Second sick hen in a month

[bhw]

I had a flock of 11 hens and 1 rooster. I’m a first time chicken owner. About 4 weeks ago, I noticed one of the hens laying eggs with pale yolks. I started the entire flock on Corrid treatment in their drinking water for 5 days. I also treated their food with some natural chicken wormer in the form of herbs. All 12 combs and wattles were bright red and healthy looking. The yolks got better for about a week or so. I noticed about two weeks ago her comb flopped over and had a slight purplish tint to it. The eggs turned pale once again. She went downhill within two days after that. She was extremely thin. No respiratory issues. We lost her.

6 days ago, I cracked open another egg to find a pale yolk. I treated the flock with Corrid again. Repeated the herbal wormer in their food. Yolk color returned to normal. Now a completely different chicken is acting sick. Puffed up. Feathers look a mess. Isolating herself. All combs and wattles are bright red and healthy. None of the combs have fallen over like the first hens.

I have religiously changed pine shavings in their coop and the run (I put shavings in the run to keep them out of the mud) monthly, we wash the food and water buckets with each refill. I shovel and rake out the run when the shavings get dirty-lately it has been biweekly.

I’m very upset and at a complete loss at what I am doing wrong. I’m afraid I’m going to lose the entire flock.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Welcome To BYC
I'm sorry you're having trouble.

Can you please post some photos of the hens, the eggs, poop, housing, etc.?
What do you feed including treats?
What is the herbal de-wormer?
How old are they?
Where are you located in the world?
How large of a coop/run do you have?

The color of an egg yolk is dependent on diet. Are you changing feeds or are they eating something that would change the color of the yolk?

Look for lice/mites as well. Watch to see if the current hen is being picked at by the rooster or other hens.

Hopefully with more info and photos, we can make better suggestions.

 

[bhw]

They are less than a year old. Barred Rocks. I’ll take a picture of them/coop/run in the daylight tomorrow. The run is 15 by 10 feet. The coop is 4 by 8 feet.

The girls free range a few days a week. They get organic layer crumbles, oyster shells, and grit offered daily.

Scratch Grains from tractor supply were added daily because after the first hen passed, my husband thought we should add some other food thinking maybe malnutrition. I check to make sure they have food daily as well as water.

I bought cracked corn for this cold spell we’ve had in Alabama.

I am using the poultry stores dewormer on amazon. Black pepper, nettles urtica, cayenne, garlic, and oregano.

The eggs with the pale yolks are tiny eggs. Most of our eggs are regular to large size The pale yolk egg is tiny, but the two hens (1 deceased) that laid the pale eggs are my tiniest hens so I expected smaller eggs from them.

frothy, bubbly light brown poop plus pale yolk made me think to treat with corid. All poop in the coop is normal looking.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Is it a complete hard shelled egg? Fairy egg? Were there any meat spots, blood, debris in the tiny eggs?
The first hen you lost was laying Fairy eggs and now the current one that is not well is laying them too?
You may want to check them really well for lice/mites, de-worm them with an effective anthelmintic/de-wormer like Fenbendazole (Safeguard) or Albendazole (Valbazen) and observe to see if the hens are being stressed especially when roosting. 4X8 coop may be a little tight quarters for that many birds.

Cayenne in that product will cause the egg yolks to have more color.

 

[bhw]

Shells are perfect condition. Not soft. The eggs are larger than fairy size but not by much, and each egg did contain yolks. the small eggs From the small hens are the only two that have pale yolks. Once corid and herbal wormer were started, the yolk turned normal for the one hen again.

the hen not feeling well now lays large, normal eggs. Never had any issues. Great color. She’s been one of my best layers. I will definitely go recheck for mites and lice and the medical dewormer for the entire flock.

I will take a picture of the coop tomorrow.

thank you!

 

[Myrshine]

You mentioning how her comb got dark, could be indicating that she could have a circulatory issue, such as congestive heart failure or heart disease. Respiratory issues can also cause darkening of the comb as well.

 

[bhw]

The coop and run

 

[bhw]

Sick hen

 

[bhw]

Flock

 

[bhw]

These were very quick pictures. I can take better pictures of my sick girl when we get home from church this morning.