- Apr 7, 2009
- 4
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Dear Backyard Poultry guys,
I'm new to the forum but not new to raising chickens. This is a problem I've not seen before and don't know how to treat. Two of my good layers, about 3 years old Brahma crosses, have come down with differing symptoms of what i think is the same disease: Poop is really watery, messy, and in the case of one hen, a little bloody (but that stopped). The poop looks as if they have undigested pellets but I feed only mash dampend with warm water, no pellets at all. They are free range part of the day.
The first time I noticed something was about last Thursday, when one of them was throwing her head back as if she had something stuck in her throat. I thought she'd just eaten too fast and would be okay. Next day same thing. Brought her in, found crop to be very hard and distended, though it was impacted, gave oil, massaged, and did crop irrigation 3 different times, 12 hours apart. The contents of crop were liquid(!) and stank to high heaven. She drank water & seemed better next day. I put her back out with the others and now her sister has something similar (but no head-throwing, just logy and droopy). The first one is now doing the head-throwing a lot. Now they're both in the cage in the laundry room, being an inseparable pair. I'm at a loss. I hate to lose these two, having lost another two in March to predators.
I need some help!
Margaret
I'm new to the forum but not new to raising chickens. This is a problem I've not seen before and don't know how to treat. Two of my good layers, about 3 years old Brahma crosses, have come down with differing symptoms of what i think is the same disease: Poop is really watery, messy, and in the case of one hen, a little bloody (but that stopped). The poop looks as if they have undigested pellets but I feed only mash dampend with warm water, no pellets at all. They are free range part of the day.
The first time I noticed something was about last Thursday, when one of them was throwing her head back as if she had something stuck in her throat. I thought she'd just eaten too fast and would be okay. Next day same thing. Brought her in, found crop to be very hard and distended, though it was impacted, gave oil, massaged, and did crop irrigation 3 different times, 12 hours apart. The contents of crop were liquid(!) and stank to high heaven. She drank water & seemed better next day. I put her back out with the others and now her sister has something similar (but no head-throwing, just logy and droopy). The first one is now doing the head-throwing a lot. Now they're both in the cage in the laundry room, being an inseparable pair. I'm at a loss. I hate to lose these two, having lost another two in March to predators.
I need some help!
Margaret
