Chicken walking slowly with tail tucked down

[ateamango]

Hi there, our 5 month-old speckled Sussex wouldn’t come out of the coop this morning with the others- moving slowly/sitting and stepping gingerly and standing with her tail tucked far down, nor like usual at all. Her eyes seem clear and no discharge anywhere, but she seems to be clucking strangely too. She’s normally energetic and friendly. Is something wrong?! All the other chickens seem fine and no sign of any issues! They are not laying yet as we don’t have enough light yet in January in New Mexico. These are our first chickens and we raised these 8 birds from chicks. What can be done? Thank you!

 

[JasperMoon]

Pictures?

 

[Lauren Kim]

Maybe she is suffering from boredom or depression.
Yes, chickens can have depression, and please post pictures. Is she being bullied by the others? Or does she have enough food for energy? Has she started laying eggs yet? If she has, she may have gone very exhausted from laying one. My chickens usually get very tired- their faces turn white and they want to go to sleep. Please answer my questions above and post pictures!

 

[red horse ranch]

Make sure she isn't egg bound. Look at her vent and see if an egg is stuck there.