I know that there a several chicken keepers out there and would appreciate some advice.  One of my chickens (a Light Sussex, just under a year old) is a bit quiet and her comb is not as red as usual - not a good sign, I think.  She just rushed over with the others and had some corn, but she's just not as active as the others.  They have layers pellets, clean water, a lovely hen house, and grit and shell chippings. 
Any suggestions?

Sorry - I haven't a clue about chicken illnesses just didn't want you to think your post had been ignored.  Hopefully a chook expert will be along with some advice :)

Thank you, Harley.  You just gave me a good laugh :0)

The cockerel seemed to be bullying my quiet chook just before they went to bed tonight, he was pulling at her feathers.  Poor thing!  Don't know whether it would be more stressful for her to be separated fromt the others or not?  The books tend to say that by the time you notice that there is something wrong, it's probably too late anyway :0(

fraid so ridgie,,,,chooks usually either live or die regardless of what you do! Presume they are all wormed?

I don't keep hens now, but when I did, if one seemed a bit 'off colour' I would isolate her, but within sight and sound of the others. This way you, you can give a little extra TLC and if she does recover, there are no problems with the others accepting her again. If a hen is poorly, the others will attack her. Like sheep, hens have many ways to die, and often seem intent on doing so!!

Good luck.

Best wishes,
Linda

Thanks for the responses.

How often should they be wormed?  I've had them for 5 months now and haven't wormed them yet.  They were POL when I got them.

The trouble with separating her - well, firstly it's catching her!  Did try but she wasn't having it.  I'll try to catch her from the hen house.  Then, if she's separated, she'll have to be in one of the stables and that's a bit of a distance from the chicken run.

I would worm them, a good product is Flubenvet, you just add the appropriate dose to the food. If you are having difficulty catching her, try a fishing net!

~Linda~

Is that a POM? They have layers pellets - adding medication to that sounds interesting.

It comes in powder form and kind of adheres to the pellets.

Ah well at last....I could be considered the expert here at last,whooooo!, as I was born on a chicken farm. The best way to catch them is to wait until they are roosting and just lift them off the perch while they sleep. Don't worry, you won't wake them up and it doesn't stress the birds this way. Keep her seperated and warm, perhaps in a rabbit house and run if you have one. Sometimes though you will get one or two pullets that just don't do well and they are best despatched in case they infect the others with something. Feel her crop(chest)to see if she is eating or if she's to bony. If you're not sure what your looking for, compare with your biggest and best doing hen and then you'll feel the difference. We have lost a poor doer this year and that's 1 out of 4. If your happier with giving her a try, then seperate and get some antibiotics from your vet, which you put in her water. It'll cost you about £4.00. Or there are tonics that you can buy at your local Agriculture supplier.
Good luck with her, it's a shame to lose any.

Good advice from Spiritulist. I have done the same to catch mine at dusk, but the net worked fine for me in the day-time!! Then again, I have been known to build a pen of sheep hurdles around my wayward Jacob sheep, 'cos I couldn't get them into it!!

if they are hard to catch then just catch them up from their perch at dusk or night. I can catch mine like that whilst fast alsleep and they barely notice!!

Thanks everyone. 

I'll try to get her tonight when they've all gone to bed.  Bet she's the one right at the back!  Then I'll put her in the stable.  Can I buy the wormer at an animal feed place, or will it have to be the vet's?  We've got a Mole Valley that I can call into tomorrow afternoon.

I used to buy mine at Mole Valley.

Great, thanks.  We're on our way to being organic, so I'll see what they can suggest.

Ive had chooks for years too, and they are just coming out of the moult and maybe thinking of laying again.  This is typically the time when any problems tend to crop up and they do hide symptoms until they are really sick.  Low resistance from the moult, cold weather and long nights.  If you pick her up and see if shes really bony down her breast bone then shes lost fat and muscle and it doesnt look good.  You could always try her on some warm porridge made with water or layers mash mixed with warm water.  I also used to use something called Poultry Spice its in a yellow tub (do a google search, www.smallholdersupplies.co.uk is a company Ive used quite a bit and stock it). It encourages eating and gives them some added vitamins as well to boost her (its not too expensive).  The only problem with worming them with flubenvet when they are that low is that it might be a bit like the straw that breaks the camels back.  I would get her into better condition first tbh.  If you can provide any warmth as well that would help.  Another thing - is she gaping at the beak, drooling and sneezing - if she is that could be mycoplasma and she would need antibiotics.  If her comb is not very red, when you pick her up, have a jolly good look round the base of her feathers near her skin to see if you can see any red mites or ordinary lice crawling about.  Turn her upside down and look near her vent for any clusters of white balls which are lice eggs.  Both of those passengers can turn a comb pale due to the amount of blood they are sucking.

