BellaMay95
In the Brooder
Hi all -- my girl Ethel is a 6 month old black copper marans pullet and just this evening I noticed she can't hold herself up to stand.
She is laying, and she did lay an egg today (I have a camera on the nesting boxes plus I collected 10 eggs for 10 hens) so she's not eggbound.
She is alert and everything she just can't hold herself up. Her legs look fine, no obvious injuries and her reflexes did move her toes/pull her legs up when I stroked them.
I did re-check the camera and she was the last girl to lay this afternoon and she used her wings to get herself out of the nesting box and onto the coop floor (coop kit design has the roosts on an upper level next to the nesting boxes with a run underneath with the food/water). It was a warm afternoon in the 80s today.
When I first saw her laying in the coop I thought I was just interrupting her "carcass time" and she seemed alert enough. I came back out about 1-1.5 hours later to check on her and I took her out of the coop just to see if she was okay and that's when I noticed she couldn't pick herself up. I held her up to the feeder/waterer and she ate some but she really went to town on the water.
I have 10 chickens, Ethel and the 6 others her age usually sleep in that same coop and then the 3 chickens (11 months) have a little coop but they all run around the backyard together during the day. I moved the 3 older chickens into the bigger coop with the young ones and put Ethel in the little coop by herself to sleep.
I did notice some runny poop in the coop where Ethel was sitting in the evening, I know it's hers because I scooped out the coop when I got home (and moved her so I could scoop under her) but not sure if that means anything?
Do you think she was just super dehydrated/exhausted from laying the egg in the warm temperatures and she'll be better in the morning? Anything I should check her for in the morning/do for her other than obviously make sure feed/water is accessible before I leave for work? Everybody else is acting all happy as a clam.
If it is heat exhaustion buttercup is going to have to toughen up...the coop thermometer only registered 83.7°F and Texas is only getting started...
She is laying, and she did lay an egg today (I have a camera on the nesting boxes plus I collected 10 eggs for 10 hens) so she's not eggbound.
She is alert and everything she just can't hold herself up. Her legs look fine, no obvious injuries and her reflexes did move her toes/pull her legs up when I stroked them.
I did re-check the camera and she was the last girl to lay this afternoon and she used her wings to get herself out of the nesting box and onto the coop floor (coop kit design has the roosts on an upper level next to the nesting boxes with a run underneath with the food/water). It was a warm afternoon in the 80s today.
When I first saw her laying in the coop I thought I was just interrupting her "carcass time" and she seemed alert enough. I came back out about 1-1.5 hours later to check on her and I took her out of the coop just to see if she was okay and that's when I noticed she couldn't pick herself up. I held her up to the feeder/waterer and she ate some but she really went to town on the water.
I have 10 chickens, Ethel and the 6 others her age usually sleep in that same coop and then the 3 chickens (11 months) have a little coop but they all run around the backyard together during the day. I moved the 3 older chickens into the bigger coop with the young ones and put Ethel in the little coop by herself to sleep.
I did notice some runny poop in the coop where Ethel was sitting in the evening, I know it's hers because I scooped out the coop when I got home (and moved her so I could scoop under her) but not sure if that means anything?
Do you think she was just super dehydrated/exhausted from laying the egg in the warm temperatures and she'll be better in the morning? Anything I should check her for in the morning/do for her other than obviously make sure feed/water is accessible before I leave for work? Everybody else is acting all happy as a clam.
If it is heat exhaustion buttercup is going to have to toughen up...the coop thermometer only registered 83.7°F and Texas is only getting started...
