Abnormal poop? Water from beak

[BattyChic]

Hello all. We have had very hot and humid weather the past two weeks. I know this can effect everyone, especially these outdoor animals! However , I'm not sure if what I'm seeing is heat related or something else. I'll post a picture of the poop I've been seeing coming from my one hen. The same hen I saw liquid/water coming her beak yesterday. Back story , I just lost two hens from this original flock of four within two months of each other. The vet I brought the hens to see at their separate visits didn't have much insight for me as he said he can't figure anything out without testing. Unfortunately I don't have $800 + to get the tests done. One thing I was able to do was test for parasites which at the time was negative. I have called several places to try and get this third hen seen while I'm seeing symtoms early on but they are all booked out for 2 to 3 weeks. The soonest i am able to get her seen is one week. The last hen that was euthanized did have sour crop and yellow fluid that was in her abdomen. Of course these were secondary problems and the origin of the issue is unknown. Also these are 3 year old White leghorns. I just feel so bad... I don't know what is going on and I feel awful about it. We've had no issues up until this spring. No changes have been made .

 

[azygous]

The poop doesn't tell us nearly as much as your description of water leaking from the hen's beak. That is a good clue that she has a crop issue.

Yes, crop issues often indicate a more serious underlying issue, but you need to treat it nonetheless.

Here' a short article on identifying and treating crop disorders. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...d-how-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73

The important thing is to identify the crop issue so you can treat it properly. Feel the crop and decide if the contents feel mostly liquid or solid and lumpy. The first is a yeast infection while the latter is impacted crop. Each is treated differently. It's also possible both issues are present at the same time.

 

[BattyChic]

Thank you for the quick reply and information! I am working on identifying which it is. I feel like the fourth hen is also now doing the same thing. Opening beak often and shaking head. I massaged the crop several times yesterday and did the whole tipping the hen to try to induce vomitting. But none of my attempts got rid of anything. I am going to follow the other protocols and hope it helps before it's too late. I'm just curious to what is causing this in the first place . Perhaps a bacteria of some sort in the yard? They free range often. Though it is a small fenced in backyard. Their enclosure is sand which I scoop daily. But who knows... Maybe it's something in the sand as well.

 

[azygous]

The only bacteria while free ranging would be from any rotting anaerobic decomposing material, usually found in stagnant compost. That would require an antibiotic. But you need to be pretty sure of what may have caused it before jumping on that.

A hidden, silent villain may be an avian virus causing tumors which compromise chickens' internal organ function. This can result in crop disorders. But to know if that's the underlying problem in your flock, you would need to have a dead chicken sent to a lab for postmortem testing.

 

[BattyChic]

The only bacteria while free ranging would be from any rotting anaerobic decomposing material, usually found in stagnant compost. That would require an antibiotic. But you need to be pretty sure of what may have caused it before jumping on that.

A hidden, silent villain may be an avian virus causing tumors which compromise chickens' internal organ function. This can result in crop disorders. But to know if that's the underlying problem in your flock, you would need to have a dead chicken sent to a lab for postmortem testing.

Yikes... All these unknowns! It's scary. I hope she is able to stay strong while we wait to be seen by the vet . One more week.

 

[BY Bob]

Hello all. We have had very hot and humid weather the past two weeks. I know this can effect everyone, especially these outdoor animals! However , I'm not sure if what I'm seeing is heat related or something else. I'll post a picture of the poop I've been seeing coming from my one hen. The same hen I saw liquid/water coming her beak yesterday. Back story , I just lost two hens from this original flock of four within two months of each other. The vet I brought the hens to see at their separate visits didn't have much insight for me as he said he can't figure anything out without testing. Unfortunately I don't have $800 + to get the tests done. One thing I was able to do was test for parasites which at the time was negative. I have called several places to try and get this third hen seen while I'm seeing symtoms early on but they are all booked out for 2 to 3 weeks. The soonest i am able to get her seen is one week. The last hen that was euthanized did have sour crop and yellow fluid that was in her abdomen. Of course these were secondary problems and the origin of the issue is unknown. Also these are 3 year old White leghorns. I just feel so bad... I don't know what is going on and I feel awful about it. We've had no issues up until this spring. No changes have been made .

I have seen the same liquid from the beak in two of my hens in the past week. The temps here have been way jnto the upper 90s and 100s. I had to bring one hen in the air-conditioning overnight to cool her down. That did fix her up. I do beleive that there is a chance it could be heat related. How hot has it been there? They can over drink while trying to cool themselvesand have a squishy crop because of it. White leghorns are pretty heat tolerant. Has the heat skyrocketed all of a sudden? Maybe you could bring them in for a night and give them a break from the heat?

 

[BattyChic]

I have seen the same liquid from the beak in two of my hens in the past week. The temps here have been way jnto the upper 90s and 100s. I had to bring one hen in the air-conditioning overnight to cool her down. That did fix her up. I do beleive that there is a chance it could be heat related. How hot has it been there? They can over drink while trying to cool themselvesand have a squishy crop because of it. White leghorns are pretty heat tolerant. Has the heat skyrocketed all of a sudden? Maybe you could bring them in for a night and give them a break from the heat?

Hi BY BOB! Thank you for response. That's comforting to hear. It has been very humid and hot. 90s and close to 100 some days. I let them out to roam while I'm home so they can find places to cool down. When they are confined to their enclosure I have a box fan on for them. I have thought about bringing them inside!