Esmee is not well.
She is an 18 month old Jersey Giant. She sleeps inside, but free-ranges by day. She is fed layer crumble and cracked corn. She has access to many water sources, a@6f shade available. Our weather has been hot and dry all summer. I have a good number of other chickens, of many breeds, including her two "sisters," who came home with her as fuzzy little chicks. Although two, at least, battle chronic sinus issues, even they show none of the symptoms Esmee displays.
I noticed her looking poorly about two months ago. She was tired looking, and her comb looked Ashy and it dropped a bit. When I picked her up, she was lighter than she had been. I figured she had worms, and gave her, and everyone else, fenbendizole. Since then, she has been in more or less slow, but steady, decline. She is now much thinner, and her comb is utterly limp. She looks cold, even in our 108 degree weather. She eats, but not much. She seems to have almost no interest in food. Most alarming, based on prior experience, is that she is staying away from other chickens, and seeking me out a lot. In the past, this behavior in my girls has heralded the presence of some truly deadly condition in that bird.
My Esmee is still very much alive in there. Her head and tail do not droop. SheI looks like a wounded, but victorious, warrior. I am so frustrated that I have no idea what to do for her! Ideas?
