Please help! Hens face turned white, flaking skin, another dead

[Eggcessive]

Favus

 

[Eggcessive]

Another pic of favus. I would probably treat the skin with an antifungal cream, unless I found evidence of lice or mites.

 

[beccamae421]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful responses. When treating the skin with the, antifungal is it just the skin on the face? Is that once a day?

 

[Eggcessive]

I would do it once a day, and apply it to her face and comb, and try to avoid the eyes.

 

[Saaniya]

Seems like dead skin cells falling off , wash or clean her face with warm water . it happens in winter with my chickens due to dryness

 

[beccamae421]

I brought her to the vet. There happened to be a veterinary dermatologist on staff who did a skin scrape and said she didn't see signs of bugs or fungus. Basically, the vet told me that she is "generally unwell". Not much help there. I did get two doses of Ivermectin just in case. I gave her one and am supposed to give her the other in 10 days. Her crop is a bit clay-like so I'm introducing some water to help clear it. She didn't come out of the coop this morning and her comb is more pale and shriveled than before. She definitely seems to be going downhill, poor old girl. I suppose I should have had her put down at the vets, but she still seems pretty happy out there picking for bugs. Where I don't have a definitive diagnosis, I'm still concerned for the babies and the one remaining adult (they all appear healthy). Sort of at a loss at this point.... I know a necropsy is in order once the time comes, but I'm worried it may be too late for the rest at that point. Remembering, I did have one die just last week of similar symptoms.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It was fortunate to find a vet dermatologist.
How old are the birds? Is this one and the one that died still laying?
Here's a list of state poultry labs. Where are you located and what is the climate like
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

 

[ToniTalley]

Perhaps she is just coming to the end of her natural life?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Her crop is a bit clay-like so I'm introducing some water to help clear it. She didn't come out of the coop this morning and her comb is more pale and shriveled than before. She definitely seems to be going downhill, poor old girl.

How old is your girl?

I'm sorry you didn't get a lot of answers from the vet.
The Ivermectin will take care of any external parasites, plus a few worms if she has any.

Does she still lay eggs? Feel between her legs for signs of swelling, bloat or fluid. A boggy crop can be a symptom of an underlying condition like reproductive disorders, coccidiosis overload, infection and worms. Internal laying, Egg Yolk Peritonitis, cancer, tumors, etc. are unfortunately common in laying hens and they start to decline-sometimes they do not preen or dust bath like they should which then lends to dry skin, unkempt feathers and general unwell look.

See if you can get the crop to clear. I usually start with Poultry Nutri-Drench at 1cc per 3lbs of weight direct dose and give coconut oil (organic unprocessed is greedily eaten). Massage the crop to help loosen up the contents and see that she is drinking. Some people separate the hen for treatment - that is your choice, but I find mine do much better when they can stay with the flock. Massage the crop several times a day if you can and get more water into her. If the crop is still boggy after a couple of days of water, coconut oil and poultry vitamins and soft food (hard boiled egg, wet feed), then I move to the next step of giving 1 stool softener capsule (stimulant free). Still plenty of water, the nutri-drench and massage.

Getting a necropsy is always a good idea if you lose her.

Each of us have our on method of treating the crop - both articles below have very good information, you may want to read those.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/impacted-slow-and-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments

 

[beccamae421]

I do agree, she is probably coming to the end of her natural life. She's older 7/8 years old. She hasn't been laying for quite a while. She is definitely not caring for herself (preening, dustbathing, etc), in fact, I had to trim her nails because she's not even scratching enough to keep them short. Her bum is dirty and will get a bath today. I did have her separated from the flock prior to seeing the vet. This caused her more stress and, since the vet hasn't given me any concrete reason to have her separated, she's been with the rest since. I'll grab some Nutri-Drench today and have organic unfiltered coconut oil on hand which I will start now. She was not interested in soft food/eggs a couple of days ago, but I will keep trying. I really just want to keep her comfortable at this point. My hope is that, whatever this is, won't affect the remaining flock or, at the very least, it's treatable in otherwise healthy chickens.