My girl is lethargic, molting and not eating or drinking

[Zerex]

I raise all of my chickens as pets, eggs are secondary. Anyway, Skye is about four now, an Orpington. She's my favorite and my oldest girl since her sisters have passed. She is normally quite rambunctious and picks on the others but has always been gentle and cuddlier to me. She's going through molt now, which is why I ignored why she has been puffing out. It gets pretty cold around here. Other than that she was eating and drinking, though not as much as before. Yesterday night I noticed that she wasn't eating. I dismissed it because she ate earlier and it was darker now rather than usual so I thought she was just tired. She looked a bit sleepy. She actually allowed herself to be curiously pecked at, not like her at all. Though, I haven't seen any bullying. The others weren't eating either, but were still happy and walking about. None of my girls are laying, haven't been for awhile because of the molt.

Today, though, I found her hiding in a corner. Hunched over and puffy and not moving. She was still sleepy. She didn't want to eat or drink anything and that's when I really started to get concerned. Her behind showed traces of slight diarrhea but nothing to be overly concerned about. I can feel her bones but it might just because of the molt. She was willing to cuddle but not graze, which is unusual. She didn't want treats or weeds, either. She was still energetic enough to jump back in the coop and to tell me that she didn't want vitamins. (I used a syringe to give her some electrolyte and vitamin supplement). Her balance also isn't all that great.

She refuses to move much. I don't want to be concerned about her because I love her so much, but I am very frightened by this change. I tried scheduling a vet visit but vets don't accept chickens around here and the one that does has a TWO WEEK waiting list. They said that I could call 7 AM tomorrow to SEE if there is room for an emergency appointment.

Please help me.

 

[Sammi_0411]

Im gona bump this up to see if anyone can help....all i know is molting can take a lot out of a chicken i give extra protein treats scrambled egg etc i use poultry spice in their food and electrytes and supplements thru their water which is obv bit difficult if ahe not eating or drinking xxx
@Overo Mare @sourland @Weeg @OneHappyRooster @TheOddOneOut any ideas? Xx

 

[The Happster]

Sorry to hear about your girl. How is she doing now? I see it's a while since the thread was started.

 

[Weeg]

Have you checked for mites? Are you sure she is molting, or jus pulling her feathers out because of parasites? All of theses symptoms point to mites or lice to me.

 

[aart]

When I have a bird that is acting 'off' I isolate bird in a wire cage within the coop for a day or two....so I can closely monitor their intake of food and water, crop function(checking at night and in morning before providing more feed), and their poops. Feel their abdomen, from below vent to between legs, for squishy or hard swelling. Check for external parasites or any other abnormalities.

Best to put crate right in coop or run so bird is still 'with' the flock.
I like to use a fold-able wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller mesh(1x2) on bottom of crate under tray.
Then you can put tray underneath crate to better observe droppings without it being stepped in. If smaller mesh is carefully installed, tray can still be used inside crate.

 

[Zerex]

Have you checked for mites? Are you sure she is molting, or jus pulling her feathers out because of parasites? All of theses symptoms point to mites or lice to me.

I checked for mites and lice because this concerned me. She is definitely molting as is the others. They have been for awhile now and they generally do that around this time but I've never seen such a severe reaction. I'm not sure if it's from the molt or if she is also sick.

 

[Zerex]

Sorry to hear about your girl. How is she doing now? I see it's a while since the thread was started.

She is hiding even more. Not even sleeping where she normally does. She now faces back from me instead of forward. She was able to walk back into the coop by herself, although it was very slow. She was still energetic enough to jump in it. She still has enough resistance to not want to be given a syringe. Trying to find silver linings here because I'm really freaked out and scared. She just looks so tired. I wish I could give her food because she feels lighter than when I last held her and I can feel her bones, which might just be from the molt itself.

 

[Zerex]

Im gona bump this up to see if anyone can help....all i know is molting can take a lot out of a chicken i give extra protein treats scrambled egg etc i use poultry spice in their food and electrytes and supplements thru their water which is obv bit difficult if ahe not eating or drinking xxx
@Overo Mare @sourland @Weeg @OneHappyRooster @TheOddOneOut any ideas? Xx

I wish I could inspire her to eat. She wouldn't even eat mealworms. She just kind of looked at them. She ate a half of one when I produced it to her but I think that was just because she knew I was worried about her. I don't know what to do.

 

[Sammi_0411]

Maybe bring her in for a bit if u can? Try see if she eat any scrambled egg or protein ? Maybe bit honey in water?

 

[Zerex]

When I have a bird that is acting 'off' I isolate bird in a wire cage within the coop for a day or two....so I can closely monitor their intake of food and water, crop function(checking at night and in morning before providing more feed), and their poops. Feel their abdomen, from below vent to between legs, for squishy or hard swelling. Check for external parasites or any other abnormalities.

Best to put crate right in coop or run so bird is still 'with' the flock.
I like to use a fold-able wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller mesh(1x2) on bottom of crate under tray.
Then you can put tray underneath crate to better observe droppings without it being stepped in. If smaller mesh is carefully installed, tray can still be used inside crate.

There is almost a lump near her abdomen, but I'm not sure if this is normal. She secreting something that is clear liquid. She shivers from time to time but it might just be from the cold.