Could my other chickens be exposed to anything? Also, how long do hens live? I think these three Delawares are/were older.
Good morning from the East Coast, USA. I’m coming into this thread with a similar chicken issue- I will gladly post some pictures if you are still able to read this thread!!!Sorry about your hen.
Have you actually checked her for egg binding? I always suspect this first with any hen and is easy to rule out. Put on a latex glove with so ky-jelly or vaseline on the index finger and insert your finger into her vent straight back. If there is a stuck egg, it will be within the first inch or so. At 2 inches, the egg is still in the uterus and she is not considered egg bound. At this point you would want to soak her in warm water as was suggested earlier. It is not advised to soak a sick bird otherwise. If she is egg bound, you will also want to get calcium into her to help with contractions. Tums or human calcium works well.
It is very possible she is being bullied away from eating and drinking. This will make them incredibly weak and cold. I always provide several feeding and watering stations because highet ranking birds can literally starve out the lower ranking birds.
She could also be suffering from Coccidiosis. This will have them off their feed and not drinking as well. If you have any Corid on hand, you might get some in the water.
Does her comb always flop over? If not, the color and floppiness could indicate heart or circulation issues. How old is she?
It never hurts to worm, but usually combs turn really pale. Dark color combs usually arent associated with worms.
I would keep her inside overnight and in some good heat, 80 to 85 degrees. Get lots of food and water into her and see if just some tlc doesnt perk her up.
So many things can be going on inside ours birds and sometimes it is very difficult to mske an exact diagnosis.
Keep us posted!!
We would love to help you, but since this an old thread, could you start a new thread with symptoms, age, questions, and pictures here on the emergency forum:
