sick girl... healing from lice.. or injury or something else ?

[shaunnahen]

3 weeks ago my 2 girls stopped laying and both started losing a crazy about of feathers. couldn't see any lice on them, but found a single lice in their bed. 1 girl seemed sick, very slow, lethargic, nibbling but not chowing down her food like normal. the other seemed completely fine. both stopped molting within a few days of treatment, no molting since, feathers are growing back now. noticed sick girl lost all the feathers round her vent, whereas healthy girl didn't, but there growing back now too. sick girl has more colour in her comb, seems more alert, active, chowing down her food. but she still alternates between seeming like that one minute, and then the next minute she looks sick again, keeps still, head tucked in, might close eyes, looks a little like she is straining her backside. I check for a stuck egg the other day. I've noticed a little bit of what appears like lining in her poop, 3 times, in 3 weeks, but the rest of the time poop looks healthy. I wonder if she might have an injury that hurts when her poop moves through ? or if she is just recovering from something she got from the lice still. the other chicken is totally fine. I've been giving them the rickets diet as a snack every other day.

 

[nuthatched]

So a summer molt happened and one is still recovering? Maybe try some poultry vitamins, but can you get photos of the poop? (what lovely questions we ask on ye olde chicken forum!)

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Poop pictures would be helpful but I would treat for coccidiosis in the meantime. It won't hurt if thats not the problem but if it is the sooner you start the better

 

[shaunnahen]

So a summer molt happened and one is still recovering? Maybe try some poultry vitamins, but can you get photos of the poop? (what lovely questions we ask on ye olde chicken forum!)

thanks for your reply! no it's winter here (melbourne, aus) and it was from feather plucking from the lice, I'm fairly certain

 

[shaunnahen]

here's the delicious specimen about 2 weeks ago. this was the first one. it stunk FOUL. the other two have had less pink. they've all been spaced out over 3 weeks. the poop I saw this morning was definitely a bit more pink as opposed to the brown here. it was stuck all in one chunk though like this here rather than mixed throughout the poop. with I snapped it.

 

[shaunnahen]

Poop pictures would be helpful but I would treat for coccidiosis in the meantime. It won't hurt if thats not the problem but if it is the sooner you start the better

thanks ! I posted a picture if poop below!