Hoping to use this site for good chicken advice

[Lazy Farmer]

Sorry your hen isn't well.

DE in the food is completely irrelevant and used by many companies already... approved for use as an anti caking agent up to 2%. But proven ineffective at internal parasite control.

Why worm if the other birds was confirmed to not have worms? Worming an already ill birds can just push them over the edge.

You have an awful lot of supplements going on... but what are you feeding including treats?

When was the last time you saw eggs? How is your weather? How old are your 3 new babies and where did they come from and how long have you had them?

I hope it doesn't go that far... but if you lose another hen I suggest getting a necropsy done to determine cause. Here are links to help achieve that...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-to-send-a-bird-for-a-necropsy-pictures.799747/

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

Alternatively, they are getting that age to start seeing things like internal laying or reproductive issues.

Milk thistle ... I think is supposed to be like an anti oxidant for the liver maybe?? How long did it take from symptoms to passing on your leghorn?

Sorry for your loss also.

Hope you get answers and your hen recovers quickly!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

"The 3 new ones are about 3 months old and they came from Murry McMurray hatchery. Had them since about 1 week old."

At least you know this isn't the source!

"I usually feed them Organic crumbles."

If by this you mean layer... definitely too much calcium for gals not laying... might be A factor but surely NOT the only factor.

"This was me grasping for straws since her symptoms were similar to blackhead disease. I read articles that said people treated their birds for worms and parasites for precautionary measures so I figured it wouldn't hurt just in case the tests were wrong. When this didn't work I tried the safe-guard."

I didn't know chickens could get black head. I thought that was turkeys. Hey, you TRIED something that's better than doing nothing IMHO. Did ANY of those articles include fecal floats for before and after alleged treatment? Even on wiki it has studies from cattle that show inefficacy... now you know for next time though.

">> I didn't know this. First time hearing this. Most of the articles I read (from this site) didn't mention this. I just didn't want to take a chance that the test was wrong and it was a worm or parasite. "

It's unfortunate that anybody can write an article and have NO liability for the content they post. Oh boy the absurdities I have read! Even here on BYC, and YES even from me... I suggest ALWAYS getting a second or even third and fourth opinion. Some people are simply repeating what "hear say" they have read and don't bother looking for facts. Even the popular fresh eggs daily website, Lisa chooses to spread lies to thousands of readers instead of getting fecal floats. I NEVER just treat without testing... to prevent treating for what I don't have and not treating for what I might have. But also to prevent resistance from said parasites. YES, test can be wrong. There can be some load that isn't yet heavy enough for detection. I just learned it is suggested that you do a second test two weeks later (after negative). That is fairly cost prohibitive to me. So I bought my own microscope stuff, but haven't yet gotten there. Also, we are all doing our best until we learn something new. Then we switch it up if we can. I have given incorrect information, but by the time I learned different was too late cuz I can't figure where to go back and change it since I'm all over the place and it's easy to get lost in too many threads. Worming a not ill bird should be fine and safe in MOST instances. But an already ill bird is a whole other story if worms isn't their issue... since it is essentially a mild poison.

Hang in there!

 

[rebrascora]

How old are these birds? A birds not laying for a long period of time suggests a reproductive issue. I see you have had them for 2 years but do you know how old they were when you got them? A healthy hen should continue to lay up to 8+ years of age, so your Barred Rock not laying for a year points to her possibly laying internally.

How much bread or scratch or cracked corn do you give them and how often is occasionally? It might not seem like a lot to you but between 3 hens it should just be a tiny amount or it can easily cause a dietary imbalance and that can lead to very serious health issues over the longer term.
Can you tell us the name of the feed you use? Is it a crumble (processed homogenous particles) or a broken grain mix, as some Organic Feeds are? This can be quite relevant.

Can you examine the Barred Rock and in particular check her crop function (it should be full at night and empty in the morning before access to food) and feel for any abdominal swelling. I cup my hand between their legs whilst thy are roosting to check for this because feathers can hide a lot. Compare with your other hen. Also feel her breast area and assess how sharp her breast bone is under the skin. Again, compare to your healthy hen.

A photo of the whole chicken or better still, a video of how she moves, would be very helpful. Video needs to be uploaded to a hosting site like You Tube or Vimeo and a link posted here.

 

[WindsorGurl]

How old are these birds? A birds not laying for a long period of time suggests a reproductive issue. I see you have had them for 2 years but do you know how old they were when you got them? A healthy hen should continue to lay up to 8+ years of age, so your Barred Rock not laying for a year points to her possibly laying internally.
>> Maybe 2.5 years old. Got them at 3 months old from my cousin. She's never seen this in her birds though. This whole thing is a big mystery, but if/when my barred rock passes I will have a necropsy done to hopefully get some answers.

