lethargic hen! Please help.

[debbyvenus]

She is 2 1/2 years old, and a great egg layer but a very late molter. She just molted recently and now is very lethargic, her comb is laying over and starting to turn sort of black. She seems to eat some and drinks well. Has whitish poop on her hind end and sits around (not on the nest) a lot. She has not layed




in awhile. She is a BR and I have 15 other hens 8 the same age and 7 that are almost 4 months old and the babies of these girls. I don't want the rest to get something if it is contagious.

 

[Eggcessive]

Cut the dirty feather off her rear and give it a wash. Note if she has oozing white goo or any redness under the vent. She may have vent gleet which is like a yeast infection in chickens. Apple cider vinegar in the water, yogurt or probiotics a couple of times a week, and an antifungal cream may help. Check her crop in the morning for a full squishy crop (sour crop) that can happen at the same time. Sour crop responds to Nystatin (requires a prescription from the vet) or Medistat available online.

 

[Suzie]

From the description and photograph she appears to be having respiratory issues, could be worms,lice/mites or any number of possibilities... when was she/the flock last de-wormed and treated for lice/mites.. if recently then you can eliminate those possibilities... hopefully somebody here can help you further with information on other possibilities,

 

[debbyvenus]

Thanks for your help. I've been able to rule out a few things. She quit with the runny poop, and her comb has gotten back to good color, and standing back up. She is eating and running around but still no eggs. The flock was wormed 1 year ago with Flubenvet 1% which I can't seem to find online anymore. I don't see any lice, mites. Really the whole flock of 2 1/2 year old BR are not laying much at all the past 3 months. Thanks again.

 

[Eggcessive]

Flubenvet is available in the UK. Valbazen is even better--all 5 of the chiockens worms are killed with it. Safegard Liquid Goat worm kills all but tape worm. Autumn is a good time to worm your flock.

 

[debbyvenus]

Thanks for your help. I will try to find the Valbazen wormer. All my hens are laying again but the few that are just finishing up the molt. The new young ones are laying like crazy! It's feast or famine around here with the eggs. I now have plenty to sell, at almost a dozen a day, yesterday 1 dozen! Good going ladies! Keep up the good work. Seemed to take a long time for molt on the older ones this year. I began feeding them the new "Feather Fixer" by Nutrina. So far so good.