Lethargic chicken w/ diarrhea, lost weight, small bugs (+photos)

[AccidentalChickenLady]

Thanks for the condolences, @Eggcessive. I’m not sure I can get an accurate necropsy, since that link says the bird needs to be chilled right after death, and I have no idea how long she’d been gone when I got home. I last saw her alive at about 8am, but didn’t get home until almost 7pm... it’s possible she’d been gone for most of that time.
I did have a necropsy on the last bird of mine that died, who came from the same hatchery as Raven. They found no Marek’s or infectious disease in that one.

 

[Eggcessive]

How cold was it in the coop before you got home? If her body stayed chilled, it still might be okay to do, but of course, I would do what you think is best.

 

[AccidentalChickenLady]

How cold was it in the coop before you got home? If her body stayed chilled, it still might be okay to do, but of course, I would do what you think is best.

She'd been in a chicken hospital in the warmest room in our house since Saturday in an effort to help her hang on, so the room was ~70degrees Fahrenheit, which is why I don't think her body was cool enough to send for necropsy. You're totally right that if she'd still been outside, with highs in the 40s here, her body might have stayed cool enough.

 

[micstrachan]

Another update: I am all-but-convinced these little jerks are chicken lice, rather than mites or fleas... some genus of chicken body louse (A or B below). See image below with the bug I found on Raven (far left) alongside these images from Amy Murillo at UC Riverside at this helpful page... This makes sense, too, given that the birds are all molting, so there are a lot of dropped feathers and flaky skin circulating in the coop and run.
View attachment 1607691

I understand that the treatment will be the same, regardless. Just hoping we can kill these jerks in enough time to help Raven get her strength back and pull through.

I’m an idiot. YES, lice, not fleas. For some stupid reason I posted the wrong word. Good job figuring it out!

 

[micstrachan]

Oh no! I just read through the rest of the thread. I’m so sorry you lost her!