Hen with issues eating

[SomeChookLover]

Hi everyone, recently, I’ve noticed my oldest hen, Duck, has been deteriorating. Most of it initially seemed like pretty typical old hen stuff. A bit less active, sleeping a little more etc.
That was until a few weeks ago when one morning she had become much worse, her tail was drooping, and she was crouching, and she didn’t go out with the rest of the chickens. I was very worried, but she improved and while weaker than before, she is still kicking.
However, a few days ago, I noticed she was hardly eating, barely eating any wet chick crumble when I offered it to her. She is also very thin. And now today, she had hardly eaten anything. She’s holding herself more normally, but her back half looks small if that makes any sense. She’s also still walking (though not much) and scratching.
I haven’t been able to observe any of her pooping or drinking habits, but she didn’t even drink sugar water when I gave some to her. Her beak is slightly overgrown, but aside from that there’s no outside injuries or things that could prevent her from eating. I have noticed when she eats, or tries to eat, she will kind of ‘fiddle’ with the food before spitting it out, and seems to have a hard time swallowing. I believe her crop has been emptying overnight, and I can’t smell anything bad from her breath, so I’m not sure what’s wrong with her. Any and all advice is appreciated, thank you.

 

[rosemarythyme]

How old is she? Unfortunately most of that sounds fairly typical of an old bird on their last legs, they just slow down and eat less and less until they deteriorate past the point of no return.

 

[SomeChookLover]

How old is she? Unfortunately most of that sounds fairly typical of an old bird on their last legs, they just slow down and eat less and less until they deteriorate past the point of no return.

I’m not sure exactly how old she is, but very old. At least 7, and she hasn’t laid an egg for a good few years. I was a bit worried that she is just getting too old, but if that is the case, she’s had a pretty good run. She’s been at the top of the pecking order (besides roosters) for a long time, and pretty much started the entire flock we have now. I guess I’ll just keep her comfy until it’s time for her to go.

 

[rosemarythyme]

7 is pretty old for a chicken. Sounds very much like she's on her way out but nothing wrong with trying to keep her comfortable until she's done. I find that my old ladies like to sit inside my brooder (which I keep open and piled up with extra bedding) and snooze most of the day away, and I try to give them some time alone with the food just so they have an easier time eating, but it's normal to find that their appetites and body condition have decreased.

 

[SomeChookLover]

7 is pretty old for a chicken. Sounds very much like she's on her way out but nothing wrong with trying to keep her comfortable until she's done. I find that my old ladies like to sit inside my brooder (which I keep open and piled up with extra bedding) and snooze most of the day away, and I try to give them some time alone with the food just so they have an easier time eating, but it's normal to find that their appetites and body condition have decreased.

Hey so it sounds like you have some good experience with old hens, but I’m wondering if you know how long they will usually last once they’ve started deteriorating?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Hey so it sounds like you have some good experience with old hens, but I’m wondering if you know how long they will usually last once they’ve started deteriorating?

Assuming there's no actual illness, they might make it another 6 months or so if you help nurse them along a bit. They'll gradually get slower and move around less. They'll may start losing weight and muscle and skin and feather condition. Grooming might be more difficult and more infrequent, so good idea to keep an eye on beaks and toenails for overgrowth as well as checking for things like mites and lice.

 

[CosmicTraveler]

Hi everyone, recently, I’ve noticed my oldest hen, Duck, has been deteriorating. Most of it initially seemed like pretty typical old hen stuff. A bit less active, sleeping a little more etc.
That was until a few weeks ago when one morning she had become much worse, her tail was drooping, and she was crouching, and she didn’t go out with the rest of the chickens. I was very worried, but she improved and while weaker than before, she is still kicking.
However, a few days ago, I noticed she was hardly eating, barely eating any wet chick crumble when I offered it to her. She is also very thin. And now today, she had hardly eaten anything. She’s holding herself more normally, but her back half looks small if that makes any sense. She’s also still walking (though not much) and scratching.
I haven’t been able to observe any of her pooping or drinking habits, but she didn’t even drink sugar water when I gave some to her. Her beak is slightly overgrown, but aside from that there’s no outside injuries or things that could prevent her from eating. I have noticed when she eats, or tries to eat, she will kind of ‘fiddle’ with the food before spitting it out, and seems to have a hard time swallowing. I believe her crop has been emptying overnight, and I can’t smell anything bad from her breath, so I’m not sure what’s wrong with her. Any and all advice is appreciated, thank you.

Old age could be a factor, but since she’s struggling to eat and lose weight, there may be more, like throat or crop issues. Try offering soft foods and make sure she’s staying hydrated. A vet visit might be needed to check for internal problems. I wish her a quick recovery!

 

[SomeChookLover]

Old age could be a factor, but since she’s struggling to eat and lose weight, there may be more, like throat or crop issues. Try offering soft foods and make sure she’s staying hydrated. A vet visit might be needed to check for internal problems. I wish her a quick recovery!

Thank you for the reply. I have worried there might be other issues going on but unfortunately a vet visit isn’t possible right now. She really doesn’t have much interest in eating at all, even when I offer soft foods and sugar water. She’ll usually look at it and maybe peck a tiny bit before spitting it out. I have noticed though that she’s been moving her neck like chickens do when they have eaten too much/readjusting their crops.