Can anyone diagnose this one?

[glasgowdan]

I would really appreciate if anyone can throw some light on this.

I had 3 hens but now down to 1 as of 2-3 weeks ago (fox got one, the other got sick, stopped eating and went).

The one hen that's left has slowled down over the past few days, she waddles rather than struts about now, shows no sign of nervousness when picking her up, she hides under the coop at night rather than going up the ladder to go in, and her breathing is constantly heavy.

I'd love to see her perk up but I'm very unsure this is going to happen. I'm trying to get another couple of young hens which would be company at least, but would that be wise just now or will she be bullied?

She looks healthy, but doesn't stand up properly, doesn't move a lot etc.

[RichmondHens]

Difficult to say. How old is she? What breed or is she an ex batt? Is she losing weight at all, or do you think she might be too fat (overweight hens can get breathless and do spend a lot of time sitting about doing nothing). Is her comb nice and red? Is she still laying? Lots of questions but without actually seeing the hen (which is of course impossible) it's very difficult to hazard a guess otherwise.

[glasgowdan]

2 yr old rhodie, not an ex batt. Weight seems stable, good comb, not laying. It feels like she has been in shell shock since her friend got taken by the fox, and she has taken to settling in tiny awkward corners and barely moving much.

It's the awkward walking that's noticeable though, I haven't seen her stand up properly for a few days.

[Glutton4...]

Have you checked her over, in case she was injured by the Fox? PTSD sounds likely.

[elizajay]

I had a hen who had difficulty walking after her mate got taken by a fox. Took her to the vet and was told it was muscle strain and a week or so later she was fine.

[petal]

keep her warm in a box in the kitchen, lots of company, she will be lonely - is it possible an egg got damaged within her during the attack?

[RichmondHens]

My guess is she is either a) just very shocked and not managing it well, or b) she was somehow injured in the fox attack. And of course, being lonely will not help her recover (if she does, and she may not). She needs a companion or two asap but be careful in your choice as if she is indeed shocked or even injured the newbies may well gang up on her and make things worse. Difficult one I think. You could try getting a couple of young growers (say 8 - 10 weeks old) who will not beat her up - if you don't mind a bit of a wait for eggs - my feeling is that active healthy POLs will probably be too much for her to cope with right now.

[motherhen]

Warm, quiet and plenty of food just like a person in shock she doesn't really need loads of noise and fuss, I would wait and see if she is healthy before adding and other hens, laboured breathing? what was the one that was sick suffering with?
She could be injured, I would check her over without stressing her too much.
Nutri drops can help give them an instant boost or rescue remedy.