How much bread or scratch or cracked corn do you give them and how often is occasionally? It might not seem like a lot to you but between 3 hens it should just be a tiny amount or it can easily cause a dietary imbalance and that can lead to very serious health issues over the longer term.
Can you tell us the name of the feed you use? Is it a crumble (processed homogenous particles) or a broken grain mix, as some Organic Feeds are? This can be quite relevant.
>> I don't usually give that much. Meal worms a little every day. Other stuff is like couple times a week. Right now the sick one will only eat meal worms, grass, bread or earth worms. She also drinks a lot of water. She won't eat the feed right now from what I can see. This is what I feed them:
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/natures-best-organic-egg-layer-crumbles-40-lb?cm_vc=-10005

Can you examine the Barred Rock and in particular check her crop function (it should be full at night and empty in the morning before access to food) and feel for any abdominal swelling. I cup my hand between their legs whilst thy are roosting to check for this because feathers can hide a lot. Compare with your other hen. Also feel her breast area and assess how sharp her breast bone is under the skin. Again, compare to your healthy hen.
>> Her crop hasn't been very full at night because she's not eating much. I will try to check for the abdominal swelling. I can feel her breast bone for sure, and it is more exposed than the healthy hen. Haven't seen solid poop in a week, only liquid/diarrhea now.

A photo of the whole chicken or better still, a video of how she moves, would be very helpful. Video needs to be uploaded to a hosting site like You Tube or Vimeo and a link posted here.
>> Here are pictures of her. The Rhode Island Red is my healthy girl. I don't have an account on YouTube or Vimeo to do a video. Ultimately she just walks really slow and doesn't go very far.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

The before and after pictures of your Leghorn hen show that her comb, wattles, and earlobe have shrunk significantly and became extremely pale. Your Barred Plymouth Rock seems to be showing the same symptoms. I also notice that her face appears to be flushed. Do you free range your birds? Do they have mites or lice?
@casportpony have you seen anything like this?

 

[WindsorGurl]

How old are these birds? A birds not laying for a long period of time suggests a reproductive issue. I see you have had them for 2 years but do you know how old they were when you got them? A healthy hen should continue to lay up to 8+ years of age, so your Barred Rock not laying for a year points to her possibly laying internally.

How much bread or scratch or cracked corn do you give them and how often is occasionally? It might not seem like a lot to you but between 3 hens it should just be a tiny amount or it can easily cause a dietary imbalance and that can lead to very serious health issues over the longer term.
Can you tell us the name of the feed you use? Is it a crumble (processed homogenous particles) or a broken grain mix, as some Organic Feeds are? This can be quite relevant.

Can you examine the Barred Rock and in particular check her crop function (it should be full at night and empty in the morning before access to food) and feel for any abdominal swelling. I cup my hand between their legs whilst thy are roosting to check for this because feathers can hide a lot. Compare with your other hen. Also feel her breast area and assess how sharp her breast bone is under the skin. Again, compare to your healthy hen.

A photo of the whole chicken or better still, a video of how she moves, would be very helpful. Video needs to be uploaded to a hosting site like You Tube or Vimeo and a link posted here.

I did the abdomen check and it's twice the size of my healthy hen. It's very extended. What could that mean?

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I did the abdomen check and it's twice the size of my healthy hen. It's very extended. What could that mean?

Is it hard or soft? Does it feel like there’s liquid in it?

 

[WindsorGurl]

The before and after pictures of your Leghorn hen show that her comb, wattles, and earlobe have shrunk significantly and became extremely pale. Your Barred Plymouth Rock seems to be showing the same symptoms. I also notice that her face appears to be flushed. Do you free range your birds? Do they have mites or lice?
@casportpony have you seen anything like this?

Yes they free range, when I'm around. I don't usually let them out unless I'm nearby since I live in an area prone to fox. From what I can tell they don't have mites or lice. These are my first chickens. I have 3 young ones that I just got end of April. My first hen was sick before I got the 3 new ones, and the second hen became ill with same symptoms after I got the 3 new ones. I clean the coop once a week which has hay in the perching/nesting box and dirt on the floor in the outside area of the coop.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Did the Leghorn hen also have decreased laying when her comb started to pale and shrink?

 

[WindsorGurl]

Is it hard or soft? Does it feel like there’s liquid in it?

It felt hard I guess. Almost like what a full crop would feel like. I didn't really squeeze it though.