it doesn't hurt to start them on a probiotic while you are treating, as far as I know. I don't *think* the probiotic you use would hurt them, but I don't know for sure. You can order products like benebac (there is an avian version, I think) but I think live yogurt works fine. I used to give my girls live/raw yogurt with slices of strawberries (for the vitamin C), and they adored it. I never gave them much, because chickens aren't mammals, and not designed to digest milk, but I haven't heard anyone say that they had a problem giving their girls yogurt or dairy products.
I don't know that I would give ACV unless you are planning on giving them the "mother", but that is mainly going to be yeast cultures and the byproducts of the cultures, and not digestive bacteria, and I don't know that giving an acid like vinegar is very helpful when you are trying to culture "good" bacteria in the gut....Did you know that Victorian women used to drink vinegar to appear more pale?
At her age, its also possible she simply has a nutrient deficiency, and needs a broad spectrum supplement or some electrolytes. Most of my girls put on the breaks as far as egg production goes, right at the two year mark, so I wouldn't worry about lack of egg production at this moment (though egg production can cease if body condition is too poor to support it). It doesn't really seem like she has the symptoms of any particular disease...just general unthriftiness...someone mentioned mites because your girls stopped roosting in the coop? Soft bodied ticks live in the coop rather than on the bird...signs you have them are little black/brown (dried blood) droplets in crevices and crannies in the coop...you might check that too...if the girls stopped roosting in there, that could be a reason. Soft ticks come out of the nooks and crannies at night, and feed on the coop occupants. They can cause anemia, depression, weight loss, and general unthriftiness as well...have you been able to get your hands on any of the other flock members? How is their feather condition? Are they thin? These could also be signs of soft ticks in your coop...
I don't know that I would give ACV unless you are planning on giving them the "mother", but that is mainly going to be yeast cultures and the byproducts of the cultures, and not digestive bacteria, and I don't know that giving an acid like vinegar is very helpful when you are trying to culture "good" bacteria in the gut....Did you know that Victorian women used to drink vinegar to appear more pale?
At her age, its also possible she simply has a nutrient deficiency, and needs a broad spectrum supplement or some electrolytes. Most of my girls put on the breaks as far as egg production goes, right at the two year mark, so I wouldn't worry about lack of egg production at this moment (though egg production can cease if body condition is too poor to support it). It doesn't really seem like she has the symptoms of any particular disease...just general unthriftiness...someone mentioned mites because your girls stopped roosting in the coop? Soft bodied ticks live in the coop rather than on the bird...signs you have them are little black/brown (dried blood) droplets in crevices and crannies in the coop...you might check that too...if the girls stopped roosting in there, that could be a reason. Soft ticks come out of the nooks and crannies at night, and feed on the coop occupants. They can cause anemia, depression, weight loss, and general unthriftiness as well...have you been able to get your hands on any of the other flock members? How is their feather condition? Are they thin? These could also be signs of soft ticks in your coop...
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). Wazine is not an antibiotic. it is an antihelmintic (worm poison). I don't worm mine often. Usually only once a year, if even that often. Like you, I do not like chemicals. There is a withdraw period in which you are not supposed to eat the eggs, so generally, if I am going to worm them, I do it in the winter time when egg laying slows down/stops. I wouldn't worry about worming your chickens at that age. I ususally don't consider worming until their first winter of egg producing age. I know many members of this forum who never worm, and there are others that are religious about it. I tend toward the former rather than the latter. If my birds seem more listless than ususal, I will worm them when winter comes. In your case, I would worm your isolation chicken, see how she responds, and if she improves, go ahead and worm the whole flock.
