Repeatedly sick chicken

[MrsNoName]

We have a 5-year-old Black Australorp mix, Henty. She is top chicken in a flock of 5. Henty has been becoming sick off and on over the last year or so. She started getting a dirty back end, mainly white droppings sticking to her feathers. Apart from that there was nothing obviously wrong. Then her comb grew really big and bright red and she was at peak performance, leading her flock. After a few weeks though, the comb shrank and flopped over and she started to appear sick, holding back, sitting or standing in a safe place, sometimes retracting her neck into her body, and sometimes dropping one or both wings. She seemed to know she should be interested in food but didn't want it after she had chased it down. The dirty back end started to get worse, with yellow droppings taking over, then becoming the norm. We have cleaned her up and she has gone back to the flock and generally picked up again. The comb recovered and filled out, appetite was back, she was leading the flock. We have been through this cycle 3 times now. Henty also seemed to start to have some problems walking. We wondered if she had hurt a leg/hip, maybe jumping from the roost. She has been seeming to walk "around" some pain or problem. This too got better for a while, now it's back.
Today, I got some pics.
1. A poop after her bath - yellow and clear runny
2. Her back end after her bath
3. Floppy comb
4. Drooped wing
5. Eating mealworms
I got a short video of her walking, but I can't upload it here as it is not an accepted file format.

We put Henty on the grass for a while to dry out after her bath and before going back to the chicken run. She potters about, nipping at the grass, scratching up the moss. Not overly enthusiastic but brighter than before her bath. She ate a few bits of lettuce too and some mealworms after she went back into the run.

The other girls are all being respectful of Henty's status still. Her #2 seems to ensure she is safe from the youngsters. None of the others are sick.

We've tried worming. We're concerned Henty is having trouble producing eggs and that this yellow excretion is evidence of that. We just don't know enough to help her, and we don't have a local vet who knows anything about chickens.
What can we try to help our girl?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You don't mention whether she is laying eggs or not.

I would lean towards her having a reproductive problem. Those chunks in poop, if you can cut those open, see if they are like lash material.
Hens with reproductive problems often have ups and downs, going back and forth sometimes for a long time.
You can try an antibiotic to see if that makes a difference, but meds are part of supportive care and not cure.

Her abdomen is distended, can you tell if there's fluid or is it soft and pliable? IF there's fluid and she has difficulty walking or is having respiratory distress, then draining the fluid can make a hen more comfortable - again, this is supportive care and not a cure.

If you wish to share your video so we can see her walking - upload to YouTube and provide a link. The BYC upload doesn't work at all.

Henty is a lovely hen.

 

[MrsNoName]

Thank you. I ordered it.

 

[MrsNoName]

Quick update - we got the Baytril and gave what we think is the right first dose today. What is wrong with these companies that give you instructions in mg and kg, then supply the product in ml?? What a pain!
I am also attaching a photo of Henty's back end after a few more days of the yellow discharge. She poops it out in small quantities and a lot sticks to her feathers, then to previous discharge - poor thing. She was at least trying to clean herself up a bit yesterday in the sand box.
She continues to hang in there and was even quite energetic yesterday. Her comb was brighter then but darkened a bit more today. Ups and downs..

 

[MrsNoName]

Thank you so much for the confirmation on the dosage. We will keep it going for the 5 days and see what happens. We will introduce probiotics soon too. She is fond of a bit of yoghurt now and again anyway.

 

[MrsNoName]

Thanks gtaus. We know she is not laying, and we are pretty good at identifying eggs from the others, especially as we collect them often. If in doubt, we will throw the eggs away though.
Henty enjoys the company of the rest of the flock, so we won't remove her unless we have to. The other chickens have actually surprised me by being very considerate of Henty while she has been poorly. She's still top chicken until she gives up that position, it seems

 

[MrsNoName]

Baytril (Enrofloxacin) 10% liquid dose is 0.05ml per pound of weight, given orally twice a day for 5 days in a row.

Poor girl. Hopefully the medication will help clear some of that up.
Is her crop emptying overnight?
Once you finish the Baytril, I'd definitely introduce probiotics.

And yes, her crop is emptying overnight. She is not eating all that much but she does make a valiant effort.

 

[MrsNoName]

I'm sad to say Henty didn't make it. She died last night in one of the nest boxes. She will be much missed. Thanks again for all your help.

 

[MrsNoName]

Thank you. It was good to have your help and empathy.

 

[MrsNoName]

Thanks for the very quick response, Wyorp Rock. I'm pretty sure Henty is not laying. We have 5 hens and get 3 or 4 eggs a day.
I've never heard of lash material before. I looked it up and it sounds awful.
You mention antibiotics. I don't know how to get them for a chicken and what sort of dosage would apply. Can you help me with that knowledge? It's certainly something we have not tried so far.
I will try for a better video of Henty walking and follow your direction about posting on YouTube.
THanks again for your help.