Sick chicken- brand new to this!

[BBrandon]

Hi all-
I have a Black Australorp who has been acting very odd- likely sickly. Looking back she has lost weight the last week, and she’s been in the nesting bucket overnights. Poop has been green and watery- even seems like some undigested feed in it. (It’s a non-gmo layer blend- not a crumble or pellet). I’ve been trying to ferment it when able.
She’s unsteady to walk/looks as if she could lose her balance, and her comb is pale compared to her usual self. I don’t see any signs of being egg bound- no bulging egg, but I did do an Spain salt bath in case it might help perk her up. She’s so skin and bone right now her vent is not plump at all- actually very small. All other chickens are acting normal. I tried to get some coconut oil and water via syringe in her late morning because her crop seemed very full- but not rock hard- and it’s become softer with that administration.
She’s standing, “sleeping” and is so docile- which is not like her at all.
There are some small bugs I found around her vent and under wings on her body, but they aren’t black.
I can’t tell if she’s broody and dehydrated from extreme heat this week or if she’s got something else going on.
Any thoughts I’d appreciate!

 

[coach723]

How old is she? Do you know when she last laid? She looks very sick, and if her weight is very low it may be beyond helping her. I would crate her so you can monitor her and also to keep her safe from others, sometimes healthy birds will attack a sick one. Here is a link for lice/mites, with pictures, so that you can compare. If she has either than that needs to be dealt with. They can make a bird very weak, they also tend to find sick birds.
https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/
I would continue to give her fluids, and massage the crop each time, try to break up anything in there to see if it will pass, don't massage upward and force the contents back up, that can cause her to aspirate it. If the crop empties (passes through) then offer her some cooked or scrambled egg, canned tuna, see if you can get her to eat. If you can get some crumbles or pellets, mix them with water to make a soft mash, see if she will eat that. If you have some poultry nutridrench give her some of that for 2 or 3 days, it can give them a boost and help with appetite. Getting her hydrated, seeing if you can get the crop contents to move, and dealing with lice or mites are the first priorities. Sometimes birds with reproductive problems (cancers, infections, internal laying) will have a slowing or stopping of digestion which causes the crop to back up, and weight loss.

 

[BBrandon]

How old is she? Do you know when she last laid? She looks very sick, and if her weight is very low it may be beyond helping her. I would crate her so you can monitor her and also to keep her safe from others, sometimes healthy birds will attack a sick one. Here is a link for lice/mites, with pictures, so that you can compare. If she has either than that needs to be dealt with. They can make a bird very weak, they also tend to find sick birds.
https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/
I would continue to give her fluids, and massage the crop each time, try to break up anything in there to see if it will pass, don't massage upward and force the contents back up, that can cause her to aspirate it. If the crop empties (passes through) then offer her some cooked or scrambled egg, canned tuna, see if you can get her to eat. If you can get some crumbles or pellets, mix them with water to make a soft mash, see if she will eat that. If you have some poultry nutridrench give her some of that for 2 or 3 days, it can give them a boost and help with appetite. Getting her hydrated, seeing if you can get the crop contents to move, and dealing with lice or mites are the first priorities. Sometimes birds with reproductive problems (cancers, infections, internal laying) will have a slowing or stopping of digestion which causes the crop to back up, and weight loss.

Thank you for the info!

She is about a year and a half or just about to be that, so not that old. She’s always been the smallest of the group, but she’s just a lot smaller now than when we got her in May.
Unfortunately I do not know for sure when she last laid.
We thought she might be broody, because she was nesting in the 5 gallon pails we use for boxes overnight, but now I’m not sure if it’s being broody or she was just too exhausted to perch on the roosting bar.
I’m definitely thinking she has lice- not seeing any mites.
All the others seem healthy and themselves.

 

[coach723]

If she's not laying that could be because she's sick or weak, or it could be a symptom of the reason she's sick or weak, hard to say which. Try to do what I suggested before, see if you can get any improvement.