[andymac]

Hi folks.
I have noticed one of my chickens (Isa brown) is unwell.  
She is very listless and with droopy tail, wings and head, and is not eating or drinking.
I have checked her over and can't se anything obvioustly wrong.
Her eyes are bright and clear, there is no discharge from her nose, eyes or vent.
I see no evidence of mites or anything else, and her crop seems soft and empty, also I can't feel any hardness in her belly. I don't think she's been laying for some time.
I have removed her from the other 3 girls and put her into her own cage with fresh straw bedding, water and food.
Any ideas as to anything else to check please?
Thanks for your time.
Andy.

[ANHBUC]

Hi Andy,
Sorry I can't help but i hope someone in the know will give you some advice.  Hope she improves soon.

[bantam novice]

You could check her temperature.  You do this by feeling under the wing of one of your other chickens and then under hers to see if she feels warmer.

You could watch her breathing and whether she is gaping. 

When did you last worm her?

How old is she and could she have an egg stuck?

I am not that experienced and these are all suggestions tried successfully by others in this forum.  I'm sure someone will be along to give you further advice.

Do keep an eye because hens are very good at hiding they are unwell until it is too late.

In the meatime good luck and keep us posted

[andymac]

Hi Bantam novice.
Thanks for the help. I had a feel under her wing and she seems quite cool really so I don't think she's running a temperature. I haven't wormed them since they were done before we got them so perhaps I should do that soon, trouble is with her is that she's not eating much so I don't want to upset her stomach with medicine yet.
I have noticed that she seems to have a limp on her right side although I can't see anything wrong with her legs or feet but her poo is very watery and green, maybe that's because she's not eating much or maybe she's got a stomach bug. She does seem perkier today though and has wondered out of her bed and onto the grass for a quick peck, and at one point even her tail came up which has been dragging on the floor for a few days. I'll see how she goes on in the next few days as she does seem better than she was.

[Carla]

I would definately worm her, even though she's not eating much, she could be riddled with them and stoping her wanting to eat. Have you tried her with her favorite treats? If a chicken is eating and drinking, she's in with a chance, so try whatever to get her to eat something. Have you checked inside her vent for any trace of a broken egg? A little finger coated in vasaline and a gentle feel about is the way forward if you havent. Its horrible to watch one of your chickens poorly, they look so sad. Keep us informed as to how she's getting on and good luck x

[andymac]

Update folks. 
Penny seems to have got better.
I checked her and hand fed and watered her every day and she seems to have made good progress, so I put her back with the other girls and after a while they accepted her back, and now her tails back up and she's feeding on pellets and looking a whole lot better.
Still don't know what was wrong, perhaps she just had an upset stomach?
Anyway I (and She) is a lot happier now so I will worm them all shortly just in case.
Thanks for your help and comments. 
Andy.

[joyfull]

thats good news 

[andymac]

Oh whoa!
Penny died today, we found her layed  in the nesting box this morning. She had seemed to recover after her illness of a couple of weeks ago but then a few days since she started looking sickly again. Poor Penny RIP. 

[joyfull]

Poor Penny  xx

[louiseb22]

So sorry andymac, what a nightmare after the recovery she had, do you know how old she was?

[bantam novice]

So sorry Andymac   RIP Penny

[andymac]

Thanks for your thoughts folks, and sorry I took a while to reply, haven't been on for a while.
We still don't really know what was wrong, maybe a heart problem, but she was less than 2 years old. Just one of those things I guess.
Catch you all later.
Andy.