[Andwynn]

We also have a poorly hen.  :-(

She's never been the healthiest of birds - her sister died after a broken egg incident last year (she was only a few months old!), and she had a broken egg incident herself in winter and hasn't laid since.  But she's a friendly thing, and we're fond of her.  She's called Chickeny.  (or Big Brown Chicken)  She's a rhode island hybrid, I believe.  (Their not technically /my/ chickens, they're 'his' chickens, I'm just expected to be friends with them)

She's always seemed to have the occasional sneeze, but over the last couple of days she's been less and less interested in food, and now she doesn't seem to be eating at all.  Her breathing is rattley, and she's avoiding the other 4 chickens (to the point of sleeping underneath the nesting box - one of the others came to sit with her tonight, which was sweet, but I'm wondering if I ought to have quarantined her).

I've searched around, and there are various things we suspect it could be.  Mycoplasma perhaps, but her eyes are clear; bronchitis, etc.

I suppose really we ought to take her to a vet, but how much would it cost just for a checkup?  For the price of a vet's diagnosis we could probably buy a new flock!  :-(  But I don't want to see the poor old bird suffering if there's something we can do for her ...

[joyfull]

the price depends on your vets, mine seem to be very reasonable. Please take her to see one just to put your mind at ease as to what is wrong, when illnesses show then they really are ill (they hide them as much as possible) so action is needed sooner rather than later.

[Andwynn]

She's booked in at the local vet tomorrow morning, at a cost of £16 for the appointment (before any medication cost).  Not too bad, next door's puppy cost £47 last week when it was choking on a piece of plastic!

Will report back what the vet says (or what He says the vet says, as I won't be there)

[Andwynn]

She has medicine, but the vet didn't know what the problem was, so it's both an antibiotic and an anti-parasite of some kind.

Nick's been medicating her over the weekend, but I did it this morning.  I'm soaked.  :-( 

But she's definitely perking up a bit.  She's stopped hanging about on her own and is socialising again, and she's putting herself to bed again instead of hiding on her own.  And she seems to be pecking around again.  So although she's not exactly being enthusiasic, she's ... chirping up.

Hope she carries on ok, as we're away for the end of half term, and our neighbour is chicken-sitting - don't think she would know what to do if she took a turn for the worse!