chicken diarrhea

[boulderchickens]

My 11 mo old Marans has had diarrhea sticking to her rear end for about a month. Now, she has lose some feathers around the vent. She is otherwise completely well - eats and drinks fine and is laying normally. Can someone advise as to what the cause might be and what should be done?

The other 4 chickens in the flock do not have this problem.

 

[Ole rooster]

I posted the same problem. I got no replies either. I guess we're on our own figuring this one out. I don't know what to do.

 

[SteveBaz]

My 11 mo old Marans has had diarrhea sticking to her rear end for about a month. Now, she has lose some feathers around the vent. She is otherwise completely well - eats and drinks fine and is laying normally. Can someone advise as to what the cause might be and what should be done?

The other 4 chickens in the flock do not have this problem.

that is the first thing.

Just bc you did not get any answers doesn't mean you are being ignored!! No one picked up on your plight as of yet. There are many causes for a sticky tushy and usually its feeding them food they have trouble or this bird has trouble digesting. No big deal even if its a bit discomforting. It will require a bit of patients on your part and a warm, (not Hot!!) rag or wash cloth. and a bit of soaking and gental wiping of and around the vent area. Then I would carefully put some Neosporin around the vent and this should stop the sticking but does not solve the problem. You need to go back to basic foods and not a lot of treats or odd treats but basic ones. Here is a list of foods they may or may not like but are on the to do list; REMEMBER TO MUCH OF ANYTHING IS NOT EXACTLY GOOD. BALANCED IS THE THE KEY!!!! BEST OF LUCK. Post your progress!

Food Treat Chart From the BYC
Treat

Type

General Opinions
Apples

Raw and applesauce

Apple seeds contain cyanide, but not in sufficient quantities to kill.

Asparagus

Raw or cooked

Okay to feed, but not a favorite.
Bananas

Without the peel

High in potassium, a good treat.
Beans

Well-cooked only, never dry

Also, green beans.
Beets

Greens also.

.
Berries

All kinds

A treat, especially strawberries.
Breads

All kinds - good use for stale bread or rolls

Feed starches in moderation.
Broccoli & Cauliflower

.

Tuck into a suet cage and they will pick at it all day.
Cabbage & Brussels Sprouts

Whole head -

Hang a whole cabbage from their coop ceiling in winter so they have something to play with and greens to eat.
Carrots

Raw and cooked

They like carrot foliage too.
Cat food * (see bottom of page)

Wet and dry

Feed in strict moderation, perhaps only during molting * (see bottom of page)
Cereal

Cheerios, etc.

Avoid highly sugared cereal such as Cocopuffs, etc.
Cheese

Including cottage cheese

Feed in moderation, fatty but a good source of protein and calcium
Cooked Chicken

.

They may like it and it won’t kill them, but it just seems so wrong.
Corn

On cob and canned, raw and cooked

.
Crickets (alive)

Can be bought at bait or pet-supply stores.

Great treat – provides protein and it’s fun to watch the chickens catch them.
Cucumbers




Let mature for yummy seeds and flesh.
Eggs

Hard cooked and scrambled are a good source of protein, and a favorite treat.

Feed cooked eggs only because you don’t want your chickens to start eating their own raw eggs.
Eggplant

.

.
Fish / Seafood

Cooked only.


Flowers

Make sure they haven't been treated with pesticides, such as florist flowers might be.

Marigolds, nasturtiums, pansies, etc.
Fruit

Pears, peaches, cherries, apples


Grains

Bulgur, flax, Niger, wheat berries, etc.

.
Grapes

Seedless only.
For chicks, cutting them in half makes it easier for them to swallow.

Great fun - the cause of many entertaining "chicken keep-a-way" games.
Grits

Cooked


"Leftovers"

Only feed your chickens that which is still considered edible by humans, don't feed anything spoiled, moldy, oily, salty or unidentifiable.


Lettuce / Kale

Any leafy greens, spinach collards, chickweed included.

A big treat, depending on how much other greenery they have access to.
Mealworms
(see photo after the chart)

Available at pet supply stores or on the internet, although shipping is expensive!

A huge (!) favorite treat, probably the most foolproof treat on the books.
Meat scraps of any kind.

Not too fatty.

In moderation, a good source of protein
Melon

Cantaloupe, etc.

