RIR enlarged abdomen, lost appetite, & lethargic

We have two (nearly) 3 year old RIR hens with the same problem. Hard swollen abdomen,yellow runny poo,  lack of appetite when offered their favorite treats (fresh chard, boiled egg,  or crushed raw peanuts) ,and are lethargic.  The first one began (March 15th) just sitting around & then lost her appetite. Her comb was maroon and very dark at it's tip. I researched symptoms on BYC and started her on organic ACV water and tried to get her to eat yogurt but she would not. She would drink a little of the water.  Her crop was almost empty. Her poo was very yellow like she was egg bound. I examined her & found no apparent egg backup.  March 17th, I purchased  Ivomec and we injected .1 mL into her breast. March 18th, she ate a little egg yoke. To play it safe, March 18th, I also measured enough Ivomec into water to give the rest of the flock of 10 sister RIR's & their bantam roo.  March 19th, another hen began the same symptoms and has gone downhill but not quite so quickly. We gave hen # 2 an injection of the Ivomec on the 20th. Both hens ate boiled egg yolk & chard on the 20th. Hen # 2 is still sort of active but today (21st) she wouldn't eat her favorite treats. Hen # 1's comb has returned to the usual bright red but I couldn't get her to eat.

This flock is confined inside a 100 foot electric poultry fence but enjoy a couple of free range hours every afternoon. We have too many preditors to allow them to run free all day. Their coop is cleaned out about every 4 months. They are fed crushed corn and Laying mash and have plenty of fresh drinking water.  Their treats include home grown chard, occassional raw peanuts, table greens, yogurt, oats, and we put vitamins in their water.  They are perky, loving & keep our fenced in 2 acres well landscaped.  The only health problem we've had with the RIR's is that several of the girls have been egg bound.  We've examined them and found no bugs. The vents look healthy.  They were all wormed with Wazine last fall. When I clean the coop, I put down DE before the wood chips. Egg production has dropped during the past 12 months to about 50%.  They were purchased from Randall Burkey Co. but were not vaccinated.

A month ago, one of the  hens died on us within a couple of days but I did not notice if her abdomen was swollen & hard. Her comb was pale & she was lethargic.  She was given a dose of Wazine the day before she died.  I tried to force feed her yogurt, egg yolk and water but she resisted.

One question that I haven't been able to find an answer to is how long it takes for the Ivomec to work & any worms to be expelled.  Both hens are still quite bloated.  Taking hens to a Vet isn't an option right now for us.  Last one we took to the Vet cost us several hundred dollars. She had an egg stuck, so the Vet put her out, took Xrays, extracted the egg and sent us home.  We've found that most Vets in our area won't treat chickens.

Any ideas anyone?

Thank you.  It's hard to accept that nothing can be done.

Thank you Speckledhen & Schellie69 for that very informative thread.  I have not noticed the abdomen being like a water balloon.  I will examine both hens again & take temps this morning.  That should be fun...  It is possible that one or both of these hens consumed something foreign.  Our property has been cleared of many years of machinery/hording/crap that the previous owners collected.  We still pickup objects that our girls might find appetizing.  Last year we had a hen Xray'd and the vet said she had two .22 shell casings in her crop.  She's been renamed "Bullet". 

I am amazed at how much some of you know about chickens!  I am unable to tell which of the girls are still laying & which are not.  Neither of the sick hens have laid since we separated them from the rest of the flock.  Hen # 2 is walking around but not as active as she once was. Hen # 1 mostly sits around. She moves in or out of the sunshine.  Both hens entered the coop on their own last night.  Still not eating much.  A little Layena.  If I could just get them to eat something, I'd feel better. 

I am going to see if there is a local breeder that we can get our next chicks from instead of getting hatchery stock.  We are in this for the fun of it, not meat or egg production. Although we do have a following of people who love our gift of fresh eggs!

Thank you all for this information.  We want our flock to be healthy and happy. We are always open to advice!