Inactive hen + pulling out feathers

[cverseaux]

In July 2017, we bought 7 chicks, including 4 gold laced Wyandottes, 2 Barnevelders, and 1 Cream Legbar. 6 grew up to be healthy, productive hens (one Wyandotte was killed by the neighbour's dog when we had just put them in the yard). However, our Cream Legbar, originally active and producing beautiful blue eggs, began to change for the worse. She was the most active of the six, usually flying over the fence once she was big enough to not be killed by the dog that killed our Wyandotte. We assumed that when she started laying virtually shelless eggs in April that she was not getting enough calcium due to her eating outside of the yard rather than the feed in the coop. However, she began to become inactive. She would stand in one spot in the yard, only running away when the other hens that used to explore with her would try to attack her. She is now in her own secluded area inside, complete with a roost, vitamin-fortified water, and a variety of foods just to get her to eat something. We had to take her off of the layer feed to prevent her from straining herself by laying any eggs. She displays the characteristics of a non-laying hen (pale/yellowish face and comb, narrower pelvic area), but appears unhealthy to a point of concern. She has been secluded for about 2 months with occasional attempts to take her outside, and has recently started to pull out feathers. My sister and I love this chicken dearly and want to see her thrive as well as our other hens are. Hen is shy of one year old, and has been showing these strange symptoms since late March/April. Any advice or potential diagnoses will be greatly appreciated and looked into

 

[coach723]

Have you checked her for mites/lice? Are you sure that she is pulling feathers out, or is it the start of a molt?
Taking her off of layer feed will not prevent her from laying an egg, egg production is triggered by her own internal workings, hours of daylight, age, time of year, etc. If she's ill, it might cause her to stop laying. Being anemic from lice/mites could stop her from laying. Molt could stop her from laying.
Has she ever been wormed or had a fecal test to check for parasites? Is she eating/drinking normally? Are droppings normal? Have you checked crop function, crop should be empty first thing in the morning before access to food and water, should be full when she goes to roost at night, should fill and empty during the day as she eats and digests. Any congestion or wheezing, any discharge from eyes/nares/mouth? Any lumps/bumps on her body that shouldn't be there?
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/

 

[cverseaux]

Thank you for your response and the link! She does show a lot of the symptoms that are mentioned in the article, especially weight loss and changes in appetite. I do see her drink occasionally, but she eats very infrequently, and her crop is relatively empty throughout the day. We have witnessed her pull out several of her smaller feathers. What is most concerning to me is how she tends to not move at all and is no longer vocal, a far cry from her healthy self a few months ago. We shall check for lice and mites, since it does seem like a very real possibility given her condition

 

[coach723]

Do that, and treat for them if found, you will need to treat the birds and the coop. Also look for any other signs of illness, lice/mites will often show up on a bird that is weakened by something else also. If she is not eating you may need to hand feed or tube feed to get her strength up. Get a good weight on her (a digital kitchen scale works) and monitor to make sure she doesn't continue to lose weight. If you can get a vet to do a fecal test for you, that would be a good idea also, internal parasites can cause weight loss and make them pretty sick also.