My Hen is acting strange! PLEASE Reply soon!!!!!

Question
-------------------------
Followup To
Question -
Hello,
I have 9 chickens. I keep chickens as pets as well
as for eggs. I am concerned about my Buff Rock hen
She has been acting rather listless for a few days
She stands with her tail drooping all the time and
seems very uninterested in any treats I try to give her. Recently she has lost all of her feathers around her bottom and the bare skin has
become slightly a reddish color like its irritated
Awhile ago our chickens had lice and we treated
them with insecticidal powder labled for use on
poultry including chickens. There seems to be no
lice or any bugs crawling on the little hen.
I'm pretty sure my chickens aren't molting either.

Why would my Buff rock hen (named "Chick-a-dee")
lose all her feathers around her rear end and do
you have any idea why she would become listless
and just stand around the yard with her tail down?

I haven't changed anything in their food or water
and I am high on maintenance.
My chickens get clean water about three times a day ( my three mallard ducks always get the water muddy).
Chickadee also doesn't lay in fact all my hens haven't laid in a long, long time.

I've had my chickens for about a year.

Please, if you have any suggestions or ideas on
what could be wrong with Chickadee please let
me know as soon as you can.
I am a strong animal lover and I'm very worried
about my hen.

Thank you for your time and help,
Sincerely,
Susan*
Answer -
hi susan,
i know how you must feel at my chickens where pets as well..(i moved out of my parents house and had to leave them behind)
ok, there are 2 things that i can think of that might be wrong with chickadee.
first...the dusting powder didn't do this to her. the other hens may be picking on her. i had this one hen (baby) who would go around and 'pick' at the other hens . don't know why she did this...but it could be borddome. but if they have lots of room, food, bugs, and greens to eat this shouldn't be the problem.
second...she may be eggbound. this is when the eggs build up inside of the hen and becomes quite painful. i had a hen with this problem a few years back and learned about eggbinding. although i was to late and couldn't save her. try putting her under a lamp in a cage on her own with food and water. the warmth might help her squeeze the eggs out. if this doesn't work...you may have to put (i can't remember the kind of stuff you use but its some kind of jelly, or something) this jelly on her vent, and inside a little bit too (the butt) i think baby oil or olive oil might work too. then (i've never tryed this) try to remove the eggs yourself. this is very dangerous...the egg could break and cut the inside of her which would lead to .
if her vent is open a bit, and the area where the fluff is (the part under their vent, where the fluffly feathers are) is hard then she is eggbound.  but if its soft, then the other birds are most likly picking on her. if they are, put her in a cage outside, with food, water...and let her heal. you can also put some sugar in her water, about a tablespoon per leter of water. i hope this helps, about the other hens not laying...if they started laying late in the fall last year, they may not start up again untill summer time. letting them out earlyer in the morning should make them get into the swing of things. i really hope chickadee gets better. email me back in few days and let me know how she is doing.
sammie,
dont_hate_me4_being_me@hotmail.com

-------------------------------------------------------------
Hello again Sammy!
What exactly do you mean by 'hard'? Do you mean like nearly brick hard or
firm to the touch? I compared how firm she was in that area with another
hen which is the same breed as she is (buff rock)
and one thing that may be important that I found out was Chickadee's(chick for short) rear below her vent was 'egg' shaped and it was the same size as an egg. in that it appears as if you stuck an egg inside her and left it. And it feels firm to the touch from what I can tell. My other Buff rock "Wilma" (I know silly names!)
has no 'egg' shape to her rear end and it is flat and normal. Wilma is also
broody which is rather annoying but still rather cute.

Today, (4-28-04) Chick was just standing around as usual and looking depressed. I have seen her drink but I'm not sure on eating.

I'm so worried she will die. I am very attached to my chickens.
Please help!

Thank you for any help you can give,
Susan*

Answer
hi susan,
it sounds like she is eggbound. put her under a lamp to keep her warm. you can put her in a box that will help keep the heat in. give her a day or two, and if nothing happens, try the oil thig...but don't try to pull it out. just kinda oil it up for her. this way you can tell if she is eating or not.
sammy