listless red sex link hen

[farmert]

One of my RSL hens sits around most of the time. She is only 2 1/2 yrs old, but she looks tired in her eyes, listless. Her comb flops (that started two days ago) and she doesn't have the bright coloration that her sisters have. Not laying. I've looked her over and there are no visible signs of her lack of energy. She eats treats and berries and forages, but not very interested in the poultry food which is a really good balanced combo. She'll forage for a while and come when I call them for treats, but she sits still for long stretches at a time. Tonight she was on the lower roost for the first time, as if she doesn't have the energy to make it to the top roost which isn't that far from her.

Any ideas on what to do would be appreciated.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Have you checked to see if she maybe egg bound?
What are you feeding? Does she have access to Oyster Shells?
You may want to give her some Calcium Calrate w//Vit D ... see if that helps. You could also try and entice her by wetting her feed, making like a mash.

 

[dawg53]

Possibly egg bound as mentioned, I've had it happen often when I owned RSL's.
Other possibilities are external parasites and/or internal parasites.
Inspect her closely for lice and mites especially around the vent area where it's moist and warm.
Consider worming her with Valbazen or Safeguard liquid goat wormer.
If egg bound, soak her in container of warm water up to her sides and gently massage her underside front to rear while she's soaking. Do this for about 30 minutes and hopefully she'll lay the stuck egg. You can put a little vegetable oil just inside her vent to make it easier for her to lay the stuck egg.