Both seeds and flesh are good chicken treats.
Oatmeal

Raw or cooked

Cooked is nutritionally better.
Pasta / Macaroni

Cooked spaghetti, etc.

A favorite treat, fun to watch them eat it, but not much nutrition.
Peas

Peas and pea tendrils and flowers

.
Peppers (bell)

.

.
Pomegranates

Raw

Seeds are a big treat.
Popcorn

Popped, no butter, no salt.


Potatoes / Sweet Potatoes/Yams

Cooked only - avoid green parts of peels!

Starchy, not much nutrition
Pumpkins / Winter Squash

Raw or cooked

Both seeds and flesh are a nutritious treat.
Raisins

.


Rice

Cooked only

Pilaf mixes are okay too, plain white rice has little nutrition.
Scratch

Scratch is cracked corn with grains (such as wheat, oats and rye) mixed in.

Scratch is a treat for cold weather, not a complete feed. Toss it on the ground and let them scratch for it for something to do.
Sprouts

Wheat and oat sprouts are great!

Good for greens in mid-winter.
Summer Squash

Yellow squash and zucchini

Yellow squash not a huge favorite, but okay to feed.
Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower seeds with the shell still on is fine to feed, as well as with the shell off.

A good treat, helps hens lay eggs and grow healthy feathers.
Tomatoes

Raw and cooked.


Turnips

Cooked.

Not a huge favorite
Watermelon

Served cold, it can keep chickens cool and hydrated during hot summers.

Seeds and flesh are both okay to feed.
Yogurt

Plain or flavored

A big favorite and good for their digestive systems. Plain is better.
The most favorite chicken treat of all – mealworms

 

[SteveBaz]

Here is a picture board that will shock you of what is acceptable and what is not. Be sure to check really good with a magnifying glass for worms and parasites. If you see anything that is suspicious I would not use a harsh wormer, like Ivermectin / Wazine first but add DE (diatomaceous earth) 1 full table spoon in a food they like daily until the poop starts getting more regular. Worm if two things occur. #! blood in the stool and you see tons of worms. The DE will force them out to go find better place to stay. #2 if it doesn't get better after 2 weeks

http://chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0 <<<<<<< CLICK THERE 4 THE *******POOP BOARD*****

 

[WitchPrincess]

Thank you so much for the link! One of my hens is having watery poo and I was afraid she was sick. She's only overheated! Phew! Still not good but more easily fixable!

 

[WitchPrincess]

"Steve"

"Cooked Chicken, they may like it and it won't kill them, it just feels so wrong.... Eggs, feed cooked eggs only because you don't want them eating their own raw ones..."

This right here is not an example of a treat but an example of FORCED CANNABALISM! You would be appalled if someone served you a plate of Human, or scrambled and fed you Female ovulation. Let alone treated it as a delicacy. Would you give your goldfish his dead tankmate? Or give him Caviar as a treat? Would you make a dog do tricks for a strip of it's Mom? Or it's unborn child? I think not. You shouldn't give chickens chicken. This sort of thing caused Mad Cow. No one feeds pigs bacon!

Save your birds. Don't make them eat themselves. If you're worried about them eating their own eggs then don't feed them to them.

 

[dawg53]

I've given my chickens leftover baked chicken, fried chicken, BBQ chicken, scrambled eggs and chopped boiled eggs and alot of other stuff.. I've eaten alot of local foods in many foreign countries that make most people puke their guts out. I've eaten cow brains in Turkey, balute in the Pines, dog meat in the Pines and Naples, armadillo on the half shell, coon and possum (greasy), gator...just to mention of the few of the delicacies I've eaten. I'm still here typing. Chickens, dogs, and pigs will eat just about anything and everything. I used to raise hogs, gave them leftovers all the time, spare ribs incuded.

 

[Cetawin]

Here is a picture board that will shock you of what is acceptable and what is not. Be sure to check really good with a magnifying glass for worms and parasites. If you see anything that is suspicious I would not use a harsh wormer, like Ivermectin / Wazine first but add DE (diatomaceous earth) 1 full table spoon in a food they like daily until the poop starts getting more regular. Worm if two things occur. #! blood in the stool and you see tons of worms. The DE will force them out to go find better place to stay. #2 if it doesn't get better after 2 weeks

http://chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0 <<<<<<< CLICK THERE 4 THE *******POOP BOARD*****

Steve...I would love to see some scientific links that prove DE eliminates an internal parasatic infestation because it does not. It is a great maintenance type preventative in the digestive tract and is great for dusting birds and nesting areas etc.

