Shriveled Comb + Lost Weight

[irelandjohnson]

One of my hens, Red Star, 3 years, has a shriveled comb and seems to have lost a lot of weight, especially along the breast bone. At first I thought she was just molting as she has lost a few feathers. She’s also drinking a lot of water, and then poops out all the water to the point that her poop is just water. Any suggestions?

Update:

She’s also very weak, she can’t seem to do a full shake of her feathers. Her poop is also rather strange as well. It’s relatively small with a white/yellow film. Her wings droop and keeps her eyes closed all the time.

Im not sure what to do about this.

 

[Cyprus]

I would suggest giving her some electrolytes.
If you have it on hand, I would give her a 3 or 4 drops of Poultry NutriDrench to get some nutrients into her.

Hopefully some others will chime in.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I'd start by having a fecal sample read at a vet or your state poultry lab.
Has it been very hot there?

 

[Eggcessive]

She sounds very ill. Does she lay eggs? The fecal test would be good to see if she is suffering from a coccidiosis or worm overload.
How does her lower belly between her legs feel—is there any enlargement? Can you feel her crop to check to see if it is emptying normally overnight? I would give her some Poultry NutriDrench and some water, then offer some wet chicken feed and a little chopped egg.

In older hens, several reproductive disorders, such as internal laying, egg yolk peritonitis, ascites, and cancer can be common.