rehomed hen is lathargic and depressed...

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Has she been looked over very, very well for lice or mites? Crusty bum and being so down in the dumps - I would look her over really good. If she does have either - your flock and building will need to be treated. http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/8162.pdf



Sevin dust (5%) which can be found at home improvement stores - in the garden section - works great. You can also bathe her in Dawn dish soap, to help her feel better and kill the crawlies. Any bug treatment will need to be re-done in 7-10 days to kill anything that has hatched (I also repeat in another 7-10 days just to be sure)



Worming her would also be great - pumpkin will not do much to help her, more of a preventative - Eprinex works great or Wazine first, then the Eprinex.



Boil up a couple eggs, chop with the shell and offer to her - perfect food to help give her a boost. Molting is very, very tough on the body -- lots of protein is need for both feather development and growth, not to mention an egg is all protein - so boosting protein during molt is a very good idea.

If she had a wonky egg, or two, make sure she has enough oyster shells for calcuim and proper egg shell formation.

 

[Hillsvale]

all my coops and huts are sprinkled with DE and DE is mixed in the feed I buy from the co-op, none of my birds are itching but I will check out the link and see what its saying...

she is one ratty looking girl so I will give her a look over and a bath as suggested... since mine haven't started to lay (though are ready any day) and this girl is on strike I will get the meds suggested and sock it to em... pumpkin can be their treat.

 

[Rocky Top Chick]

If it is not a disease or worms I would say she is scared to death. I would make a temporary fenced in area inside the run and let her stay by herself with food and water. However, make sure she can see the other girls and the same with her. I would also partition off part of the coop at night the same way so she can make this transformation very slowly. Take her in the house for a nice bath and dry with hair dryer, and check her over really well. I do that for any chicken who seems a little in the dumps and they cheer right up.

Good Luck

 

[Hillsvale]

Quote:
I will bathe her and fluff her up... stuff her full of eggs and yogurt and see if we can't give her some alone time... she has been picked on for so long I think she's had it.

 

[Hillsvale]

well... poor Miss Ruby has moved onto a better life, she was dead when we got home Friday night.

As mentioned before my friend treats her birds like little opinionated babies... there is little chance of illness. As a matter of fact here was her response...

Not sure if you kept the body or not Shelley ( guessing not). No mites or worms, would never have brought her to you with those. The entire flock is constantly wormed with DE, and I use Dri-Kill intermittently with the DE plus a no-pest strip. We started on new ground like you and have had no sign of mites, lice or ticks.

I had been hoping it was dietary, and being low on the pecking order (she always was), and my next best guess would have been shutdown of her egg making or backup in the chute, but there was no ascites which is the usual indicator. Thank you for trying, she would have been dead before if I had not been just outside the coop. She may have been pecked hard enough to create internal damage here. I was hoping I might be able to give you a layer by putting her in with younger stock.
she is such a mother hen

Itts great to have someone so close that can be medical momma when I have no flippin clue!