Hey all! I've got one girl who just seems down, low energy, definitely not laying eggs based on her waddle color. I took a good look at her again today and she seems well, no mites or bugs that I can see, no scaly feet, poop is good, but her beak looks a bit longer than it should - maybe not wearing it down enough because she isn't eating as much right now? She just seems lethargic and depressed almost. Woodstock used to be the friendliest of our flock but not is just meh. I don't know what is wrong with her...hoping you all can help. She did have a hard molt this summer. Of all the girls, she lost the most feathers, pretty much had some bare spots where the rest just seem to be losing feathers here and there. Background: Four of our girls are a year and a half old. We've had them about a year and a half now, they laid great until early last year - maybe Februaryish? Then they were real sporadic and nothing for months. They never have really picked back up. For a while they were under the deck when it was super hot this summer and I could see where they were laying here and there under it..we blocked it off. Then one chicken was laying in another part of the yard as we found a clutch she was sitting on. In the meantime, this March we got two more babies and kept them inside until late May, then slowly introduced them by means of keeping them in a closed off area in the yard and finally fully introducing and sleeping together in late June. Because it was so hot and the girls liked one particular part of the yard that was super shady, we decided to relocate the coop there in September - and make them a large run, where they had full run of the yard before. It did seem to help most of the girls and some eggs started being produced. Now we are in molting season and I can tell a few are molting and not laying..but my one Woodstock is just not seeming to be well. We are luckky to get one or two eggs per day. Its been over a month since we've got more thant hat. I can remember one time this summer when we got five eggs. I am not sure you can see in the pic, but there is beak growth - not sure if it should be that long or not? Do you think that we just shocked the original four too much this year? Heat, under the deck laying, penned in again, new babies? I would think by now they would be okay...but maybe not? Any advice will help. I've wormed them, probiotics, added protein.. thanks, Lacey!
Also - she has not always got up on the roost poll at night - sometimes laying on the floor of the coop.
I only did one cycle. Completely forgot about month two! Ok I will do that. I made yogurt and am Giving her that and probiotics in their water. . And I going to check her crop today and bum. She has always had a poopy looking vent area so I never gave it any thought but today she gets a bath and a full check over.
You don't have to worm chickens. Some people do once or even twice a year. But any chickens that free range or go outside and forage and are not strictly confined to cages will have worms. Others might have more insight into worming healthy chickens.