[Freyas Grandad]

Good evening poultry folk,

I'm a novice chicken keeper, having adopted 6 girls as POL at the beginning of July 2013.

I've got 2 Hybrid Brownies (Chocolate and Fudge), 2 Ambers (Buddy and Nugget) and 2 Speckledies ( Hinge and Bracket).

They live in a nice new house with aplenty of space, 3 nest boxes, wood shavings on the floor, cleared, steam cleaned and DE'd every week.  I've built a secure run with a perspex roof for night time and when we're not around.  The run measures 8M X 3M.  During the day they have the run of an old veggie patch and occasional access to the whole garden.  They are fed on A&P layers pellets, get a large handful of corn as a treat every afternoon. 

They seem very happy and productive and have provided us within lots of entertainment.

I am now concerned about Bracket.  She started shedding some feathers about 2 weeks ago, started looking miserable and hunched and has gone right off her food.  Her poo is predominantly clear liquid with small dark grey/black solids.  She is drinking as normal.  She is growing new feathers all over (back, under wings, neck and chest).  I have been trying to tempt her with high protein treats to help her with her moult but progressively she has given up eating except grass from the lawn.  Her comb has lost colour and has shrunk.  I can find no signs of mites or lice on Bracket, on any other bird or in the coop.  Her lack of appetite is now a major concern as she has lost weight and looks weak.

During the rain yesterday she stood next to the fence in the run and was getting wet and looking bedraggled, so much so that I decided to bring her indoors to dry her out and keep her warm.  She has spent the last 24 houses in a warm, dry box with a supply of water which she continues to drink from. 

I have tried to identify another cause for her lack of appetite but cannot find anything that fits her symptoms.  Is Bracket just suffering from an extreme case of moulting?  Can any of you more experienced keepers point me in another direction or offer advice please.

The other girls are fine and decidedly boisterous with good appetites and showing no signs of moulting.

Thanks in anticipation.

[New shoot]

Hi and welcome to the forum 

I'm not sure what is wrong, but I do think you need to get Bracket to a vet as quickly as possible. You don't give a location on your profile, but there is a very useful list of poultry friendly vets here :

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=26140.0

Even if your local vet is not on the list, take her anyway.  Two weeks without proper eating is very dangerous to a chicken and will account for her poo being so clear.  She isn't eating enough for it to be otherwise and now her body will be effectively eating itself.  Without treatment she could well starve and that's not a nice way to go 

[Freyas Grandad]

Thanks for the reply New Shoot.

We've started feeding her by syringe to try and get some protein into her.  She is definitely more spirited today than she has been.

She's getting mashed up pellets, scrambled egg and ground mealworms.

Thanks for the list of vets.  There is one quite close so I'll give them a ring in the morning and get her in.

[joyfull]

good luck with her, also whilst at the vet it might be worth asking them if they have any flubenvet to worm all of your girls.
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