buff orpington hen tail down & not going up on perch - is she sick?

[chicgrrl]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this question, but my buff orpington hen has been weird for quite a few months and seems to be related to last spring when she went broody. I had a buff orpington rooster, initially. After he'd found his voice, one neighbor complained. It was an accident it turned out one hen was a roo, but I decided it would be great to keep him as he was my son's favorite and I knew my son would enjoy baby chicks. So, I was ok with it when my buff orpington hen went broody, but the roo kept breaking her eggs... and she broke some of them also! but she was very determined to be broody, and sat and sat for 2 months... finally one hatched out and survived. I waited 3 days and when no more hatched, I threw out the rest of the eggs since I'd not separated her and already had 8 chickens total and am limited to 10 total by where I am. She stayed with her lone baby chick and fortunately, it was a hen, but from one of the Black Australorps eggs. After that, I thought she'd be integrated with the flock and back up on the roost, but the baby hatched June 2017, and she is kind of a loner now and won't get on the roost at night. If I put her up there, she is back down off it in a nest box in the morning. I also am noticing that the other hens all have perky tails oriented upward, like normal chickens should, but her tail droops downward. I had to give away the roo due to an official letter I got about his crowing. I first tried crow-collars and it just didn't work plus I was worried he might choke. I gave him away in Sept. 2017. I had another Buff Orpington hen that was my best layer, and a big hen and she looked very healthy, but about two weeks ago, when I came to the coop, I found her dead without any sign or injury. She was in a nest box, and as best I can figure she had heart failure(?). I'm not really sure but now I just have this one Buff Orpinton hen left of the original 3 Buff Orpingtons, and I'm wondering. She is eating, but she is lowest in the pecking order and seems rather weak overall. I gave her a few chicken "spa" treatments, soaking her feet in Epsom salts, as I thought maybe her legs were getting mites. She liked the attention and treats she got afterward, but I am not sure if there were any leg mites, etc. Any thoughts for me? should I have a vet look at her? or work harder to get her to stay on the roost? I don't know about blocking nest boxes off at night since I have six other hens laying eggs...or since she's eating and does move around sometimes, should I wait and keep watching?

 

[featherhead007]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this question, but my buff orpington hen has been weird for quite a few months and seems to be related to last spring when she went broody. I had a buff orpington rooster, initially. After he'd found his voice, one neighbor complained. It was an accident it turned out one hen was a roo, but I decided it would be great to keep him as he was my son's favorite and I knew my son would enjoy baby chicks. So, I was ok with it when my buff orpington hen went broody, but the roo kept breaking her eggs... and she broke some of them also! but she was very determined to be broody, and sat and sat for 2 months... finally one hatched out and survived. I waited 3 days and when no more hatched, I threw out the rest of the eggs since I'd not separated her and already had 8 chickens total and am limited to 10 total by where I am. She stayed with her lone baby chick and fortunately, it was a hen, but from one of the Black Australorps eggs. After that, I thought she'd be integrated with the flock and back up on the roost, but the baby hatched June 2017, and she is kind of a loner now and won't get on the roost at night. If I put her up there, she is back down off it in a nest box in the morning. I also am noticing that the other hens all have perky tails oriented upward, like normal chickens should, but her tail droops downward. I had to give away the roo due to an official letter I got about his crowing. I first tried crow-collars and it just didn't work plus I was worried he might choke. I gave him away in Sept. 2017. I had another Buff Orpington hen that was my best layer, and a big hen and she looked very healthy, but about two weeks ago, when I came to the coop, I found her dead without any sign or injury. She was in a nest box, and as best I can figure she had heart failure(?). I'm not really sure but now I just have this one Buff Orpinton hen left of the original 3 Buff Orpingtons, and I'm wondering. She is eating, but she is lowest in the pecking order and seems rather weak overall. I gave her a few chicken "spa" treatments, soaking her feet in Epsom salts, as I thought maybe her legs were getting mites. She liked the attention and treats she got afterward, but I am not sure if there were any leg mites, etc. Any thoughts for me?

I can't think of anything other than "I love buff orpingtons"

 

[azygous]

I'm assuming it's the Buff Orpington hen we're talking about here, not the Australorp chick. Tail held low and flat signifies not feeling well, but she could be sick from any of a hundred chicken diseases and disorders from crop impaction or yeast infection to a bacterial infection or even an avian virus.

The fact another hen died of mysterious causes may indicate the latter. Some of these viruses cause tumors on organs and the chicken will seem normal until all of a sudden, they go into decline. Sadly, many of these chicken diseases can only be diagnosed upon the death of the chicken during a necropsy.

Your hen could be suffering from oviduct disease, but it's difficult to diagnose without a vet's help. Some symptoms are swelling of the abdomen and yellowish, runny poop and occasionally passing small bits of hard waxy material.

You might monitor her crop in the morning, and if it's full before she eats, you may be able to treat for a crop disorder. The other possibilities may not be able to be diagnosed, but you can put her on an antibiotic and see if that makes a difference after you've ruled out a crop issue.