Sick Chicken

[gtourtel]

We have 1 rooster and 12 hens they have started to free range again we keep them in during the winter. One of the chickens that is 2 years old is acting strange. She stays all hunched up close to the ground and her face, comb and waddle are very pale she doesn't seem to be eating. We threw out some scratch feed and she went over and just looked at it then went back under the bush. What do I need to look for or check.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

I do not know for sure, hopefully some one with more experience will see to help you better.
What i can tell you is quarantine her asap. Then check hee breathing, is sgw having trouble? If she is check her throat, is anything caught in there? Worms will get stuck in the throat, causing difficult breathing, but she could also be choking on something.
If no breathing problems check her vent, does she have an impacted egg?
There are other possibilities, but my knowledge is much more limited. To help though, take a close up on her head, so they can see her face.

 

[Eggcessive]

There can be quite few different illnesses that chickens can suffer from. Recently I have seen some crop issues in 5 year old hens, and there are reproductive issues, such as internal laying, egg yolk peritonitis, and others that affect older hens. Worms and other parasites such as mites can make them pale. Check her crop to see if it empties by early morning, look for lice and mites on her skin around the vent, under wings, and around the neck, consider getting several of her fresh droppijngs checked by a vet for worms and coccidia, and make sure that she is eating and drinking normally. Tube feeding can be used for chickens not eating. Cocidiosis can occur when new chickens are ikntroduced or hens are on new soil. At 2 years old reproductive issues can be very common.