Hen with pale comb

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kingnothing

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Hen with pale comb
« on: April 29, 2011, 13:24 »
Hi all,

this morning when I let the chickens out I noticed one of them wasn't as anxious to get out as they normally are. She looked a bit lethargic and her comb and wattles where paler than the usual bright red. My girlfriend thinks that this hen hasn't laid in about 2 weeks so it seems there is something not right with her. Also recently she has grown spurs, don't know if that has anything to do with it but I just thought i'd mention it as i though it was weird.

Can anybody offer me any advice?


Thanks in advance,

Tom.

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kingnothing

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Re: Hen with pale comb
« Reply #1 on: April 29, 2011, 17:12 »
Well thanks for all your help guys, chickens looking much worse now. Hopefully she'll be better in the morning.

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joyfull

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Re: Hen with pale comb
« Reply #2 on: April 29, 2011, 17:16 »
Sorry been busy watching a wedding and all that,
Does she have a temperature?
Is she eating and drinking?
Is she still laying? if yes what are her eggs like? wrinkly, soft shelled etc.
How old is she?

just for the record some hens do grow spurs  :)
Staffies are softer than you think.

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kingnothing

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Re: Hen with pale comb
« Reply #3 on: April 29, 2011, 17:48 »
Sorry been busy watching a wedding and all that,
Does she have a temperature?
Is she eating and drinking?
Is she still laying? if yes what are her eggs like? wrinkly, soft shelled etc.
How old is she?

just for the record some hens do grow spurs  :)


Sorry if I sounded a little rude, I was just getting a bit worked up with it all. I'm not sure if she has a temperature, she feels warm but i can't tell you more than that. She's drinking and she ate a little but didn't seem to have her usual appetite. We think she hasn't been laying for approx 2 weeks. She used to lay pretty big eggs too so it's a shame she has gone off lay. Oh by the way she is 2 years old.

thanks again.

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joyfull

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Re: Hen with pale comb
« Reply #4 on: April 29, 2011, 17:54 »
to check her temperature feel under one of her wings then with the same hand feel under a wing of a healthy chicken.
have you felt under her abdomen to see how she feels?

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kingnothing

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Re: Hen with pale comb
« Reply #5 on: April 29, 2011, 18:02 »
to check her temperature feel under one of her wings then with the same hand feel under a wing of a healthy chicken.
have you felt under her abdomen to see how she feels?


Ok, just going to check the temps now. My girlfriend checked the abdomen before but this is a chicken that doesn't like being touched. she said th chicken feels like it has a bigger abdomen but she is bigger than the other hens.

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PaulineM

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Re: Hen with pale comb
« Reply #6 on: April 29, 2011, 18:06 »
Hi
Could she be egg bound, feel around her vent to see if there's an egg stuck there, if it wouldn't distress her too much you could pop her into a warm basin for 30 mins keeping the water temp nice and warm, this will help her relax and if there is an egg stuck it can help her pass it.
Good luck
1 Hubby, 2 children, 2 Welsummers, 1 Leghorn Banty, 1 Wyandotte Banty, 1 Barnevelder, 2 Isa Brown, 1 Rhode Island, 1 Goldline,1 Maran, 2 Mottled Leghorns, 1 Leghorn cockerel & 2 Jack Russells

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kingnothing

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Re: Hen with pale comb
« Reply #7 on: April 29, 2011, 18:32 »
Hi
Could she be egg bound, feel around her vent to see if there's an egg stuck there, if it wouldn't distress her too much you could pop her into a warm basin for 30 mins keeping the water temp nice and warm, this will help her relax and if there is an egg stuck it can help her pass it.
Good luck

We had her sat in the sink before in warm water just incase she was egg bound. I can't feel anything round her vent and she tends to go a bit mental when you start touching her. I wish I could do something she's just sat in one corner of the chicken enclosure not doing anything.

Ok, my girlfriend has just checked her temperature and she does feel a little bit on the colder side but so does one of the other chickens. Could just be that it's a bit breezy in the garden now.


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PaulineM

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Re: Hen with pale comb
« Reply #8 on: April 29, 2011, 18:58 »
What about moulting? has there been feathers lying around? My leghorn looked like she was at deaths door when she moulted.
Could she be crop bound?
Maybe a trip to the vets is in order or perhaps if you want to treat her yourself it might be a case of just bringing her in and keeping her in a darken quiet place with access to food and water and see how she goes.  :(
Try tempting her with some treats.
Sorry I'm not that experienced so my advice is probably pretty useless but its nice to know someone is thinking of you anyway.
Good luck

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kingnothing

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Re: Hen with pale comb
« Reply #9 on: April 29, 2011, 19:05 »
What about moulting? has there been feathers lying around? My leghorn looked like she was at deaths door when she moulted.
Could she be crop bound?
Maybe a trip to the vets is in order or perhaps if you want to treat her yourself it might be a case of just bringing her in and keeping her in a darken quiet place with access to food and water and see how she goes.  :(
Try tempting her with some treats.
Sorry I'm not that experienced so my advice is probably pretty useless but its nice to know someone is thinking of you anyway.
Good luck

Thanks, and now that you mention it I did notice a lot of feathers lying around but I though it was from another hen as you can see white bits through her red feathers. they're rhode island reds I think. What is crop bound?

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PaulineM

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Re: Hen with pale comb
« Reply #10 on: April 29, 2011, 19:36 »
Hens can get crop bound and sour crop etc, if you type these things in the search box at the top of the page you will find all sorts of info on these topics.  :)

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kingnothing

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Re: Hen with pale comb
« Reply #11 on: April 29, 2011, 19:39 »
Hens can get crop bound and sour crop etc, if you type these things in the search box at the top of the page you will find all sorts of info on these topics.  :)

Ok thanks, I really appreciate everyones help.

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Jacinta

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Re: Hen with pale comb
« Reply #12 on: April 29, 2011, 20:11 »
Hey, i'm new too.  I've been giving mine grated carrot with olive oil and oregano, the olive oil (a recipe i picked up on this site) might help break down an impacted crop if that's what it is, can't hurt anyway!  The carrot is said to help produce deeper yolks and the oregano is good for their respiratory systems, win win.  Hope you get sorted. 

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Casey76

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Re: Hen with pale comb
« Reply #13 on: April 29, 2011, 20:17 »
A chicken who is off lay will have a paler comb naturally.

Having a bright red comb is a signal to the cockerels that they are laying, and an invitation for the cockerals to do their thing ;)

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kingnothing

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Re: Hen with pale comb
« Reply #14 on: May 01, 2011, 20:14 »
She seems much better today running around and eating lots. Her comb still looks pale and she isn't laying but apart from that she seems ok now. Is there anyway to help get her laying again?

Thanks.



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