Pale semi-lethargic chicken! Please help!

[Margy1]

Yesterday she was laying around most of the day, but still alert and would move if I went near her or anything. Today she is scratching and walking around. There is plenty of cold water and room, there is also a lot of shade. She is not acting hot. Her comb and face are extremely pale. You can see the other chicken next to her and her comb is bright red. Her poops look normal (just how they always have and the same as the other girls) I do not know what is wrong or what to do. Yesterday it rained ALL day and the day before it rained for about half of the day, I don't know if that has anything to do with it.

I am very very worried about her, but I have no idea what to do! I really hope someone has some ideas or suggestions or something!!

-edited post to add - she has bumblefoot. We need to take care of the bumblefoot, could that be what is causing this? Is it safe to do the bumblefoot "surgery" even though she is not as strong right now?

 

[GitaBooks]

The pain from bumblefoot may cause her to stop laying, which can lead to a pale comb. The heat can cause a pale comb.

I hope she gets better soon!

 

[Eggcessive]

How old is she? Worms, mite infestation, or the start of molt can cause a pale comb or the cessation of laying. Many hens will stop laying in the summer heat. I would look her over for any signs of mites (especially after dark) and consider worming the flock with Valbazen 1/2 ml orally, then repeat in 10 days.

 

[Margy1]

I do not know if she has been laying eggs or not. The two girls that are together in the one picture both lay identical green eggs, and I can't tell the difference. She was walking around and scratching in the grass today, but was still VERY pale.She is separated from the other girls and is inside the house right now, she has more color now then she did earlier, her eyes look sunken though. She is completely steady on her feet and was acting pretty normal today. Maybe some electrolytes in her water? I don't want to start throwing stuff at her randomly and shock her system or anything. I don't know what the signs of worms are, she has not been wormed. She is almost a year old, she hatched last August. I looked all three over the other day (probably three or four days ago) for mites or any creepy crawlies hiding under their feathers and I saw nothing. They looked nice and clean.

She is pooping in her cage there is a big one in there, She is also moving around in there, enough so that she knocked her water over and got it everywhere. We have also seen her eating and drinking, and she is standing while eating and drinking, not laying down.

 

[pdirt]

It certainly could be the bumblefoot causing her the distress, in combination with the heat. Personally, I would treat that first before attempting to worm her. Worming is hard on their systems, so best to do when they are stronger or as a last resort if they might die from a worm overload. Not sure where you're from (updating your profile to mention your general locale can help others give you more relevant answers), but unless you live where it is humid and hot most of the year (such as the Southern US), I don't think worms will be your first issue.

I don't recall the full-on bumblefoot surgery treatment, but I don't think it is all that extreme. Perhaps do it at night (when she is sleepy) and be as quick about it as possible without rushing yourself.

I am also a big fan of probiotics. They help keep the immune system strong and are almost always indicated in most illnesses. You can buy chicken-specific fancy ones (such as the Probios brand or Sav-a-chik), but plain unflavored/unsweetened yogurt will work too, or a tiny bit of a human probiotic pill (opened to release the powder).