Why does my chicken look awful?

Do they stand around without a lot of movement kinda hunched over and puffed up? Runny poops? Maybe bloody poops? My first guess would be coccidiousis (sp?). Feed stores sell amprolium, look for Corid 9.6% liquid is easiest, 1 tsp per gallon of water, or 2 tsp per gallon of water for more severe cases, fresh each day for 5-7 days. Hope this helps, good luck.

 

Likely not cocci at their age although it CAN happen. 3rd pic down- lymph node/ear area is badly swollen. Usually respiratory/ventilation issues cause it but not the only ways it happens. Make sure litter in sleeping quarters is clean and add some ACV with mother to their water. It's good for all the birds anyhow. Issue should clear on its own if good clean area and plenty of ventilation. One of my SS boys had the same thing develop when I first put fine sawdust in their house without realizing the dust that blew up whenever they came down from the roost or dust bathed in it. Might want to make sure those 2 aren't being crowded together (if lower ranking) at night thus preventing good air flow being breathed in. Just a thought;-) The feathers and overall look good other than looking like they don't feel good.

 

They look like they have some feather loss around the necks which may make the ears more prominent. That could be from molting or from feather-picking. I would check them over closely for lice and mites, since that could be a reason for feather loss. Worming them with Valbazen 1/2 ml orally, and repeating in 10 days would be a good thing to get them in top shape, since worms can cause dull feathers, a decrease in laying, and failure to keep on weight. A poultry vitamin and a Probiotics 2-3 days a week in their water would help with intestinal immunity.

 

Are the other two at the bottom of the pecking order? As Eggcessive says, it looks a lot like feather loss, which is most likely from mites or feather picking (other chickens picking at their head / necks). If it was mites I would expect more of your girls to be affected, but feather picking will only happen to those at the bottom of the order - especially at roosting time, when they are fighting for perches.

If you can, go into the coop at roosting time and stand quietly in a corner (or find a way to peek in there if it's too small for you to get into - I can't tell what type of coop you have from your photos!)

It is quite instructive to see how your girls react at bedtime - I have one girl who is quiet, calm, doesn't hassle the others at all during the day. She sits on the terrace steps next to two or three others during the day, no problem at all. Come bedtime she patrols the entire length of the main roosting perch, defying anyone to come and roost next to her! She fights them all off - pecking heads and necks, and then burrowing into their body fluff to try and persaude them off the roost!