anemic chickens?

[orange5o]

Hello, i have four 6-month old hens (2 EE's, 2 stars) who have had very pale combs last month (they were worse than the pic, and have gotten somewhat better to roughly this pic). I went two weeks giving them a mixture of yogurt/garlic/oregano oil, sometimes adding habaneros. They got most of the color back but stopped improving. They had all just started laying. They all act pretty much the same now, but the EE's tend to have empty or tiny crops at the end of the day. Runny poo has gone away except for one of the EE's, and i've never seen a worm in a poo. The EE's seemed underweight and i could really feel the breastbone when i picke them up. But even when i see them eating a lot the crops are small. sometimes i think it's because the Stars have big crops, the gold one gets bigger than a golf ball sometimes.

not sure if i'm being over cautious since i'm new? i put a lot of diatomaceous earth in the coop and run, maybe they're just dusty? sometimes i rub some Vetrx on q-tip over their nostrils and comb but it looks pale again by next day.

any thoughts?

 

[Eggcessive]

DE can be hard on breathing, and I would not use it for anything. It is so over-hyped by poultry magazines and people who sell it. Combs can be pale from not laying, and may get redder when they are laying well. They should not be anemic unless they are bleeding somewhere, such as with a coccidiosis or severe capillary worm infestation, or have a mite infestation. You can check them for signs of mites around and under the vent and elsewhere for crawling bugs. Some mites come out only at night. A fecal test by your local vet on some fresh droppings to look for coccidiosis or worms would be something I would do.