Broody hen with sludge diarrhea on day 12 of setting

[klbaker75]

My three year old buff orpington is on day 12 of six eggs. She was doing fantastic and I had her a set up where she could eat and drink while on the nest. I changed her over to wet mash on Sunday that was changed out daily. Tuesday morning she began with dark brown sludge diarrhea. I have since switched her back to dry feed and water but the sludge has continued and this is day TWO of sludge. Her crop was a bit soft/mushy and had a small lump in it, both are not normal for her. I smelled her breath and didn't smell anything so I don't suspect sour crop necessarily. Can this be a normal thing or do I need to treat this?

Of note: She was wormed last week (five days before the diarrhea started) with safeguard for capillaria. I didn't want to worm her while on the nest but this was a follow up worming and it's just the way the timing fell.

Thanks for any help. I don't want her to get down.

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you try and clean up her bottom, so that she doesn’t soil the nest and possibly attract flies which can cause maggot infestation? I would give her some cottage cheese or plain yogurt for probiotics. I have noticed that several of my broodies have had a soft and puffy crop while sitting on eggs. I am not certain, but that could be because of the whole slowdown of their system during brooding, where they do not require much food or water.

 

[klbaker75]

Can you try and clean up her bottom, so that she doesn’t soil the nest and possibly attract flies which can cause maggot infestation? I would give her some cottage cheese or plain yogurt for probiotics. I have noticed that several of my broodies have had a soft and puffy crop while sitting on eggs. I am not certain, but that could be because of the whole slowdown of their system during brooding, where they do not require much food or water.

Thank you! I am so horrified. The rooster is dying of something infectious (you helped me out on that thread too) and I deep cleaned their house and changed out the blankets she was nesting on. It has been about an hour since I’ve been out here and three of the eggs had rolled off onto the wood and were cold. I don’t know how long they’ve been like that but not more than an hour. It is 56 here but very windy. Are they likely dead now? One is day 12 and the rest day 7.