Hen slowly losing weight

[Crazycat80]

1) What type of bird , age and weight? Mixed Bantam, almost 2 years old, under 2 lbs (normally)
2) What is the behavior, exactly? Meatloaf started molting again (only 2-3 months since last molt). Most of the feathers on her head are gone but there is no sign of injuries. She is very slowly losing weight (noticeable over the last 2 weeks). Checking her breast tells me she is slightly underweight compared to her sisters
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms? 2 weeks noticeably
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms? No
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma. No
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation. Nothing
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all? Normal drinking. Eating is decreased but will still eat treats and veggies if offered
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc. I don't see any abnormal poop
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far? Checked for bullying (I can see them from my office window), added Omega Fields Chicken Supplement to their feed, added vinegar to water, treated coop and Meatloaf with dichotomous earth today, will treat for worms and Coccidiosis this weekend when I get meds from my folk's farm. I use 16% protein egg layer and add black sunflower seeds for standard feeding.
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet? Self treat
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use: Pine shavings 3 inches deep in 4'x4' coop. Straw in run, coop cleaned completely every two weeks.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Meatloaf started molting again (only 2-3 months since last molt). Most of the feathers on her head are gone but there is no sign of injuries. She is very slowly losing weight (noticeable over the last 2 weeks). Checking her breast tells me she is slightly underweight compared to her sisters

Normal drinking. Eating is decreased but will still eat treats and veggies if offered

added Omega Fields Chicken Supplement to their feed, added vinegar to water, treated coop and Meatloaf with dichotomous earth today, will treat for worms and Coccidiosis this weekend when I get meds from my folk's farm. I use 16% protein egg layer and add black sunflower seeds for standard feeding.

Can you please post some photos of her and her poop?

Is she acting sick - lethargic, isolating herself, etc.?

Is she laying eggs?
Was she broody or has she been broody?
Crop emptying overnight?

It would be good to actually weigh her and get a baseline weight, then weigh her a few times a week to see how much she's losing.

Any lice/mites? If there's an active infestation it would be better to use a something besides DE to treat external parasites. Permethrin, Spinosad, Sevin, Frontline....there's many products on the market to choose from.

What are you planning on using to treat for worms and Coccidiosis?

Cut out the veggies and treats. Focus on her eating her normal feed. Sunflower seeds are really a treat for confined birds, so go easy with those too.

 

[Crazycat80]

Can you please post some photos of her and her poop? - I'll try and grab pictures when they are free ranging tomorrow. They have a run but we let them out to terrorize the back yard in the afternoon. Her poop we've looked at seems completely normal but perhaps I'm missing something.

Is she acting sick - lethargic, isolating herself, etc.? Not sick or lethargic, though slightly less energetic than usual.

Is she laying eggs? She isn't laying. I have three bantams and only one has been laying ever since the weather turned cold.

Was she broody or has she been broody? She has never been broody
Crop emptying overnight? I'll check tomorrow morning to be sure though I think it has. I know it was full when I checked her shortly before they went in to roost tonight.

It would be good to actually weigh her and get a baseline weight, then weigh her a few times a week to see how much she's losing. I'll drag out the kitchen scale tomorrow and check

Any lice/mites? If there's an active infestation it would be better to use a something besides DE to treat external parasites. Permethrin, Spinosad, Sevin, Frontline....there's many products on the market to choose from. - I'm not seeing any on her body. Checked head, under wings, breast, vent, nothing. Thought perhaps I have some of those that come out at night. Doing another thorough cleaning of the coop and probably the run this weekend.

What are you planning on using to treat for worms and Coccidiosis? I'll ask my dad what he picked up for his hens. It's a water additive he ordered through Amazon, one for each issue.

Cut out the veggies and treats. Focus on her eating her normal feed. Sunflower seeds are really a treat for confined birds, so go easy with those too. They don't get much in the way of treats. The black oil sunflower seeds we use for extra fat, nutrients, and egg quality. It makes up about 1/6th - 1/8th of their daily diet and I haven't seen any of them become overweight or picky in the 6 months since we started including them. I can easily cut them off from it though. There doesn't seem to be any issues with calcium deficiency either. All eggs I do get have strong shells.