For the flubenvet if you buy powder then its REALLY difficult to mix it into the food properly as it just sits at the bottom of the hopper.  Marriages do pellets with it already made into them and you feed it as the sole food for the stated time.  Bear in mind that some vets havent got a clue what to do with chooks, mine didnt and it was a small animal hospital.  I had to do my research amongst my friends in my poultry club (I was show sec) and ask for what I wanted.

Thanks, Alfieshmalfie.

The crook chook has been captured (not a good sign in itself, I think!)  I've put her in my stable with some food and water.  I put some corn down in the attached run (supposed to be for the dogs - hmm, well they go out there to eat bones, but only if it's sunny!) and she tucked into that.  She is thin - poor little soul and her comb is pale.  I'll look for signs of lodgers tomorrow when the light is good enough.  She is not gaping or sneezing.  Is too much corn harmful?  She produced a very runny poo.

I'll make her some nice warm porridge for breakfast - if she's still with us. Then I'll call into Mole Valley on my way home from work at lunchtime and see what they've got in the way of wormers.  I see what you mean about it possibly being the final straw though, to worm her when she's this down.  I like the idea of the pellets with it already in so will have a look for that.  How often should they be wormed?

Thanks again
Carina

Any news, is she any better today?

Worming should be twice a year - once in January, just before they come back into lay.  I also wormed them mid June, even though Flubenvet can be fed with no egg withdrawal, I didnt want to eat or sell them so I just withdrew the eggs for a week after I finished their worming course.  They do get roundworms, and sometimes those roundworms can end up inside eggs which is not nice.  They just pick up the eggs from scratching around in the dirt.

Corn takes them a while to digest - so if you can get yourself some chick crumbs, that may help build her up.  Or layers mash (I dont expect she is laying but its easy for her to eat and digest quickly).  My mum also feeds her chooks bananas (yes I know lol) but its high in potassium and high in calories. (the only things chooks cant eat are potatoes and citrus fruit btw).

Runny poo isnt good, and without being gross was it yellow and foamy?

I use Flubenvet and it is good, I stir a teaspoon of olive or vegetable oil into the layers pellets first and it helps the flubenvet powder stick to them.

I have heard that marmite is good for poorly chooks as it is full of vitamin B.

Alfieshmalfie, what would yellow and foamy indicate? Just wondered.

Cheers

Well - crook chook is still with us and looking a little bit less crook :)  Her comb looks just a bit redder.  When I got her as POL, I was given some food that they'd been reared on, so I've mixed that with some warm water and she's tucked into that, with gusto.  She doesn't seem interested in her layers pellets but has eaten the bits of corn that I left.  I've left her in the stable, which has logs in it so lots of lovely places to roost.

Her poo (little did I think that I would end up typing about chicken poo!) is rather variable.  She's done lots of normal looking poo - all over the place - and just one bit is a bit yellowy.

I've had a good look at her and think we might have mites - yuk!  I've never seen them before but they were several very, very small browny red things which might have moved.  I think I need my eyes checking as it was very difficult to see.  My excuse is that it's a really dull day! 

Mole Valley weren't any use - don't carry wormers.  However, I've just remembered that the people who've taken over our nearest pet shop actually keep chickens, so I'll give them a buzz and see what they've got in for mites.  I itch now!!

Sorry Mole Valley let you down! I used to get most livestock stuff from them-perhaps I didn't get the Flubenvet there!

If it is Redmite, you will need to do the house they live in, as the mites get in the wood! Ooh! I feel itchy!!  Glad she sounds a bit better.

Yellow foamy poo is a symptom of Coccidiosis which is a nasty digestive infection called by an internal parasite.  It causes very crook chooks and is unfortunately fairly common amongst un vaccinated (ie garden chooks).  Just one thing to eliminate.

If you have another look and find any dark red/brown bugs that are pin head sized on her ,next to the skin they are called Red mite and you need to act fast with them.  They will also be on the inside of your chicken coop and in the cracks in the wood.  They come out at night and feed on the birds - hence it can cause a pale comb.  You can lose birds really quickly from a red mite infestation - and they do bite humans so you will feel a prickly sensation after being near them.  They are fairly easily treated - you can get a red mite powder which you dust and rub into the feathers which suffocates the red mite.  Then I used a spray called Poultry-shield on the coops.  You can buy both online - just do a search on chicken red mite.

Pleased she's eaten - always a good start.