I have a 9 month old Cochin hen that has had dirty vent feathers for the last 2 months or so. It started when we had a cold snap in our area, so I thought originally it was due to stress, but the issue didn’t resolve once the weather warmed up and has been continuous since.
I had the chance to thoroughly wash her and examine her vent area. Her vent itself looks good, no redness or drainage, no signs of mites/lice. She just had a thick layer of poop dried to the feathers. There was no odor noticeable. She had dirty vent feathers again within a few hours of cleaning her, and when I catch her pooping it looks mostly watery with a little bit of solids.
Her behavior seems mostly normal. She is eating, drinking, foraging, and laying every other day or so. The only difference I’ve noticed is she seems to separate herself from the rest of the flock more often, and she doesn’t hold her tail as upright as she used to. She also sometimes doesn’t lay in the nesting box. I will catch her laying next to the waterer, which is located in the run. Her comb is red.
I have 9 other birds that all seem healthy, no issues with diarrhea with any of them.
They free range on a grassy fenced half acre all day long. They eat layena crumbles and occasional meal worms for treats. They have free access to oyster shell and grit.
My main concern is for worms, and I am wondering if it sounds like I should deworm the her based on symptoms? I just didn’t know if a chicken as young as her could already become overloaded with worms?
I appreciate any help/advice, thank you!!!
I had the chance to thoroughly wash her and examine her vent area. Her vent itself looks good, no redness or drainage, no signs of mites/lice. She just had a thick layer of poop dried to the feathers. There was no odor noticeable. She had dirty vent feathers again within a few hours of cleaning her, and when I catch her pooping it looks mostly watery with a little bit of solids.
Her behavior seems mostly normal. She is eating, drinking, foraging, and laying every other day or so. The only difference I’ve noticed is she seems to separate herself from the rest of the flock more often, and she doesn’t hold her tail as upright as she used to. She also sometimes doesn’t lay in the nesting box. I will catch her laying next to the waterer, which is located in the run. Her comb is red.
I have 9 other birds that all seem healthy, no issues with diarrhea with any of them.
They free range on a grassy fenced half acre all day long. They eat layena crumbles and occasional meal worms for treats. They have free access to oyster shell and grit.
My main concern is for worms, and I am wondering if it sounds like I should deworm the her based on symptoms? I just didn’t know if a chicken as young as her could already become overloaded with worms?
I appreciate any help/advice, thank you!!!
