Lethargic 7-year-old hen = sad or ill?

[AndalusianBlueMomma]

Hello hive mind - I need your help here. Our original chicken (Colette, the Andalusian Blue) passed a couple of months ago and Hildegard (Australorp) has been lethargic (or depressed?) ever since.
Her tail is down, she doesn't walk around much, and doesn't hop up on the roost bars at night. She is still eating well and laying eggs, but I am not sure what to do. She is 7 years old. No apparent injuries, and her legs and wattle look great.
She is not grooming herself, and since she sleeps in the pine shavings at the bottom of the coop at night she gets a bit of poop on her from her sisters, which I clean off. She was sleeping in the nesting boxes at night which made a poopy mess, so I block those off at night.
Any advice before I bring her to the vet?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Did her lethargy begin at the same time you blocked off the nests? I think the fact that she is 7 years old could be a major factor in her behavior. Have you checked her crop first thing in the morning to see if it has emptied overnight? And again at night to be sure she is getting plenty to eat? Feel her breastbone to see she is maintaining her weight. She may just be showing her age. Or she may be getting bullied away from the feeding stations.

 

[Gezellige_Poes]

Hello hive mind - I need your help here. Our original chicken (Colette, the Andalusian Blue) passed a couple of months ago and Hildegard (Australorp) has been lethargic (or depressed?) ever since.
Her tail is down, she doesn't walk around much, and doesn't hop up on the roost bars at night. She is still eating well and laying eggs, but I am not sure what to do. She is 7 years old. No apparent injuries, and her legs and wattle look great.
She is not grooming herself, and since she sleeps in the pine shavings at the bottom of the coop at night she gets a bit of poop on her from her sisters, which I clean off. She was sleeping in the nesting boxes at night which made a poopy mess, so I block those off at night.
Any advice before I bring her to the vet?

Awww, aside from a long list of possible physical ailments and old age, she may indeed be depressed losing her BFF! I lost 2 senior girls recently, my White Sussex, Bernadette, and my Buff Orpington, Willow. They were 7-8yrs and 9yrs, respectively. Willow tended to Bernadette, never leaving her side until she passed, and then went to heaven 2 days later. I firmly believe Willow stayed alive for Bernadette and then decided to join her BFF in heaven. Can you give her added attention?

 

[AndalusianBlueMomma]

Did her lethargy begin at the same time you blocked off the nests? I think the fact that she is 7 years old could be a major factor in her behavior. Have you checked her crop first thing in the morning to see if it has emptied overnight? And again at night to be sure she is getting plenty to eat? Feel her breastbone to see she is maintaining her weight. She may just be showing her age. Or she may be getting bullied away from the feeding stations.

No, she was lethargic before that. Then I found her sleeping in the nesting boxes, so I block them off at night.
She is still eating well and laying eggs. He weight is the same. Just not moving much - it seems her legs are sore.

 

[AndalusianBlueMomma]

Awww, aside from a long list of possible physical ailments and old age, she may indeed be depressed losing her BFF! I lost 2 senior girls recently, my White Sussex, Bernadette, and my Buff Orpington, Willow. They were 7-8yrs and 9yrs, respectively. Willow tended to Bernadette, never leaving her side until she passed, and then went to heaven 2 days later. I firmly believe Willow stayed alive for Bernadette and then decided to join her BFF in heaven. Can you give her added attention?

Yup - she gets extra love each day and some extra treats and mealworms. She is still lovely.