At a loss for poopy bottoms

[Wyorp Rock]

I just treated a flock of 6 with the goat fenbendazole (Merck 10% suspension, "Safe-Guard"). I used the 5-d regimen. Only one was symptomatic, gaping silently, but at night after I gave her medicine she made a horrible "ork" sound... stress+worms?).

ps - jury is still out on the affected one... 5d regimen is over and tail is still not 100% perky but way better and comb better. If she isn't better in a few days I'll post pictures and formally inquire. Maybe I'll pop her a calcium pill right now bc that seems to be such a cure-all....

Gaping silently at night sounds like a respiratory illness or perhaps a crop issue. Can you check the crop to make sure its emptying overnight? Any symptoms like coughing, sneezing, mucous, bubbly eyes? Is there a strong ammonia odor in the coop?

Birds with Gapeworm will gape continually at all hours, often they will cough or make a strangled cough/sneeze type of noise to see if they can clear their airway. They seem to be in respiratory distress and stop eating/drinking because of the constant gaping.

Check your hen for any bloat or feeling of fluid in the abdomen and for lice/mites too.

If she is still not better after checking her over, start your own thread in the ER section giving details of treatment(s) you have given along with symptoms and the timeline of symptoms.
Photos of her and her poop may be helpful. If she's gaping and/or making noise at night, a video of those actions can be helpful too. Upload video to youtube and provide a link or add your video to the BYC Gallery and let us know where to find it.

Calcium it certainly not a cure all, but it can sometimes help a hen that is having a hard time expelling an egg or lash material through crisis.

 

[aliris]

Thanks, @Wyorp Rock . Forgot to check on the crop, meant to do that. But I think so or it would be bloated. She's been losing weight, used to be a honker now less-so. But... I do think she may be continuing to pickup since the treatment.

I will definitely post a different-separate thread if she's not better soon, but thanks for the reminder to check the crop. Briefly: gaping is present in the day, but sporadically; that nighttime noisy thing subsequent to dosing was wild and I do have a video. Liquidy poop several days back but I think it's all getting better, slowly. Including the smell of the coop, come to think of it.... no visible parasites. No obvious respiratory illness. But I think she feels crummy. Comes up to me and bleats. Poor thing. But all maybe on the upswing.... need more time to evaluate I think.

Thanks. Sorry to hijack a thread, but the poopy butt thing is very much an issue with all of mine and why I did worm the lot of em...