ill hen

[holly g]

Sorry for the long post.
Holly one of my hens has been not moving much and just lying down even in the evenings when it gets cooler, i picked her up yesterday and she couldn't hold her head up properly so she rested it on my arm, her crest is extremely light, this could be from a mite problem we had a few weeks back but my other hens crests are fine now and they are currently in there holiday coop/ run as we have brought then on holiday, she is only 3-4 years old. (We didn't have her from a young age sadly her and two other hens were kept at my mums school but someone came down with dogs and let a dog out in there run and she was the only survivor) this could be old age but previous hens that i have had a died have never displayed these symptoms.
Any replies would be appreciated!

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. Mites are very hard to completely get rid of, so I would be vigilant with treatment. Has she been wormed recently? Certain worms can be deadly, so I would treat with Flubenvet or whatever you use locally. She may be starting a molt also, which could cause the comb to pale. Have you checked to see if she is egg bound? Have you felt of her keel bone to see if she has lost weight? Egg yolk peritonitis or internal laying are common in older hens. Here is some info about EYP: http://www.chickenvet.co.uk/health-and-common-diseases/egg-laying-issues/index.aspx