Weird fungus looking stuff

[rockhouse chick]

I just went out to feed my girls some veggie scraps and one of them came over to get some goodies but couldn’t walk very good. I picked her up and she was just limp. I turned her over and there is this weird fungus looking stuff. I tried washing it but then she started throwing up. Does anyone know what it is or is it just her time? She’s 4.5 years old. The other chickens seem fine. But does anyone know what this is? Anything I can do? Thank you in advance.

 

[AmazingRachel]

That's not fungus, they're lice egg sacs. What does her comb look like (a pic of it would be very helpful)? If it's pale, she is most likely anemic.
ex.

 

[rockhouse chick]

Oh no! Is there something I can do for her? She doesn’t have a comb, but her head feathers are much puffier than normal. She’s an Americana, and never had a comb.

 

[ChickNanny13]

2x You need to treat her NOW & as AmazingRachel states she needs "attention". Nutri Drench for vitamins & electrolytes, see if she'll eat some scrambled eggs, tuna, wet high protein cereal/food. Maybe Rooster Booster. You need to check the rest of your flock & possible treat them & the coop/run....Think Permethrin Spray will work, call the feed store and ask, some use Frontline but I'm not sure.

 

[rockhouse chick]

Ok thank you! I will do that! Thank you so much!!

 

[AmazingRachel]

2x You need to treat her NOW & as AmazingRachel states she needs "attention". Nutri Drench for vitamins & electrolytes, see if she'll eat some scrambled eggs, tuna, wet high protein cereal/food. Maybe Rooster Booster. You need to check the rest of your flock & possible treat them & the coop/run....Think Permethrin Spray will work, call the feed store and ask, some use Frontline but I'm not sure.

Yes, do this.
Age might be a factor in why this particular hen has quite the infestation. It is likely that most of your flock has some lice on them as well.

 

[rebrascora]

In my experience a severe louse infestation are usually an indication of an underlying health issue and the lice are a sign that she is not looking after herself. It is important to treat the lice and offer her a good supplement but when you say that she threw up, that would indicate that there is a problem somewhere in her digestive tract.
Check her over thoroughly, particularly her crop (check at roost time and again in the morning before she has had the chance to eat anything), check her body condition.... does her breast bone feel sharp under the skin or is it reasonably well covered? Check her abdomen (between her legs) and vent area for any unusual swelling? Compare against your other chickens. Is her vent soiled? What does her poop look like? You may want to isolate her and perhaps bring her into the house once you get those lice killed as she will probably benefit from a heat source and you can then monitor her food intake and poop.

 

[rockhouse chick]

Thank so much for that. I did check her over and she’s very thin and weak. I took her out and set her on the deck and she didn’t even try to move. I will get everything tomorrow and clean out and check my other girls over really well. I spoke to the feed store and they said lice are a huge problem right now especially with our crazy weather we’ve been having. We have just never had any issues in the 8 years we’ve had chickens so I freaked out. I will do my best to nurse her back, but either way we got to spend some time together tonight, it seemed like she was just waiting for me.

 

[rebrascora]

Oh dear, poor girl! If she is very thin, she will benefit enormously from some form of heat, ideally a heat pad. My guess would be that she has an impacted crop.... there have been a number of posts about them recently... due to birds eating hay/straw or grass. Another possibility at her age would be a tumour lower down her digestive tract as that causes them to suffer muscle wastage. It will not hurt to give her crop a massage tonight and let us know how it feels. If it is a crop issue, she will probably enjoy it being massaged.... imagine it is a stress ball and gently knead it with one hand. Be aware that if it is very full of fluids, she may well reflux some up, so have an old towel over your knees whilst you sit with her in your lap. She will no doubt enjoy the body heat from you as well as the massage. If it is a crop issue, massage 4x a day for 10-15 minutes is beneficial if you can manage it.