gander had killed her as he is obnoxious during mating season and he sleeps separate from hens at night because of this. Dunno if was him though. Found her at dusk by coop when went out, had not heard any fighting...and gander was minding his own business w/mate at far end of run. No visible sign of injury.

So then we have 3 days of snowy cold weather (Colorado) with it getting to 25 the 1st night. Their coop is draft-tight and they have fresh clean straw, plenty of water and fresh food though goose water is always fouled by the geese.

The sister hen of the one who died (also 1y.o.) wanted to come inside the night before. She is the omega of all the birds and the gander terrifies her. I put her in coop but did note that oddly she had closed her eyes while I carried her.

Then last night, she insisted on coming inside. So I got the carrier out for her and brought her in house. She was exhausted! She plopped down on bedding and not a peep out of her for whole night. She did not eat and drink like normally would with house lighting. Neither did she seem in pain with exception of one loud vocalization that did seem like pain, then settled back down.

Her stools look normal, no blood.

This morning, just a handful of pecks at food and water. She is vocalizing normal but I am keeping her inside while sorting this out. She essentially is not eating or drinking. I put some banana in carrier and won't touch it.

One thing I was planning on doing is De-worming spring and fall. Got it done last spring but not in fall. Waiting for it to warm up a notch more before worming.

Wondering if worms could be causing this? Her energy is good, attitude seems otherwise normal.

As for "hardware sickness" it is unlikely but not impossible. Nothing new has been done in run to introduce new stuff. And I tediously went through even with magnet to hopefully catch the small amount of old stuff--but conceivable something could have unearthed over time.

This little girl is the one who had the prolapsed egg drama first time she laid an egg. Did not have any issues since then.

Your thoughts, suggestions???

Thanks!

 

[nightowl223]

Hello -

So had 1 of 5 RIR die about a week ago. Only 1y.o. in good health as far as I know. Suspected gander had killed her as he is obnoxious during mating season and he sleeps separate from hens at night because of this. Dunno if was him though. Found her at dusk by coop when went out, had not heard any fighting...and gander was minding his own business w/mate at far end of run. No visible sign of injury.

So then we have 3 days of snowy cold weather (Colorado) with it getting to 25 the 1st night. Their coop is draft-tight and they have fresh clean straw, plenty of water and fresh food though goose water is always fouled by the geese.

The sister hen of the one who died (also 1y.o.) wanted to come inside the night before. She is the omega of all the birds and the gander terrifies her. I put her in coop but did note that oddly she had closed her eyes while I carried her.

Then last night, she insisted on coming inside. So I got the carrier out for her and brought her in house. She was exhausted! She plopped down on bedding and not a peep out of her for whole night. She did not eat and drink like normally would with house lighting. Neither did she seem in pain with exception of one loud vocalization that did seem like pain, then settled back down.

Her stools look normal, no blood.

This morning, just a handful of pecks at food and water. She is vocalizing normal but I am keeping her inside while sorting this out. She essentially is not eating or drinking. I put some banana in carrier and won't touch it.

One thing I was planning on doing is De-worming spring and fall. Got it done last spring but not in fall. Waiting for it to warm up a notch more before worming.

Wondering if worms could be causing this? Her energy is good, attitude seems otherwise normal.

As for "hardware sickness" it is unlikely but not impossible. Nothing new has been done in run to introduce new stuff. And I tediously went through even with magnet to hopefully catch the small amount of old stuff--but conceivable something could have unearthed over time.

This little girl is the one who had the prolapsed egg drama first time she laid an egg. Did not have any issues since then.

Your thoughts, suggestions???

Thanks!

I'd suggest finding other treats that might convince her to eat. Some ideas would be scrambled eggs, or yogurt, or mealworms, or oatmeal with natural honey on it, or fruits/veggies like apple, tomato, strawberry, or pepper. Add some water soluble vitamins/electrolytes to her water (Durvet makes the kind I like, as it has a scoop to use for measuring). Perhaps add some probiotics powder to whatever treats you offer her (the yogurt should already have it). You especially need to be certain she stays hydrated. Severel dehydration is deadly to birds, just like it is to us.

Perhaps she just needs some time away from the flock, if she seemed to come to you asking to come inside. Or perhaps she is feeling poorly, and in that case, you need to watch for any symptoms to give you a clue about what's going on. Check her over for any wounds you can see, even underneath the feathers. Chickens instinctively hate to show any indications of injury or illness, as they are prey animals, and a weak member of the flock would naturally be the first target for a predator. It's just hard-wired into their makeup, but it does make it hard for us to figure out what's wrong sometimes, if they aren't showing any outwards indications of problems. Even if you regularly look over your birds closely, checking for parasites or other problems, you can still miss something.

 

[BirdGuy2018]

Right on thanks for info. She did manage to lay an egg that night or in early morning. And things turned around after that. She is earing and drinking now. Could egg have gotten turned around in her so was egg bound? Or some other egg issue? Am left wondering if it had something to do with the egg.

It is a warm sunny day and she is eating/drinking so put her out with flock. Will bring her in tonight for a 3rd rest night. If all is good, will then leave her out while nights are warmish. Will inspect closely for injuries parasites.

Plan to worm them in next couple of weeks.

 

[nightowl223]

Right on thanks for info. She did manage to lay an egg that night or in early morning. And things turned around after that. She is earing and drinking now. Could egg have gotten turned around in her so was egg bound? Or some other egg issue? Am left wondering if it had something to do with the egg.

It is a warm sunny day and she is eating/drinking so put her out with flock. Will bring her in tonight for a 3rd rest night. If all is good, will then leave her out while nights are warmish. Will inspect closely for injuries parasites.

Plan to worm them in next couple of weeks.

I'm glad she's perking up. I doubt it sas an egg issue. Generally, if there are egg issues, they don't resolve on their own. She may have just needed some time not being picked on. The bottom of the pecking order is a rough place to be.