Molting, Lethargic, Not Eating

[deviflux]

Is it normal for a hen to appear lethargic and not eat/drink during a molt? One of my Brahmas started a pretty late molt at the end of November and was doing fine (aside from looking a hot mess) until the last couple days when the temps dropped below freezing. At first I just noticed she was returning to the roost a little earlier than the others, but was eating drinking and foraging like normal. Yesterday I noticed her standing in the middle of the yard motionless with her head tucked to her chest while the other chickens free ranged during the day. This morning she appeared more lethargic than ever and I don’t think she’s been eating or drinking for 24 hrs. She let me pick her up and that really concerns me because she usually isn’t friendly and runs in terror when a human comes near.

I brought her inside and am giving her water with a dropper. She’s been sleeping and her comb color is looking slightly better (it was pale and purple-ish).
She hasn’t been laying during the molt, but I tried checking her vent and it seems clear (I was only able to get about an inch in and she keeps trying to push me out). I checked under her wings for mites and it looks clear. No idea how her poop looks since she hasn’t passed anything since moving inside.
I was concerned about Coccidiosis so I bought some Corid to add to the water. Should I give her this now or wait to see how she responds to a few more hours indoors where it’s warm?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Welcome To BYC!

She's not feeling well is she?

If she poops, try to get a photo of that.
How does her crop feel?

I would keep trying to get her hydrated. If you have them, give a direct dose of poultry vitamins. Once she is drinking well, then offer her a bit of wet feed. Some egg, fish or meat for added protein would be good too.

It's hard to know sometimes, if molt is what's making them feel bad or if they have something else going on - crop issues I've found arise during molt, reproductive problems can also bring them down pretty quickly (feel her abdomen below the vent between the legs-see if she's bloated). Worms and Coccidiosis are also something to consider.

The Corid will not hurt her. If you choose to treat her with that, then eliminate vitamins that contain B1 (Thiamine) since Corid is a B1 Blocker.

 

[deviflux]

Thank you! I’m a long time lurker! The posts here have been invaluable.

Her crop feels normal (not hard, empty/slightly smushy). It’s hard to see in the pic, but she’s a little messy on the feathers around her vent. I think it’s from when I checked to see if she was eggbound. It looks light brown and like it was runny.

She still hasn’t pooped but she took a nibble of some bread. That seems like small progress.

 

[micstrachan]

Hi, there. A couple of mine took molt really hard this year. One of them almost starved herself to death. I ended up sneaking into the coop in the middle of the night with a headlamp on to bring her baby bird bird formula in a bowl and she gobbled it up! Can you offer something like that to your girl?

 

[deviflux]

I might try that tomorrow!
She’s still inside and I think the warmth is really helping. She willingly takes the water drops now and has nibbled on a little bread, but I’d really like to see her eating/drinking (and pooping!) on her own.
Temps are going back up this weekend and I’m really hoping I can get her back on her feet and back in with the flock by then.
Hopefully things look better in the morning.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you! I’m a long time lurker! The posts here have been invaluable.

Her crop feels normal (not hard, empty/slightly smushy). It’s hard to see in the pic, but she’s a little messy on the feathers around her vent. I think it’s from when I checked to see if she was eggbound. It looks light brown and like it was runny.

She still hasn’t pooped but she took a nibble of some bread. That seems like small progress.View attachment 1983983

It's been a few hours since your last post - has she pooped yet?

I would get her hydrated. Offer wet feed after she's drinking.
Check the crop first thing in the morning before she eats/drinks (after a full night's sleep) make sure it's empty.

 

[deviflux]

Nothing yet that I can see. I’ve been trying not to bother her since sun went down. Just peeking in at her occasionally and gave her more water drops about an hour ago. She’s toasty warm and seems comfortable.

I’m going to double down on trying to get nutrients and water in her tomorrow morning.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Nothing yet that I can see. I’ve been trying not to bother her since sun went down. Just peeking in at her occasionally and gave her more water drops about an hour ago. She’s toasty warm and seems comfortable.

I’m going to double down on trying to get nutrients and water in her tomorrow morning.

If she's not been drinking, then I would give her more water.
Hopefully she will poop overnight so you can get a look at that. Let us know if the crop is completely empty in the morning as well.

 

[deviflux]

I pulled her out one last time tonight for some water from the dropper. She finally pooped!
That dark reddish thing is just a wood chip. The color seems normal-ish but definitely runny.

 

[deviflux]

Crop still feels fine but I’ve been massaging it anyway. She still isn’t eating or drinking.

Poop is still runny and almost looks like it has yellow and green in it