[ghost61]

Sticky is about 16 months old and is usually just as her name suggests - she gets stuck into everything and would eat for Chickenland if we let her.

For the last few weeks instead of laying everyday she is producing eggs like this (not sure if photos will appear!!)

I gave her a bath at the weekend because she has been producing runny dark poos with quite a bit of water.  She is eating but not as much as usual and doesn't run up to me everytime I appear.  She is sitting around a lot rather than scratching about.  Her legs are clean - no scaly leg, her vent is clean.  Her drop is fine and so is the area around her vent.  She was wormed at the end of March.  She has layer pellets/grit/oyster shell/fresh water (now with tonic in it), yoghurt with fine oyster shell mixed in.  There is no sign of lice/mites etc. Her eyes are bright and clear.  She just isn't my Sticky Beak at present.  She will eat mealworms if offered but is not interested in much else.

Any ideas a to what could be up with her?  The other two are fine and they don't seem to think anything is wrong with her as otherwise I think they would pick on her as she is definitely boss bird.

Here's a picture of her as she is now

[Springlands]

Ghost - sometimes hens lay those sorts of eggs if they have an infection of some sort. It might be worth while taking her to a vet to be checked over especially as you say she does not seem her normal self. Hope all is OK.

[ghost61]

Took her to the vet this afternoon.  No infections.  Bless her she poohed on cue on at the vets so he was able to check for parasites and other diseases.  She is on antibiotics for the next few days.  She seemed perkier but probably only hungry after the trip.

Fingers crossed x

[barley]

she may possibly be going into broody mode ghost - they can go quite a few days before going broody

has she been like it for long ?

[ghost61]

The strange eggs started a couple of weeks ago, but she hasn't laid that many, about 4.  Her poo was more solid overnight, but isn't that interested in food, except mealworms.....

Hope the antibiotics sort her out as she is such a friendly bird.

[ghost61]

An update.

No real improvement following the course of antibiotics.

Gave her an Epsom salts bath yesterday, and drip fed her some tonic.

Couldn't get her interested in any food at all.

Feared that she would be dead this morning, but she has survived the night and is scratching about for food a little, but ignoring pellets.  Her crop felt like a little golf ball this morning, so I have given her a little olive oil and massaged and the crop feels fine.

Don't know what else I can do, other than continue to feed her some tonic, and will get her some live maggots later as she does like those.

[Sassy]

Is she just holding out for treats rather than eating her nutritious feed?h

[ghost61]

Don't think so.  She has been really lethargic and hardly eats, not even treats.

Have just fed her some tonic and put her in the garden - she instantly started scratching around and her tail perked upright! 

I wonder whether she was depressed and wanted to escape from her run ( the other two are as happy as larry) and see the world!  Can chickens get depressed??

[grinling]

she's a light sussex which makes her a dual bird, so she may be starting to put the meat on and not laying so much.
did the vet say why he was prescribing antibiotics and also egg withdrawl time?

[ghost61]

Antibiotics because nothing else showed up.  Egg withdrawal time 10 days.  It is really strange as today once she had been hand fed and let out, she was almost back to normal.  I really do think that she wants to free range rather than be cooped in.  She got depressed again when we put her in with the other two.  The best thing was that OH didn't lock hem in properly tonight and she instigated the great escape.  We were sitting eating dinner and then OH said " oh you didn't lock them in " response " you shut them in" anyway great fun chasing them around to get them in the coop.

Just hope she is on her way to being back to normal.  This is all because we went on hols.......

[Springlands]

Hopefully she is on the mend. She could be sulking because you went on holidays. Our cat used to sulk for ages after we brought her home from the pet hotel. 

[grinling]

did the person feeding them give too many treats or something else?

[ghost61]

No idea.  But anyway today she has been free ranging with the others and having fun.  Kept her on her own at that end and cleaned her bottom.  At last signs of solid pooh!  But she still has her tail down when in the run. Bless her, but she is a different bird to the one I left for hols.