kirsty226 Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 My 3 1/2 year old hybrid hen has become lethargic and unsteady on her feet over the last week or so. She tends to be standing with her eyes shut most of the time, and was sleep with her head in a bush the other day! She can't get up the step in the garden and is drinking lots. Her poo is watery and white. She stopped laying last winter. Today her comb looks a bit shriveled and dark, and she's not made it out of the eglu into her run. I've read so much conflicting advise, and my gut feeling is that she's dying of old age, being a hybrid with a shorter life expectancy. Any thoughts?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 Could be a combination of things Kirsty226. Easily put down to old age, but it may be possible to sort out. The watery poos may be the result of simply not eating or sour crop. She may be lethargic as she has just run out of energy. Droopy crop says she feels cold (our Leghorn's crops shrivel to nothing in Winter) and that may be lack of food or a circulation problem. Worth checking her crop for consistency and temperature and having a look down her throat for cream coloured cheesy growths called cankers. Is her abdomen swollen and warm? Is her neck skin loose and wrinkly, which is dehydration. Some people have hybrids live longer than that, but she has already beaten all of ours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirsty226 Posted July 2, 2014 Author Share Posted July 2, 2014 Thanks for the reply. Sadly Penny died within a couple of days. She was able to drink when we brought it to where she was lying ( I brought her into the conservatory in a cardboard box) but wasn't interested in food. Her crop seemed fine but she was just too weak to stay awake. At least she went peacefully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
