2 year old Chicken, low tail, yellow poop

[Mason Farm and Ranch]

Chickens usually don’t suffer from blackhead disease, as turkeys do. Can you post a picture of her and the droppings? In chickens if they have yellow urates (the normally white cap in the droppings,) that can be a reproductive infection or ascites (water belly.) Sitting more upright is also seen in hens with reproductive problems, such as internal laying and egg yolk peritonitis. Does she have any enlargement in her lower belly? Has she laid eggs recently? What is her age? Can you check her crop to see if it is emptying overnight? I would worm her and try to keep her eating. An antibiotic might be helpful, but in the UK, you would need

The common (and fatal) misconception (of which I too was guilty) is that chickens have a lower mortality rate. While chickens suffer only a 10% mortality rate, turkeys rarely survive with a 90-100% mortality rate. It is one of the reasons chickens shouldn't be kept with turkeys. Chickens actually transmit it to turkeys. I was a bit shaken at being wrong on that one. I lost a third of my flock.

With that being said, Blackhead disease is very prevalently in chickens. As one of the symptoms is sudden death and chickens can be completely asymptomatic, I suspect it is the most likely reason when someone posts they have a sick chick and she's dead the next morning.

Blackhead causes crop, GI and reproductive system issues. It is a protazoa much like with coccidiosis, but Amprolium does not kill it. As always, we look to the poop to diagnose.

The poop says it is Blackhead.

 

[Samtul]

I'd check to make sure her crop is emptying as suggested.
Getting a fecal float to see is she needs to be dewormed and/or treated for Coccidiosis.

Not a bad idea to offer some extra Calcium just in case she's having problems with an egg. 1 Calcium Citrate with D3 just pop the pill into her beak.

Yellow poop like that may indicate and issue with the liver or she may have something reproductive going on.

At this point, I would not be looking for Acidified Copper Sulfate. It could be used to treat sour crop or canker, but it's not generally used to treat Blackhead which is mainly a disease that Turkeys have. An anthelmintic like Fenbendazole (or Fluconazole since you are in the UK) or an antibiotic like Metronidazole are the usual treatments for Blackhead in Turkeys.
Coccidiosis in poultry can present in several ways, since she's an older hen, it's unlikely this is a problem, but a fecal float can tell you if you need to treat her with Amprolium. There are 9 strains of Coccidia that affect poultry and only a couple present with blood in the stool.

Thanks for your advice. I will look into all of the above.
Thanks Sam

 

[Eggcessive]

The OP could get that fecal float that several have recommended to look for cecal worms, the cause of blackhead in turkeys, and off coccidia and other worms. I have also seen that yellow poop in hens with ascites, reproductive disorders, and it can be seen in E.coli infection. I am a big fan of getting confirmation of diseases with having a dead chicken necropsied by the state vet. So many diseases may cause similar symptoms.