Chickens are active creatures during the day. They will spend their time foraging for food in the yard. As they get tired, they will find a nice place to rest and will lay there for a while. For some chickens, lying around most of the day is normal, especially during the summer.
However, some chickens will lay down all the time. This could just be the chicken or something that is causing them to do that.
Laying down too often can be normal, or it could be a health issue. For that reason, it’s important to monitor your chicken closely to see if there’s anything wrong with them.
In this article, I’m going to cover the common issues that could cause your chicken to lay down all the time. It could be a health issue, or the chicken is just lazy.
Check Their Eyes and Nostrils
Chickens may sometimes lay down when there is something wrong with them. In this case, if their eyes and nostrils are not clear, they will stay in one place.
Chickens are not good at clearing up their eyes and nostrils. It’s difficult for them since they don’t have hands that they can use to wipe the dirt and other debris off their face.
Check to see if they have swollen eyes, excess fluid around the eyes and nostrils, and any dirt in their eyes and nostrils.
If there is, you’ll need to investigate further into the problem.
Check Their Crop
The crop is part of the digestive system of a chicken. It is a large pouch where food is stored. The crop is located at the front of their chest.
Throughout the day, the food that the chicken eat will accumulate in the crop.
During the night, as the chickens are sleeping, their digestive system will start to work. The food in the crop will move through to the gizzard, where it will be grounded. The food will then move through to the stomach where nutrients will be absorbed.
Sometimes, the food that they eat will get stuck in the crop. This is known as an impacted crop. It’s usually due to large or stringy foods that can’t pass through to their stomach.
Sour crop is another issue chickens face, and it’s more serious than impacted crop. This occurs when food is blocked in the crop. Bacteria will start to cultivate in the crop.
Both impacted crops and the sour crops could cause the chickens to lay down due to them not feeling well.
Check The Health of Their Comb
A chicken’s comb can tell you a lot about their health. If the chicken is healthy, the comb will have a vibrant red color. If the color changes to any other colors such as black, purple, pink, or pale red, it means there is something wrong with them.
Some health issues the chicken can be suffering from are minor things like mineral deficiency or dehydration. Major issues can be internal bleeding or suffering from a disease.
When their comb changes to any other color than bright red, they will be lethargic and lay down most of the time.
Look at Their Vent
If your chicken is laying down a lot, another place to check is their vent. A chicken’s vent is a hole at the rear where everything comes out. Chickens only have one opening which their pee, poop, and eggs come out.
The vent should be clean and free of any parasites.
Also, check the vent for vent gleet, prolapsed vent, and being egg bound. All of these problems can cause the chicken to lay down due to the pain they are suffering.
Look at the Chicken Droppings
Chicken poop will tell a lot about their health and if there is something wrong with them.
A chicken’s poop will vary in color and consistency. However, it will be similar across all the chickens.
If you start to notice diarrhea, signs of blood, mucus, it has a bright green or yellow color, a foul smell, or worms, then it means your chickens are suffering from an ailment.
If there are worms in their poop, this could make them weak. The worms will eat their food, which will not be absorbed into the body.
Also, anything above can make the chicken weak, and they will lay down often.
Check Their Feathers and Plumage
Chickens like to keep themselves clean by dust bathing and preening their feathers. When they are not feeling well, they will stop doing any of these things.
Chickens will molt twice per year, and this is normal for the chickens.
However, if there are bald spots, it could mean they have lice, are being picked by others in the flock, or have a mineral deficiency.
Are Chickens Laying Eggs Normally?
When a hen lays eggs, it put a lot of stress on her body. If she’s not feeling well, egg production will be less or stopped completely.
Due to a lack of energy, the hen will lay down most of the time.
Therefore, it’s important to provide the hen with plenty of nutrition, especially calcium and protein.
Conclusion
When a chicken is laying down all the time, it could mean they have a health issue, or you simply have a lazy chicken. It’s important to know the reason for it so that you can care for them if they are feeling unwell.
