My EE is very lethargic and her comb is very pale. Is this anemia?

[Littlebirde]

My little Leia, who's an almost 3 year old EE has been very lethargic for at least 3 days and her comb has become pale. She is usually a very lively, social, and vocal chicken but she's been very slow and will often just stand still with her feathers fluffed and her eyes closed.

Sorry if this question has been asked hundreds of times already, but i just want to try and narrow down the potential issue.

I've checked her for external parasites and could not find any sign. All of my chickens are treated for internal parasites monthly though their water.
She's shown no breathing problems, no leaking mucus around her mouth, and she is eating and drinking, though less than usual, her crop is emptying out as usual.
She has not laid an egg in several weeks as she's just gone through a heavy molt, and since its winter, most of my chickens have stopped laying so I don't believe it could be an egg-bound issue.
Her abdomen doesn't feel at all mushy, and I couldn't feel any masses under her skin or wings.

Some things i have noticed that are of concern is that she is pooping less. Her droppings are somewhat watery and made up mostly of urea.
The skin around her face is rather yellow, i looked into this being possibly a liver issue, though i don't see this in any of my other chickens, and all of my chickens are given plenty of oats and food containing biotin, they are also free ranged. Corn is only really given to them 3 months out of the year and that is during the winter months.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Leia is one of my favorites and i want to do whatever i can to help her recover.

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

What exactly do you feed her? Where in the world are you and how cold has it been? Have you checked the roost bars at night for mites?

I'd see if I could trigger her appetite with a little scrambled egg or tuna in case she is just feeling down from the hard molt. A little rooster booster or other poultry vitamins wouldn't hurt if you haven't given her any yet.

 

[nuthatched]

treated for internal parasites monthly though their water.

With what?
What do you feed? Oats aren't actually great for chickens long term, they can clog them up.

 

[Littlebirde]

What exactly do you feed her? Where in the world are you and how cold has it been? Have you checked the roost bars at night for mites?

I'd see if I could trigger her appetite with a little scrambled egg or tuna in case she is just feeling down from the hard molt. A little rooster booster or other poultry vitamins wouldn't hurt if you haven't given her any yet.

I cant remember any particular brand we use since i don't have the bags, but its the usual feed pellets we'll get in bulk at our local feed store, we tend to give them 1-2 cups of scratch in the afternoon (for 6 chickens).

I live in Washington state, the drier side that is. With the weather right now we've had some snow and rain, so its a little muddy. temperatures have been between the high 20's and high 40's. However it was in the teens and single digits two weeks ago.
I have not checked to roosts for mites, particularly becuase the coop is draped in moving blankets, so I'll check that out when i can.

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

I cant remember any particular brand we use since i don't have the bags, but its the usual feed pellets we'll get in bulk at our local feed store, we tend to give them 1-2 cups of scratch in the afternoon (for 6 chickens).

I live in Washington state, the drier side that is. With the weather right now we've had some snow and rain, so its a little muddy. temperatures have been between the high 20's and high 40's. However it was in the teens and single digits two weeks ago.
I have not checked to roosts for mites, particularly becuase the coop is draped in moving blankets, so I'll check that out when i can.

Scratch should only make up about 10% of the diet so 1-2 cups for six chickens is too much (the average hen needs about half a cup of food a day). I know they love it and it makes them happy, which makes you happy, but in my experience plump, scratch-fed chickens have a lot more health issues: everything from vitamin deficiencies to reproductive disorders, so it's really not worth it. I would cut scratch down to half a cup for all of them, and some people will tell you that's still too much..

Yellow skin could just be from going off lay and/or from eating corn. Both increase the amount of yellow pigments in the body.

Her comb is pale enough that I would check for mites soon. Many mites don't live on the chicken and only come at night to feed on them so do check the roost bar some night by running a paper towel all over it and seeing if you get any squished mites.

I'm also wondering what you use to treat for internal parasites? If it's a natural preventative and that's all you've ever used it might be worthwhile to get a fecal float test done to make sure she doesn't have a heavy worm load.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you post photos of her poop?
I'd re-check her crop first thing in the morning to make sure it's emptying.
Do re-check for lice/mites as well.

She's coming out of molt, so it's not that unusual to be pale if not in lay.
What color are her legs? Some birds have yellow skin, so with her not being in lay, the skin color may be more noticeable and will again fade once she comes into lay.

Please post a photo of the dewormer that you use monthly in the water - Thank You!

I'd work on her eating her normal feed, limit treats like scratch to 1 tablespoon a day.
She may benefit from direct oral vitamins for a couple of days each week. Poultry Cell would be a good choice, dose her at 1cc per 3 pounds of weight.

Look forward to more info and photos.