The chickens have become sluggish...

[Cybergirl]

That's what my grandmother, who does them, says, but to be honest, I don't see much difference. In any case, it's up to me to do it. So what to do with the sluggish chickens...?

 

[dawg53]

Welcome to BYC.
Inspect your birds for lice and/or mites especially around the vent area where it's warm and moist.
Lice are white/off white or straw in color. Look for clusters of lice eggs on feather shafts.
Mites are black or red in color and they suck blood, cause anemia, then death.

Treatment is Permethrin dust; or Permethrin 10% liquid concentrate, mixing instructions are in a pamphlet attached to the container.
If they have external parasites; the inside of the coop, nest boxes, roosts will have to be thoroughly cleaned out and either dusted or sprayed.

Also consider worming your birds with Valbazen liquid cattle/sheep wormer. Use a syringe without a needle and dose each chicken orally 1/2ml with the liquid. Repeat again in 10 days.
Or consider gathering fresh fecal samples and put them in a ziplock bag. Take it to a vet and have them look at the samples under a microscope and they will let you know what worms your birds might have. You can still use the Valbazen.

 

[Eggcessive]

Is it hot there? Do they have multiple spots for shaded water and feed? Could they be starting to molt. You might notice it by a lot of shed feathers inside the coop and run. Molting hens are very mopey, even standoffish, and eat less.