[uba]

Morning all,

She started yesterday morning looking very tired and standing still alot. She is eating and drinking, not sure if its less than normal at the moment but I have seen her doing both through saturday and this morning.
 Other than that she is just picking a spot in the run and standing still whenever possible, no head bobbing about or scratching/pecking ground. When I went out to let them out this morning I really was expecting to find her dead in the roost but was most heartened to see her alive at least.
  Should I pick her up and have a feel around crop and bum and report back or just monitor today? She is a bantam orpington hen 9 months old, yet to lay an egg, wormed, clean and clear around eyes and nose.

No poo under where she roosts this morning.

thanks for looking

P.S other hen is fine and normal

[alancane]

Hi Uba,

I would definitely pick her up and have a feel around for her crop and have a look at her rear etc. Is she eating and drinking?
Maybe if there is no change from tomorrow, take her to the vet?

Al

[Jeanette]

When you pick her up feel under her wing you can then tell it she has a temperture and is hotter in comparison to your other girls. Is her eyes bright and her nose clear does her breathing sound rattle.? When was she wormed ? You have said she is still eating and drinking. Has she started to moult she is still a bit young for that but it can make them feel uinder the weather.
If she has a temperture then she will need to see a vet, but if she is still no better then a trip to the vet would be the best thing to do.

[uba]

Eyes and nose seem normal. Checked under her wing as you suggested Jeanette and as far as I can tell she seems normal. No sign of a moult either. Wormed them end of November last year with flubenvet 1%.

 Had a feel around just now and her crop feels what I imagine is pretty normal, it feels like a bag of slightly warm porridge. Lifted bum up and had a look at vent which is pinky white and clean around the entrance, feels very dry though, it was flexing and contracting as I touched around it. Some poo streaks on feathers but nothing sticking or forming balls on her or anything like that.

With the hen sat upright on my knee as I examined her, moving my hand down from her vent and forwards, like I am going to scoop her up from behind, it feels hard like a hard tube. Could this be a stuck egg? The dryness around her vent is making me think she could be struggling to get out her first egg but this is purely a novice keepers imagination running a bit. My other girl is laying an egg most days in the afternoon so I dont feel comfortable squeezing around her in that area to compare the two at this point in case I hurt her.

We are home now for the day so I will be watching and post any changes.

[Casey76]

It does sound a bit like a stuck egg.

Try this

Egg binding can also be a problem, especially if a hen is trying to lay a particularly large egg.  Egg bound hens will look pretty miserable, and will often stand in a corner, puffed up, with head pulled in, and tail down.  Upon palpation the egg may be felt as a hard mass - be very gently doing this, even with external palpation as you may break the egg - and that can complicate the issue a lot.  Bring the hen into the house and sit her in a warm bath - believe it or not, even the most flight birds seen to enjoy a warm bath, and will almost certainly relax - for approximately 30 - 40 minutes.  this helps to relax the muscles, and you may find she will lay her egg even in the water.  After about 40 minutes, you can left her out, and gently pat her dry with towels, then blow dry (on a cool/warm setting - not hot). to finish her off.  Put her in a clean box (a cat carrier is ideal) with clean bedding, and put her somewhere dark and warm and draft free.  We are doing all of this to help her relax.  If after 24 hours she still hasn't layed, a trip to the vet may be in order.

[uba]

Many thanks for the advice. Just finished doing the above, she is bathed and dried and in a cat basket with fresh hemcore in it in the kitchen now. Got a towel over the front so she is darkened off. With it being nearly dark and her usual bedtime i suppose I need not bother putting water in there for her tonight? My wife and I are both at work tomorrow so I was planning on taking her out to the run in the mornign when i let other hen out as usual, or should I keep her in the basket in the kitchen tomorrow til i get home?

[uba]

I think it may have worked as we have a small brown egg in the box today and poorly girl is ok. Our other hen is a LF white and her eggs are pretty big now and very light in colour, I just need to see two eggs in one day to confirm but its looking good !!

[bantam novice]

Good news, Uba, well done