Green watery poo and soft crop

[Lynnski]

I am new to chickens and not sure what is normal, but after reading a lot of what could go wrong, i just want to check...

Of my 4 eight month old girls, my NH Red doesnt seem to be feeling well today. I noticed her poop this morning was green and watery, her butt all caked and stuck. After washing her up, she went in to lay an egg and then stayed in the box for most of the day. Yup, im gonna post a pic of her poo!



(I just noticed the bubbles)

I noticed that her crop was a bit mushy so i massaged it... Yesterday was a chilly day so they all had some feed with warm water in it. Other than that yesterday, they all had a small amount of scraps of broccoli, mealworms and scratch. They eat purina organic feed.

Today, she is not interested in joining the others, not interested in food or the treats, and just seems to be looking for something in the dirt. I have offered her grit and calcium but its always available, not interested.

I read that i should check her breath and i dont smell anything. They all went in the coop tonight so i checked everyones crop and they all feel solid and full except hers is still softer.

Is there anything i can do other than check to see if its empty in the morning?

Any suggestions if it is not? My worry is dehydration.

Here are a couple side-views of her...






Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you either take her to a vet, or take some fresh droppings in to a regular vet to test for coccidiosis and worms? Green poop is indicative of not eating, and the white urates goes
along. Crops may become slow functioning with many illnesses, so could just be secondary to other problems. Hold a teaspoon to her beak to offer water with electrolytes and vitamins as often as possible. Coccidiosis symptoms include runny poops, sleepiness, refusing to eat, and hunched or puffed up posture. Corid or sulfa drugs are used for treatment, but Corid can be found at feed stores. Dosage is 1 1/2 tsp of the powder in a gallon of water for 5 days. Hopefully, you can figure out her problem.

 

[Lynnski]

Hi Eggsessive, Thanks so much for the reply.

I called around to a couple feed stores and found a tractor supply who told me they had some corrid so i flew over there last night to find out he "made a mistake"! I cant find it anywhere except Amazon, it should be here tomorrow.

This morning her crop is still full and soft... I am giving her nutridrench and massaging the crop. She wanted to peck around at the ground and eat a bit after that, but i didnt want her to add to the crop so i put her in a dog crate with water so i could monitor her poop. do you think thats necessary? I am just waiting on Plinky to oblige so i can take a sample to the vet be tested.

I have read that a full crop in the morning can go sour or yeasty if its not moving... Should i try to help her empty it?

I guess im not sure if this is something i should just leave alone till the corrid gets here or i should do something about because it can go bad fast for a chicken.

Again, thanks for any suggestions.

 

[Eggcessive]

Had she eaten anything this morning before you felt of her crop? If so, I would continue to massage her crop, and keep her in the crate with water, and some plain probiotic yogurt. I would hold off on food or whole grains today. I'm not a big fan of emptying the crop because of the chances of causing choking and aspiration of the crop contents. However, that is up to you, and I would read either Two Crows article on treating impacted and sour crop for instructions. She may not be sick enough for that yet especially since her breath is not bad or sour. If she is more empty tomorrow morning after just waking and no oral intake, then you could give her more yogurt and some raw or soft egg. Corid comes in liquid or powder form. The liquid dosage is 2tsp while the powder dose is 1 1/2 tsp per gallon of water changed daily for 5 days.

 

[Lynnski]

Thanks for being so quick in the reply.... I feel a bit out of my element so thanks for the help and company.

She didnt eat anything this morning, as soon as i saw her pecking at the dirt, i thought to isolate her so i could be sure she wasnt ranging with the others (and to watch her poop).

Just read through the Two Crows again and gave her the baking soda cocktail to help loosen and hydrate whatever is in there, i will only keep massaging, she seems to like it.

What should i be looking for to see an improvement or a turn for the worse?

 

[Eggcessive]

Does she normally have access to poultry grit (crushed granite) to eat as she needs it? Okay, I see that you have grit after re-reading your 1st post. That can help to aid in digestion of whole grains and grasses, or other treats,. I would try to get a stool sample check if possible, since the foam in her poop is not a usual finding. I'm not sure if worms or cocci could cause that, since I have never read that in a professional reference, but some have said that. There looks like clear and yellow material in the poop, so another possibility besides cocci, would be if she was passing egg-type material. Has she begun to lay yet? It's amazing how much we have to look at chicken poop sometimes, but it may be helpful, LOL. If cocci is not her problem, the Corid will not be harmful for her or the others, but cocci is something, if there, that can cause chronic problems down the road, such as enteritis. Blood may be present in the droppings with cocci, but it isn't always there. Here is a good article to read about cocci:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/12/coccidiosis-what-backyard-chicken.html

 

[Lynnski]

Boy oh boy, Its like waiting for christmas morning..... tick-tick-tick! hahaha. She finally pooped and although very small (1/2") its pretty dry and formed. So i am off to the vet to ease my mind.
(yay more poop pictures!)


So she is my best layer.... started at 18 weeks and lays almost every day! Funny you mention that because yesterday when i saw her poop in the morning it caught my eye because her butt was caked and what was leaking out looked like clear egg goo. (hope you had your lunch!). There were stuck old clumps so i cleaned her up and watched her close.

She went into the nesting box right after that yesterday and stayed there most of the morning. There were 4 eggs in there when i reached under her so i know she laid yesterday, i just dont know if it was then or really early that morning. She has not laid today, but i have been tormenting her with cocktails and massages and cages!

What are your thoughts if she was passing egg like material yesterday?

Corrid question: Do you recommend i treat all 4 girls or just her? Do you know off the top of your head how long to ditch the eggs? Is coccidiosis a matter of When and not If?

Thanks!!

 

[Eggcessive]

There is no egg withdrawal time with Corid since it is not an antibiotic. Most people find that it is more simple to treat everyone during an outbreak with Corid at the same time, so no one has to be separated, and not to be starting treatments at different times.I have had hens who have had broken eggs passed in their droppings, and many times there may be an egg membrane hanging out of the vent. It can be common for young layers to have shell-less eggs, and those can break more easily. Can you try and see if she will eat a little chopped up egg? I worry about her crop a little, but I hate to starve the poor girl.

 

[Lynnski]

Great suggestion about the egg! I worry about her not eating as well.

She wasnt interested in the yogurt so i just gave her a bit of hard boiled egg sprinkled with some probiotic powder and smaller chick grit. She was thrilled! Who wouldnt want a gourmet snack followed by a massage?!

Thanks for clearing up the egg withdrawl.... it was unclear from the label online. The local feed stores told me yesterday that they are no longer carrying corrid cuz its an antibiotic! Same story from Tractor Supply today! Ive read about the misinformation running rampant since the first of the year.

The vet said it would take a day to get the results. Should i let her roost with the others tonight?

 

[Eggcessive]

I was at TSC yesterday, and it looked so vacant where the animal medicines were kept before the FDA made over the counter oral antibiotics prescription only. I didn't notice Corid, and didn't think that it was on the list. When I have had a sick chicken, about the only thing they will eat is chopped egg. Hopefully her crop will go down by tomorrow. She can roost with the others, but just make sure she can't get to any food before you check her crop. If you have feed inside the coop as I do, you could just hang it higher till you get there, but leave their water alone.