Suddenly refusing to go to bed

[Hashette]

Collective wisdom needed on this one.

I know I'm not supposed to have favourites, but if you'd met Attila the Hen you'd understand. I've had four ex-bats for about 6 months, and all's been well up until a month ago. My gorgeous little Tilly is the runt of the pack, still hasn't managed to grow proper feathers all over, but she has buckets of personality. She's the one who flies up onto the edge of the dustbin when I go to get their treats out, and who used to come running over to greet me first when I got home, wings flapping and squawking her head off.

First symptoms - suddenly laying a softie every day
Second - looking really off colour, standing on one leg with a floppy comb and eyes closed
The latest - refusing to go to bed. This is the one I'm really worried about, as we're going away soon, and there's no point getting an automatic pop hole if she's going to be on the wrong side of it. She's been going to bed with the others quite happily every night for six months, but for the last week, since all this started, I've had to give her a hand. Tonight I watched her walk up the ramp, stick her head in, walk back down again and go and hide in the garden. I picked her up, put her in the doorway, gave her a prod inside, but she just turned around an walked back out again.

For tonight it's easily solved, I've just closed the door of the fox-proof run, but long term it's not good. Any thoughts?

[MaureenHall]

Hmmmm my first thought was that perhaps she had lice, but if the others are still going into the coop ok, then that probably rules that out. There might be something in the coop that's upsetting her. It's a difficult one is this - sorry I can't be of any help

[SarzWix]

It might be worth giving the house a really good scrub out? Just in case there is something in there (mites?), and Tilly being the 'pecked on' one is getting shoved in the place it's worst?
Apart from that, I have no idea, sorry

[TEB]

I have read that if chickens are reluctant to go into the coop then it could be something like red spider mite but I would have thought it is still a bit cold for them and it would affect all your birds, I think I would go along with whats been suggested and give the coop a good scrub.

[lynda66]

could the others be bullying her in the morning? before you get up.... she may be reluctant if she's getting beat up

[Flummery]

Yes, red mite is the received wisdom. If she's the least feathered they would maybe bother her first/most? The only other thing I can think of is that maybe someone's nicked her preferred roosting/kipping place? They are really creatures of habit. hope you get it sorted.

[Birdie Wife]

I would tend to agree with the red mite diagnosis. It fits with the soft egg symptom too - if the lites are draining her of blood then it's a strain on her system. If she had lice, she wouldn't be wary of going in the coop particularly. It might be that the mites are gathering around her preferred place. They will soon spread though, and I wouldn't be surprised if more of your birds don't start showing similar symptoms I've heard 'Poultry shield' is good as a disinfectant and red mite barrier.

[jayjay giant]

Under the weather.

I have had one of my birds like this 2 weeks ago. She sat on her own, head and tail down, just sleeping and feeling very sorry for herself.
I quickly isolated her from the rest and thoroughly examined her.
The house is spotless, no trace of mites or lice.
I went through every possible website i could find but couldn't get a good diagnosis from anyone.
In the end i kept her isolated and well fed and watered and she recovered within a week and is fine now.
The only thing i could put it down to was a shoft shell breaking inside and causing infection.
I will follow this thread with interest and hope for a happy outcome.
Fingers crossed for you
James

[RedThorn]

Coould it be that as the days are getting longer, the sun is up earlierand she's being picked on? I've noticed simular behaviour in my Nugget (also ex-batt and the runt) I now open their door at 6am (last 1.5 - 2 weeks) and she seems better, but still the last one to bed.

[hmk]

My initial thought was red mites too. My only other suggestion is to take her to the vet.

I did this with Dandelion a while ago because she was just 'off colour' and consequently getting picked on by the others and he did the usual " it's hard to tell but try these antibiotics" thing (they are a very good practice, but not many vets 'do' hens), and they worked a treat. There was no egg withdrawal period, though perhaps not an issue with soft eggs anyway, and I have kept the Baytril and used it once or twice on other chickens when they're really not picking up.

I use AB's as a last resort on animals and humans, but if red mite powder etc doesn't work, it could be worth a try.

Hope you get it sorted for her,

HMK

[Hashette]

Thanks everyone.

Hmmmm...... Hopefully not red spider mite as I empty the coop completely every week, spray every surface (and most of me in the process) with poultry shield. Is that OTT by the way? It is a bit of a fag doing it every week, but having heard some horror stories I'm a bit paranoid about it.

I reckon it could be a combination of everything else you've all suggested. She's definitely off colour, she's picked on, and she's still going into the coop to lay - when Lady Tottington isn't in there throwing her weight around. Plus the last softie had a blob of something else next to the soft shell and the yolk - thinking about it, it could easily have been another shell from an egg that broke inside her and got pushed out with the next one.

I suppose taking her into our bed to snuggle up in the warm's out of the question?

[chuckles]

Hi,
One website and forum which is very helpful with birds is the practical poultry site. We had trouble with red mites and after reading on their forum a few suggestions we tried DETTOL. Can't remember the dilution but it was very effective. Mixed up in a spray bottle and once a week we did complete house. Let it dry before allowing the birds back in and plus it smelt lovely.
Never had mites again !.
Just a suggestion as knowing first hand what mites can do you will try anything to get rid of them.

[lynda66]

if lady tottington is the one picking on her, is there any way you can remove her and keep her seperate for a few days? .... seems to be the cure for bullies

[Hashette]

Not really, we've only got the one coop. Besides it's not just Lady Tottington, they all seem to be having a go. Tilly's little bottom is bright red and featherless. She's the one in my avatar, by the way, that's me and her at the rescue centre

Thinking about it, it's probably not that surprising she doesn't want to share a bed with them, especially as she's not feeling good physically. Sometimes I do feel very dim - having seen it all written out the cause of the problem's pretty obvious. What to do about it, though, is another matter.

[Hilary B]

Medium term, I'd plan on either getting some younglings, and giving her and them a seperate coop (give her a chance to be 'the big girl' among some babies growing up) or put her, and the least aggressive of the others, in a separate coop from the bullies. (choice depending on available space, if you can't increase, just divide). She wouldn't be happy alone, but she obviously is getting the rough edge of things in the group.
Short term is rather more difficult........