What’s wrong with her?

Foxinthehenhouse

Songster
Aug 7, 2019
210
376
146
Cruso, NC
I have a five month hen that has been laying eggs and doing well. She has been laying her eggs on the coop so yesterday when I saw her in the coup looking for a place to lay her egg I picked her up and put her in a nesting box. When I went in later in the afternoon she was still standing up in box. I brought her out and set her in the grass to free range with the other girls, she didn’t move just stayed there. After fifteen minutes of her not moving I picked her up and checked her out, vent etc., could find nothing wrong. I put her on the roosting bar ( 4:30 p.m. ) and this morning she is still standing there! Any ideas??
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Is she eating/drinking?
What do you feed your flock?
Do they get treats? What and how often?
Have the birds been treated for any illness or disease recently? If so, for what and with what?
Have they been treated for worms?
What does her stool (poo) look like? Photos?

Birds hide illness VERY well, and it's usually only at the very end do we see something that's affecting them. Add to your post with the information above and any other details you think might be pertinent and folks here will be able to help you more...
 
My flock of 12 is only five months old, no illnesse.
Purina layer pellets
1/4 watermelon and a hand full of meal worms daily
Just put her in cage so haven’t seen poop, I’ll watch for it.
Saw her drink some water but haven’t seen her eat. ( doesn’t mean she haven’t )
Havent been treated for worms but I use diatomaceous earth and Second Sunday weekly in coop.
 
When did they get started on the layer pellets? Did they have chick Starter Feed prior? That will help us understand her nutrition history.

To the issue at hand: Aside from disease (you didn't state whether they have been treated for any other health problems or vaccinated against Mareks, Newcastles, or any other disease), it's possible you've got an eggbound hen, or possibly a crop issue. Let's take each one at a time:

EGGBOUND:
An eggbound hen with exhibit some strange behavior. She's uncomfortable because her reproductive tract has become blocked. This is somewhat akin to humans being constipated. Check her belly to see if you can feel an egg in her abdomen just in front of her vent. You may want to lubricate a gloved finger and insert it in and upward in her vent to see if you can feel the egg that way. You'll feel it just an inch or two inward if she's eggbound. Here's a decent primer on eggbound hens and treatment:
https://morningchores.com/egg-bound-chicken/
Here's another:
https://www.knowyourchickens.com/egg-bound-chicken/

Rule is out as quickly as you can because it can be life-threatening.


CROP ISSUES:
The crop is a storage container for food and water that a chicken has recently consumed. Sometimes, however, the crop can become partially blocked or fully block, called Impacted Crop; it might be partially emptying, called Slow-Emptying Crop. Both of these can lead to a buildup of yeast in the crop creating Sour Crop.

Check her crop and report back what it feels like. Does her breath smell sour or putrid? Did you check her crop when you found her this morning, and what did it feel like then?

Here's more on Impacted Crop:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/
 
Check her over carefully for external parasites too. You're looking closely around her vent, around her legs paying closer attention to where scales meet and overlap, under her wings, and even around her neck. If you see any little crawling bugs, you might have a mite or lice problem.

Diatomaceuos Earth is a great product and we use it proactively for our birds, but it really doesn't "treat" anything. Instead, it keeps parasites like mites and lice at bay on the birds, in their bedding, and around their coop/run areas. It's also good for controlling ants, roaches, and other critters with exoskeletons...
 
I have checked her for for everything I know, this isn’t my first rodeo.
I have put electrolytes in her water and gave her some fermented feed to try.
I guess time will tell, I’m keeping a close watch on her. 🤞🏻🙏🏻
Thanks!
 

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