Chicken is lethargic, tail down

[Chickenlady1234567]

I have a chicken whose tail is down and is very lethargic for 2 days now. She took much longer than usual (10 mins or more) to get down from roost and join the flock eating both days. She was also hesitant to go up to the roost at night.

I have seen her eat and drink some. She is doing a lot of either standing around or sitting all day and won’t come outside much (although it is winter and very cold).

When she stands her tail is down and then she will begin flapping her wings excessively and her tail will go back up. She had been flapping wings a lot but then eventually tail goes back down again. Also closing her eyes a lot like she is nodding off to sleep, then opens them again. She is often isolating herself, but I have another chicken that is constantly by her side following her around and sitting with her all day.

Is it a disease?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It is possible it is a disease but maybe something else.
What is your location? What are your temps? What is the coop ventilation size?
Nodding off to sleep during the day is a bad sign. I've had birds do that and recover and occasionally die. But without diagnosis with lab work there really isn't any way to know which of the hundreds of maladies it could be.

 

[LaFleche]

I have a chicken whose tail is down and is very lethargic for 2 days now. She took much longer than usual (10 mins or more) to get down from roost and join the flock eating both days. She was also hesitant to go up to the roost at night.

I have seen her eat and drink some. She is doing a lot of either standing around or sitting all day and won’t come outside much (although it is winter and very cold).

When she stands her tail is down and then she will begin flapping her wings excessively and her tail will go back up. She had been flapping wings a lot but then eventually tail goes back down again. Also closing her eyes a lot like she is nodding off to sleep, then opens them again. She is often isolating herself, but I have another chicken that is constantly by her side following her around and sitting with her all day.

Is it a disease?

How old is your hen?
How do her droppings look?
Does she have a full crop at night and an empty one in the morning?
When did you last deworm your flock?
Did you already check her for mites and lice?
Do your chickens have granite grit and oyster shells available at all times?
When did she last lay an egg? She might be eggbound and in need of treatment.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

good questions