Chicken Whisperer needed

[Mmueller12]

Hello! I am in need of some brainstorming and chicken care advice. I have 12 chickens - 8 of which are 3-4 years old and 4 are born this year in April.

Over this summer, gradually our egg production decreased and their energy level seemed lower. Then, a few weeks ago, some of our chickens started the moult and some are REALLY having an excessive moult. Around the same time, I also noticed one was acting like she wasn’t feeling well, not moving around a lot, hunched down, low energy, etc. Gradually over the past few weeks, more of our flock is looking this way, but none of the pullets, only the older ladies. I checked a couple crops tonight and they were almost flat, so they really aren’t eating much. I did change their food to a higher protein about a week ago as well.

We did dust them with permethrin about a week ago, and I do have a fecal sample from several chickens off to the vet for analysis. I do not see any worms or blood in their droppings, nor do I see much diarrhea. I know we should dust them again in case it is mites or lice, but I do not see any little bugs on them.

The ladies are our pets, so I feel a little helpless, because I’m not sure what to do.

If the fecal sample comes back negative (I suspect it might), where do I go next?

Thank you!
Melissa

 

[nuthatched]

They're have a heavy molt and they feel lousy. Think of it like teething plus a bad sunburn.
A good diet is all they need. Maybe a vitamin boost.

 

[Mmueller12]

Thank you. But this did start prior to them moulting. The decrease in egg production was a few months ago in the height of summer, and a couple of them starting sitting hunched down and being lethargic prior to moulting. Also some of the ones that aren’t having a big moult (or not one at all) are also looking sickly.

That’s why I was thinking it was not all moult related.

Thank you,
Melissa

 

[nuthatched]

Thank you. But this did start prior to them moulting. The decrease in egg production was a few months ago in the height of summer, and a couple of them starting sitting hunched down and being lethargic prior to moulting. Also some of the ones that aren’t having a big moult (or not one at all) are also looking sickly.

That’s why I was thinking it was not all moult related.

Thank you,
Melissa

Are you certain the feed is fresh?
Your vets fecal will show if they have parasites, that will be a good spring off point.

 

[Mmueller12]

The food that I switched to has an August 2023 date on it. Would that be considered fresh? Thank you.

 

[LaFleche]

The food that I switched to has an August 2023 date on it. Would that be considered fresh? Thank you.

Check snd smell the feed and pour it into a different container to see if it might have gotten moldy which can happen despite a correct milling date.

But this did start prior to them moulting. The decrease in egg production was a few months ago in the height of summer

Chickens don't do well in heat and it gets harder for them to tolerate with age.

a couple of them starting sitting hunched down and being lethargic prior to moulting

This is normal for older hens when taking a break from laying and prior to seeing the feathery evidence of moult.
The metabolic change starts way before we see the actual feather loss.

In any case, adding poultry vitamins to their water and feeding them some animal protein like scrambled eggs or curd cheese with millet will help to build the new feathers.