23wk EE Lethargic/Watery poop. corrid?

[afwifey]

I have an Eater Egger who hasn’t started laying yet though she’s about 23 weeks old. She suddenly started sleeping more & eating less. She’s become lethargic & has watery white/yellow poop.
I see no obvious crop or vent issues. I brought her inside, gave her hydrohen in her water, made her a scrambled egg.
Should I start corrid?

 

[WIchickMama]

any pics of the poop?

 

[Swbertrand1]

23 weeks old. She suddenly started sleeping more & eating less. She’s become lethargic & has watery white/yellow poop.
I see no obvious crop or vent issues. I brought her inside, gave her hydrohen in her water, made her a scrambled egg.

Photos of her waste would help.
What does her diet consist of? Does she get treats; if so what and how often?
Does she free range? Where and how often?

At 23 weeks, she's right at the POL (point of lay), so this could be a reproductive issue. Have you checked to see if she's possibly egg-bound? Egg-binding can certainly cause the symptoms you're describing.

Also, are you absolutely sure she doesn't have a crop issue? Is her crop full in the evening and empty in the morning?

 

[afwifey]

I don’t feel an egg stuck but I can soak her - couldn’t hurt?
Her crop is empty in the morning and doesn’t feel bloated or have a foul smell. Her first poop inside was just water- white to light yellow but no solid. The next two have had a little black/brown solid part but not much. I will absolutely take a pic next time. I am dipping her beak in both the electrolyte and plain water. I added a drop of oregano to her mixed grains/crumble. She does get some treats- watermelon, blueberries but not too much. I throw a little scratch down most days but they have layer crumble, oyster shells, and a yard area to free range in every day. She’s been in the same environment her whole life BUT my kids did dump some of a bag of wild bird seed that was molded about a week ago and they may have eaten some before I saw it and took care of it.

 

[afwifey]

any pics of the poop?

Going to take one next time!

 

[afwifey]

Photos of her waste would help.
What does her diet consist of? Does she get treats; if so what and how often?
Does she free range? Where and how often?

At 23 weeks, she's right at the POL (point of lay), so this could be a reproductive issue. Have you checked to see if she's possibly egg-bound? Egg-binding can certainly cause the symptoms you're describing.

Also, are you absolutely sure she doesn't have a crop issue? Is her crop full in the evening and empty in the morning?

Sorry, answered above but forgot to hit reply. Thank you for your response!

 

[afwifey]

this is their coop and the gated area around is where they free range with access to the inside for most of the day. There is a sun shade up now too.

 

[afwifey]

That’s the most ‘solid’ I’ve seen in her poop all day. She is eating a little now too! She took some honey as well!

 

[Swbertrand1]

Moldy feed could be the issue, but I think you would have seen the symptoms earlier unless you can you nail down exactly when she might have gotten into that? If it was in the last day or two, that could be your issue, and you may want to consider an Epsom Salt or Charcoal flush for your girl.

Have you given her a good external examination? We're looking for lice, mites, or any other external parasite that might be affecting her. Look closely at her vent area, under her wings where they meet her body, on her legs and feet, around her neck and just below her head. Look for ANYTHING that is moving on her and report back what you find. Photos if you find something are GOLDEN.

At 23 weeks, she shouldn't need to be de-wormed, and you didn't mention any de-worming, but intestinal parasites can be at play in lethargic birds that are still eating/drinking and whose crops are emptying as they should. A fecal float or evidence of worms in the stool are the only really accurate ways to be certain, so look closely at her stool(s), and report back what you find.

Her eyes look a bit droopy in the photo above, and you've checked her crop, so let's be sure about egg-binding, though that would be uncharacteristic of such a young bird. The easiest way to do that is lubricate a gloved finger (preferably your smallest finger), and gently insert it 1 to 2" into her vent in a slightly upward orientation if she is standing normally. You will feel the egg if it's there.

Another method is to feel her abdomen just below and in front of the vent, pushing gently upward and forward. If there is an egg in the oviduct, you should feel it. Refer to the photo below so you know you're going upward into the oviduct and not down into the large intestine.

At the end of the day, vets are our best resource for tending to sick birds, but we can rule out some things with careful examination and knowing what to look for. If you see blood in the stool, for example, you might be dealing Coccidiosis; if you see worms in the stool or on the ground, you're dealing with intestinal parasites, mites/lice, then external parasites, a thick hard(ish) mass in the crop, likely Impacted Crop, and so on.

 

[Swbertrand1]

That’s the most ‘solid’ I’ve seen in her poop all day. She is eating a little now too! She took some honey as well!

That's a little moist, but I don't see anything alarming in that photo.