# Sick Little Hen;



## CharlieEcho (Nov 25, 2012)

Hello: It's been a while since I was here. All our birds are doing well except for one little hen.

She is a Buff Orpington. She is a little smaller than the rest but they all seem to get along so I don't think she is being picked on. We've noticed this problem for a few weeks.

Her bottom is featherless from just below each wing and from her breast to her tail. She has trouble walking and can only manage a funny looking one leg at a time hop. When she does walk, or hop, she picks up each leg and seems as though she is scratching herself under her wing. It's almost like a twitch. She will not climb onto the roost, preferring to sit on the floor. 

We see no problems with our other hens, ducks or Peacock. The feed is the same we have been using for a number of months. Fresh water daily in the fonts with vinegar added. They all have free range of a fenced pasture. Straw in the coop and a dirt floor.

We have treated the floor with Seven powder.

Any thoughts?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

A pic would be very helpful. First I was thinking, they are pulling her feathers whether you see them or not. 

I would put her on something like nutri drench or Rooster Booster poultry cell. 

Get that pic though, so much can be determined by a good picture.


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## CharlieEcho (Nov 25, 2012)

*Thanks;*

I will try to get a picture posted tomorrow. Thanks.


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## Melina (Jul 16, 2012)

Hey, I would separate her from the others into a cage or box. Make sure she gets food and water and then assess.
is she falling to one side?
Melina
www.meetup.com/chickens1


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

My suspicion is the bird is being picked on and being kept from food and water. 

But that pic is needed to really be certain of it.


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## CharlieEcho (Nov 25, 2012)

*Photos;*

Close examination reveals skewed toes and curled feet when we pick her up.

The one,(fourth), picture of her bottom may be disturbing.
She gets along with the other hens and they don't bother her in any way.

First photo shows her with another Buff, and the ducks.
Second photo is her alone, notice the pale coloring.
Third is more of our flock. 
Fourth is her bottom. We can't see any signs of parasites.
Fifth is our Peacock, who is molting and dropping his long tail feathers.

We have one young Red that has feathers missing on her back, we're
pretty sure our Rooster is responsible for that. She has just recently
with four sisters, begun to lay.

Thanks for the thoughts & opinions.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

This is a tough one. Look at her feathers around her head and neck, notice how they're standing more upright? Not like the other buff, that's an indicator of not feeling well. The question is why? I don't see the red skin that usually indicates picking those feathers are missing for a reason. 

What about laying? Has she been laying normally? Does her belly feel the same as the other buff?

The only thing I can comfortably recommend is dosing her with either Nutri Drench or preferably Rooster Booster Poultry Cell. The Poultry Cell has a bit more in the way of vitamins and minerals. 

What is the feed like? Is it fresh? Even if you just bought it it could have been on the pallet longer than it should have been. Does it look and smell normal?


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## CharlieEcho (Nov 25, 2012)

*Fresh feed;*

I will look for and try some Rooster Booster Poultry Cell. We can isolate her very easily. We buy our feed from a local mill that grinds and mixes it on a regular basis and supplies the growers in our area. I'm sure they will have to booster as well.

We use non-GMO scratch grains that include corn, oats, wheat, millet, milo and molasses. We also mixes laying mash granular and pellets about 50-50. The pellets being a feather fixer.

My wife thought the hen's belly felt soft. I'm not sure. All the birds stay together usually perched in the barn. The ducks come and go sometimes out at night in another pen, the Peacock has a house to himself.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Feel the belly of the other buff, then check the girl that isn't feeling well. It could be the missing feathers but it looks fuller and rounder than it should. If it is, and it's soft it could be fluid in her belly called ascites. Or she might have a tumor if it's hard. 

Does anyone know if she's been laying or if she's been having laying issues?

I know that TSC sells the Rooster Booster product. Your local place may not.


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## CharlieEcho (Nov 25, 2012)

*ascites;*

ascites; First I've heard of this. After doing some checking this may be the problem. We will isolate her and try to keep her comfortable, while trying to treat this. She is one of our older hens, around two. We purchased our hen breeds about six months apart for that purpose, except for the latest five Reds that were a gift. I do't think Rooster Booster will be difficult to find. We have several farm stores in the area, and the local mill carries probably the better supplies of any. They are an Amish owned business and provide for the Amish community near by.

Thanks for the help. We'll keep you posted.

ps; We can't be sure the little hen hasn't been laying. We know she hasn't been in the nesting boxes as she can't get to them. We have found the occasional egg, though few, on the ground near the boxes.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Sorry, I meant to describe what ascites is and failed to do it. Most of the time the fluid build up, ascites, is caused by internal laying. 

This is one of those things that seems to be fairly common in hatchery birds. Not saying it can't happen from a specific breeder but it most often with hatchery birds.


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## CharlieEcho (Nov 25, 2012)

*Update;*

A little up date on our hen. We haven't traveled anywhere to find Rooster Booster. We have just isolated the hen in the barn with vinegar treated water and "Feather Fixer" mixed with scratch grains.

