Please help!! Hen won’t eat feed.

[sharon_newsom]

Any help would be very appreciated!

I have a hen who is around 1 year old. We’ve had some pretty cold days here recently and she ended up getting (what I think is) a small amount of frostbite on her comb. She started acting pretty lethargic, just laying around all day, so we took her inside. The first day she drank a TON of water, and seemed to perk up a little bit. She ate some spinach and continued drinking a ton of water. The next day her poop was a very watery, dark green, which I thought was due to the spinach. She is not touching her feed, but is still drinking a ton of water. It’s been 3 days since she’s been inside and she’s starting to act lethargic again and still pooping dark green. I’ve tried scrambled eggs, yogurt, adding water to her food, etc. and she won’t eat. She will literally only eat spinach and kale lol. She also hasn’t laid an egg in 4-5 months, but the rest of my girls are laying daily.

 

[tranquiliti]

Hi Sharon!

Hopefully some of the poultry experts here can help you identify & treat your hen’s issue. @Debbie292d

 

[Debbie292d]

Do you have a picture of her comb?

I'd try some electrolytes. She could still be in some type of shock. Here's a recipe if you don't have access to any.

1 cup warm water, 2 teaspoons sugar or molasses, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon baking soda. Mix it together and see if she'll drink that. She should have fresh water available too.

You may have to syringe feed her. If so, mix some egg yolk in water. Here's an article to show how you do that. It's easy, I've done it a few times. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

You can also do that with feed if you can mash it into powder and add water. Or, mix some egg yolk in with it, make a very thick mash and roll into small balls you can put in her beak.

Don't put anything on her comb. It will heal on its own. Until we see it, we won't know for sure though.

 

[sharon_newsom]

Do you have a picture of her comb?

I'd try some electrolytes. She could still be in some type of shock. Here's a recipe if you don't have access to any.

1 cup warm water, 2 teaspoons sugar or molasses, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon baking soda. Mix it together and see if she'll drink that. She should have fresh water available too.

You may have to syringe feed her. If so, mix some egg yolk in water. Here's an article to show how you do that. It's easy, I've done it a few times. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

You can also do that with feed if you can mash it into powder and add water. Or, mix some egg yolk in with it, make a very thick mash and roll into small balls you can put in her beak.

Don't put anything on her comb. It will heal on its own. Until we see it, we won't know for sure though.

Here’s a picture of her comb. I’ve been giving her the Purina electrolyte powder mixed in with her water.

 

[McChooky]

If she's been quit 4-5 months that would mean she quit around September or October of last year. She may have had an issue that's steadily gotten worse but went unnoticed.Chickens are good at hiding they're sick

 

[sharon_newsom]

If she's been quit 4-5 months that would mean she quit around September or October of last year. She may have had an issue that's steadily gotten worse but went unnoticed.Chickens are good at hiding they're sick

New chicken mom here, is there any reason a young hen would stop laying? All of my other girls are still laying and she’s been acting totally fine up until now.

 

[Debbie292d]

Here’s a picture of her comb. I’ve been giving her the Purina electrolyte powder mixed in with her water.

Yes, you're right. That does look frost bit. Glad she's gotten some electrolytes. Only do that for a day or two at most though. After that, I'd switch to vitamin water, like Poultry Cell is what we use. Her comb is painful to her, so be careful not to let her bump it. The tips will turn black and fall off naturally. You don't need to do anything.

There's a slight possibility she quit laying separate from the others just because she's taking a winter break. I have some that quit back then that haven't started back up yet, and some that never stopped, but are laying less than usual.

The dark green watery poop is usually a sign of emaciation, but since she's only eating spinach and kale, that could be a cause as well. Albeit both are very healthy, she needs some of her feed to get all the nutrients she needs. Maybe try making a mash and chopping up some kale/spinich finely and mixing it in. Usually the mash they'll dive into. It's odd she wouldn't eat the eggs as that's another thing most chickens go nuts over.

Like I mentioned above, if she's not eating/drinking at all, you'll have to try syringe feed or make those balls I mentioned, open her beak and pop one at a time in.

 

[Debbie292d]

New chicken mom here, is there any reason a young hen would stop laying? All of my other girls are still laying and she’s been acting totally fine up until now.

Are they on layer feed or all-flock? Hopefully one of those, and very few treats. Mine get some scrambled eggs, oatmeal, or fermented grains once or twice a week is all. I want them to eat more of their feed to get the nutrients they need most.

I keep a separate dish of oyster shell out, and those who need it, eat it.

Some chickens just stop laying in the winter, some slow down, and some don't miss a beat. The days are getting longer now so I'd guess she'll start laying when she's ready to.

 

[sharon_newsom]

They’re on layer feed! I keep a separate dish of oyster shell and grit out as well. So far my girls haven’t missed a beat laying this winter, besides this one girl. I ended up powdering her food and adding it to her water and she’s drinking that, but she won’t eat mush.

 

[Debbie292d]

They’re on layer feed! I keep a separate dish of oyster shell and grit out as well. So far my girls haven’t missed a beat laying this winter, besides this one girl. I ended up powdering her food and adding it to her water and she’s drinking that, but she won’t eat mush.

What's the temperature where you are? Sometimes some are more susceptible to the cold and won't lay because they are spending all of their energy staying warm.

Otherwise, as long as she's been acting fine with no symptoms of having a respiratory issue or anything else wrong, she maybe is just taking a break.