Chicken(s) panting, lethargic, not eating.

[rogerrogerroger]

Hello!

One (and now two) of my recently adopte chickens seem to be ill. They are 18mo cinnamon queens and from a home that was a bit rough on them- They have a lot of lost feathers and the pattern of missing feathers in the neck and saddleback areas makes me think that they got clobbered by their many mates in their previous abode. They got here 5 days ago, all of them were happy and lay within a few days. Last couple days we only got two eggs, and one of our chickens seems to be really struggling. She won't leave the roost in the morning, and then hasn't really eaten much at all, though she's stayed pretty hydrated. I suspected she was eggbound but I checked her out and she doesn't appear to be, nor is she in the tail-down squatting position. She's visibly breathing heavy and kind of panting with her mouth open. She seems keen to perch- I moved her a bit to look for mites (found none) and when I was done she went back to the roost and stayed looking at the wall. It's very hot here right now, around 100, though they're shaded all day. I provided cold water with electrolytes, and she drank a fair amount but is so far uninterested in food. Unfortunately, I've now got another one in the early stages of whatever is going on with the first.

What should I do?

 

[Wuick]

I would quarantine them both, separately and if you have others that came from the same place, do the same with them.
How old are they?
Any discoloration in their poop?
Is the comb pale or limp?
Try cooling them down and offering an alternative food source.

 

[rogerrogerroger]

I have four total, all from the same place, in their own area. They're 18 months, haven't seen any solid poops, just watery yellow liquid. Combs are pale but they are all of them, even the two happy healthy ones.
I checked their crops, they're kind of big and squishy, much like when people describe sour crop. No bad smell though. Some of the bedding is straw, I've seen them pecking at it, so have some suspicions it could be that.

 

[Wuick]

If you think it’s sour crop I would treat them for it.
How are they doing today? Any luck getting them to eat a different type of food?

 

[rogerrogerroger]

One of them is doing a lot better, the other seems to have declined. I'm taking both to the vet today. I provided them with a bowl of grit- their run is huge so I assumed they'd get it themselves but I thought I would just to be safe.