Worried about sickly hen

[kriswrite]

In August, we lost one of our hens. She was the smallest of our birds, and was often pecked by the remaining 4 in our flock. Suddenly, she became lethargic and pale; she died within a few days.

We figured there was something wrong with this hen from the beginning, and we weren't worried about the rest of our flock. But beginning yesterday, one of our hens has grown pale. Her comb has shrunk - although that could be due to molting. She appears to be the only bird in our flock loosing some feathers. She is becoming more lethargic.

Could this just be normal molting? We tried Googling our first sick hen's symptoms, but nothing seemed to fit. If this isn't molting, ideas on what it could be?

Thank you so much.

Kristina

 

[dawg53]

You didnt say how old your birds are, including the one that died. It sounds like molt, but lice/mites can cause them to lose feathers, become anemic and die. Internal parasites could be an issue as well. Pick your birds up and visually inspect them for external parasites. Go out to your coop at night with a flashlight and inspect the roosts for crawling mites.

 

[kriswrite]

Thank you, I will do that.

I bought the hens as chicks in the spring of 2011.

 

[kriswrite]

They all seem free of parasites. And now the hen I thought was sickly seems fine, too. The other hens had begun pecking her, but she stood up for herself and now tends to separate herself a little from the rest of the flock.