4 Yr old Hen Acting unusual- Please Help

[lizmcd]

Today I noticed one of my two girls just kinda setting around not doing much. Very unlike her. I walked to check her out and she let me. That also is very unlike her unless she is roosting. I noticed right off her bottom was nasty and as I pet her, her poop was watery. She just set while I checked her over. Lately I haven't been getting eggs regularly from one of the two girls. And sometimes the egg has been broke in the nest. I changed their food to Purina laying crumbles. But they free range more than anything. I have two small Cuchin roosters that are always with the girls all day. They do tend to bully them and chase and the one holds them down alot to mate. Their to little to do the deed so I don't have to worry about any fertile eggs. I'm just wondering why my baby girl is all the sudden not feeling well. And dose it have anything to do with the boys or the eggs always being broken. I have lost two frm an upper respiratory infection and once you notice it you have to act fast or its to late. I'm hoping this isn't it. Any ideas. I'm actually new to chickens. Please help.

 

[chicknmania]

Have you ever dewormed them? Do you have a vet you could have do a fecal test on them for parasites? If you don't, and you have never dewormed them, I would start by doing that. And you're right...asap. Use a broad spectrum dewormer, not just for roundworms.

 

[lizmcd]

No I've never wormed them. I wouldn't even know what to buy.

 

[chicknmania]

You can go to the feed mill and Rooster Booster sells a Triple Dewormer product that is very good. There's another company that makes a product called Strike that is the same thing, TSC sells it. These are pelletized feeds that you mix with regular feed and they are excellent dewormers and there's no withdrawal time either. Look for those. The only problem with them is that some birds don't like pelletized products. These pellets are very hard and some of our birds just don't eat them because of that. I solved that problem by putting the amount I want to use in a plastic bag, and then crushing it into smaller pieces with a hammer, which I then mix with the feed. Pretty labor intensive but it does work. There are many other products you can buy on line that are very good dewormers, and vary in price. Depending on how many birds you have, and how easy they are to catch, you can also get Valbazen. With that, you have to deworm each bird individually, but it's also very good. For your sick bird, especially if she's not eating very well by now, that might be an easier way to go. But make sure she eats. You can offer her goodies like minced berries or fruit, banana, oatmeal, yogurt, finely chopped hardboiled egg, tomato, etc. Moisten her feed to encourage her to eat. Applesauce is another good one for sick birds as they like it, it's easy to eat, and also gives them some fluids. I like to use tiny breadballs soaked in buttermilk, too. If she'll eat, you can crush a portion of RB dewormer just for her, and mix it in her goodies, and she'll probably eat it. You have to figure out the proportions, though.