Unsecure chicken perches

[Kenilchick]

Nugget is our most active, greediest chicken always eating etc.

Last night I noticed her behaving strangely. Not feeding - all kindof hunched and rounded just sitting away from the other chickens. She then took herself off to bed at around 6:30 - unheard of . She also wouldn't eat the worm I offered her - also unheard of . Her crop was full but soft.

This morning she was up with the others. Her crop is still full-ish and she again is not behaving normally. She immediately jumped into the bush at the bottom of the garden to roost rather than rush around scavenging.

 

I'm a novice to chicken ailments as I've only had them a year and this is the first problem (other than lice that I've noticed). They did get cut grass on Saturday morning as I mowed the lawn and gave them some.

 

Any advice on what to do please

[Egluntyne]

I'd grab her and give her a once over, checking for signs of external parasites, rattly chest and swollen abdomen. You have already mentioned her crop. Is it hard, or squishy? Does her breath smell?

 

What are her poos like?

 

Have you wormed her recently?

[Kenilchick]

I've given her a good lookover. No mites that I can see. She has been losing some feathers which I put down to moulting (behind her comb on top of her head and also a patch on her crop). She has been looking a bit ropey featherwise but has been laying well and acting fine until now. I haven't wormed them for a couple of months (I have flubenvet which I mix into porridge for them). Not sure she'd eat it even if I offered her some

 

Her crop is big and round but soft and moveable. Haven't seen any poos.

 

I have brought her inside (as its quite chilly out there) and put her in a dog crate which I've lined with newspaper and a nest of straw. I've also put a good branch through the bars for a perch and given her some pellets and water. I put a juicy worm in there but she's just ignoring it. Don't know what else to do for the moment .

 

Hope she'll be OK she's such a character and my favourite of the 4

 

Should I be doing anything else??

 

Thanks for your advise.

[Kenilchick]

Well - there has been a development. Just checked on her and there is egg white in the straw (no yolk that I can see). Nugget was drinking it. I can see what looks like soft egg shell sticking out of her vent. Should I leave her to pass that herself or do I need to pull on it gently

 

If she's been blocked up with a soft egg would that stop everything - food digestion poos etc and that could be why shes not right

[Kenilchick]

Well - she's passed the yolk and shell now. I've washed her rear end and she's much perkier. I've put her back with her friends so hopefully things will be OK now. I'll keep an eye on her though.

[staceychristie]

Well done for keeping your eyes open!!

Just keep an eye on her, as if she's about to drop anything else (second softee?) The others might go for her vent to 'investigate'.

Was the shell broken and hard, or stringy and soft? If it was in bits, then keep an eye out for bits of stuck shell which could lead to infection.

 

Stacey

[Lorimer73]

Are you sure that it is a shell sticking out of the vent? Our chicken Emma had something sticking out of her vent that looked a bit like that, behaving the same way as your chicken. We asked the Vet what he thought, as we were taking our dog for something and he said that it sounded like worms and gave us some wormer and he was right I saw the worm that came out!!!

[Kenilchick]

Yep - it was the soft shell and yolk that was hanging out as she passed that later. I have started all the chickens on a 7 day course of flubenvet anyway. Thanks though - I'll keep a close eye on her and her poos for any wriggling things