Young Hen lethargic, skinny with very red comb

[Toogoodacres]

So I have had chickens for 2 years now and had my first lethargic chickens this past week. One was egg bound and unfortunately I couldn’t save her. The second is not egg bound (I have checked repeatedly) but is acting like she is. She is only 26 weeks old, and I am not sure if she has been laying eggs yet but has not over the last 4 days. In addition to being lethargic, she is also very skinny (can feel her neck bones) and her comb is very red. She isn’t coughing, no diarrhea. She is eating and drinking some, but not like normal. Any thoughts?

As a RN I want to save everyone, but I have drawn a line on spending tons of money to save 2 out of 21 chickens. I do have chicken nutra drench and I have her isolated so she can eat and drink in peace.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Do you have photos of her and her poop?

What do you feed, including treats?

She's 26 weeks, so has not been laying long. Have you noticed her having a hard time passing an egg?

If she's acting egg bound, then I'd give her extra Calcium for 3-5 days to see if that helps. You can find Calcium Citrate with D3 in the vitamin aisle of stores like Walmart, CVS, etc. Give 1 tablet daily, just pull down on her wattles, pop the tablet into the beak and let her swallow.

PND is good to give for a couple of days. Direct oral dose is 1cc per 3 pounds of weight.

You mention you've separated her so she can eat/drink in peace. Was she being bullied or kept from food/water?

Give her a going over to be sure her crop is emptying overnight and that she has no lice/mites.