She is getting around much better and the swelling is down. Her color is coming back. That is, she looks much less pale, and her eyes are brighter. She hasn't laid any eggs yet. I may turn her out tomorrow.

The weather has cooled a bit and we did get a little rain. Until today it had been very hot and humid. Don't know if that may have contributed. All the birds had been staying out of the midday's sun the past few weeks by going into the barn. Dusted the barn today with Seven while the birds were out for their evening feed. Since they had been spending quite a bit of time inside the bedding and floor were pretty stirred up.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Do you see any new feather growth yet? There should be quills present after all of this time.


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## CharlieEcho (Nov 25, 2012)

*Today;*

Haven't checked close. When I turn her out today I'll get a closer look. She's looking perky. Cooler again this morning, and foggy after the rain yesterday.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

This has been a pretty awful summer for everyone. I resorted to installing misters to keep my oldies alive. Some scientist can probably explain it to me but it just doesn't seem to make sense to add water to an already saturated atmosphere but it is obviously cooler when I go in to their pen.

Careful picking her up, just in case. The new quills can be pretty uncomfortable to them if we touch them.


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## CharlieEcho (Nov 25, 2012)

*Getting around fine;*

Her swelling has gone down a great deal if not all gone. Didn't pick her up just observed. That's a good sign by her avoiding me. It's hard to tell if new feathers have started and how far along they may have come since the swelling is down her bare bottom isn't as prominent. She's eating well and getting around nicely. Still staying inside as most were during the middle of the day today. Hot and humid again. We did find a small egg beneath the nesting boxes. It may well have been hers.

Still inside the dark of the barn it feels cool. I've considered a barn fan if it gets too unbearable. There is a very large loft overhead and helps keep the heat out of the lower portion. All the doors are opened in summer and we have at last count nine Barn Swallow nests. The Swallows are on their second hatching. Whoa's to the baby swallow that falls from the nest.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Good to hear she's coming along.

I miss my swallows. We do have them in the area but we're heavily treed on this property so I don't have them nesting here like they did in our other place. I do have wrens that nest where ever the mood strikes.


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## CharlieEcho (Nov 25, 2012)

*Garden;*

We have corn and soybeans around us. Small waterways near by, and a large flower garden planted to attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Cardinals, wrens, titmouse and finches too are plentiful s well as robins. During the summer our chicken feeder serves as a bird feeder as well. We only fill the feeders once the garden is put to bed in the fall.

I love the swallows and open up the barn at the first sign of their Spring arrival. They dive bomb you if you stand in the door and there are babies in the nests. Yesterday swallows and dragon flies were each attacking swarms of gnats. Amazing to watch and no collisions.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

We had the same pair return every year to build their nest on the back porch. They were so used to us being there they had no problem with us coming and going right below their nest. We could sit on the back porch and watch them as they worked on babies fledging. 

I actually put a fan up to remove some of the extremely hot air under the roof when I saw babies panting with the heat. Turned out well, I didn't see them panting any more after that.


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## CharlieEcho (Nov 25, 2012)

*Little hen;*

The little hen is gone. She was one of our oldest, and I'm not sure exactly how old. We'd let her out with the others. Her swelling was way down, she'd been eating and drinking well, even mingling near the outside feeder with the others. And her color was back. I came home late in the afternoon and found a group of hens standing around her. They had bloodied her comb and she was unresponsive.

On a lighter note we have two nests of swallows just about ready to take flight. They are perching on the edges of the nests with their mouths open, so it won't be long. The weather has cooled and the corn is beginning to dimple. Harvest isn't far off.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Sorry to hear of her loss. At least the last little bit was as pleasant as it could be. I think it's pretty hard losing the older birds since they've been a part of our lives for so long.

This must be the second hatch for your swallows since it's so late in the season. I might have to get the hubs to do some serious clearing so I can enjoy them once again. Just so you know, that won't happen no matter how much I work on him.


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## pinkmartin (Aug 11, 2015)

Losses are always hard to hear. I'm glad she seemed to feel better recently.


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## CharlieEcho (Nov 25, 2012)

*Old barns;*

With the loss of small farms and the old barns being torn down these birds have fewer and fewer places to go. That's why we have so many. We open up the barn each spring when they show up. Farmers build the new machinery sheds and keep them closed to avoid the mess the birds leave. It's always just below their nests. I have purchased the cheap grill covers and salvaged a couple of older ones to cover my mowers and tractor. I have a second tarp over the boat. They can leave a mess, but I enjoy watching them zoom around catching bugs.



robin416 said:


> This must be the second hatch for your swallows since it's so late in the season. I might have to get the hubs to do some serious clearing so I can enjoy them once again. Just so you know, that won't happen no matter how much I work on him.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I put a mat on the floor that I could spray off so there wasn't a mess on the porch boards. I found nests being built in the garage but for some reason most were abandoned. But we got our pair back each year to keep us entertained. She used to peak over the top of the nest and watch me whenever I was out there.


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## Alaskan (Aug 22, 2015)

Sorry for your loss.

Excellent about the swallows!


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Sorry for your loss.


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