Secondly, Ivermectin and Wazine are not the same type of wormers. Ivermectin is a broad spectrum, killing all worms including gapeworm and wazine kills only roundworms. Ivermectin will also kill lice and fleas so it kills internal and external parasites. Worming with Ivermectin pour on is easy, not harmful to the birds and it works. Just put it by drops directly on the birds skin at the base of neck/back. Standard adults 5 drops, smaller adults say 6-8 lbs use 4 drops, smaller birds 4-6 lbs 3 drops, bantams 1-2 drops. Wait 10 days and repeat, best method but not necessary to re-treat unless the infestation is really bad. There is an egg withdrawal but I only toss eggs for one week.

"Steve"
"Cooked Chicken, they may like it and it won't kill them, it just feels so wrong.... Eggs, feed cooked eggs only because you don't want them eating their own raw ones..."
This right here is not an example of a treat but an example of FORCED CANNABALISM! You would be appalled if someone served you a plate of Human, or scrambled and fed you Female ovulation. Let alone treated it as a delicacy. Would you give your goldfish his dead tankmate? Or give him Caviar as a treat? Would you make a dog do tricks for a strip of it's Mom? Or it's unborn child? I think not. You shouldn't give chickens chicken. This sort of thing caused Mad Cow. No one feeds pigs bacon!
Save your birds. Don't make them eat themselves. If you're worried about them eating their own eggs then don't feed them to them.

WitchPrincess....I am at a loss at home to respond without asking "have you lost your mind?" You cannot force cannabalism on creatures already cannabalistic by nature. Chickens are carnivores not vegetarians and they are also cannabalistic. If you doubt that, research it or let one of your birds get injured and bleed. Your other birds can and will most likely pick at and attack a bleeding bird and if left without your invention, they will kill it. And guess what....they will eat on it. Your examples are one of the most ridiculous things ever written on these forums. How on earth do you plan to feed a human a period of time (i.e. female ovulation)? Most of the ridiculous situations you proposed as wrong, while they may be wrong from your personal perspective or that of mnay of others, they would certain be applicable. Dogs, pigs and some fish are carnivores and are also cannabalistic by nature. Comparing Mad Cow disease was completely assinine in so much as COWS ARE VEGETARIANS not carnivores. Compare apples to apples or withhold posting such lunacy.

For future reference...chickens needs protein and they need lots of it, the healthiest birds are fed meat protein whether you have the stomach for that should determine whether or not you should have chickens or rabbits! They need the protein for molting and regrowing feathers, egg production and overall good growth and health. Misleading relatively new chicken owners is one of the biggest injustices you can do. They need guidance and factual answers not your personal platform for anti-carnivore behaviors. Comparing the feeding of cooked chicken to a chicken versus human flesh to a human is not only childish but it has a basic fact attached to it that you should remember. Cannablism in humans is ILLEGAL and feeding chicken to a chicken is NOT.

I've given my chickens leftover baked chicken, fried chicken, BBQ chicken, scrambled eggs and chopped boiled eggs and alot of other stuff.. I've eaten alot of local foods in many foreign countries that make most people puke their guts out. I've eaten cow brains in Turkey, balute in the Pines, dog meat in the Pines and Naples, armadillo on the half shell, coon and possum (greasy), gator...just to mention of the few of the delicacies I've eaten. I'm still here typing. Chickens, dogs, and pigs will eat just about anything and everything. I used to raise hogs, gave them leftovers all the time, spare ribs incuded.

Dawg I heard that the warm monkey brains served at the table from the skull were delicious but alas I admit that I could not try it. The monkey was just too adorable and cute to me. Although alligator is good, frog legs are good, brains and scrambled eggs are okay too. As they say "when in Rome..."





To the original poster....liquidy poo in the hotter months can be simple over heating or dehydration. Make sure they have access to at least double the amount of normal water you would provide. Watch for changes in the color of the poo...mustard yellow or blood tinged poo can indicate worms. Chcieksn will shed dead intestinal lining from time to time also so check for the presence of worms in the poo or for a constant in the poo. Chickens carry a certain amount of worms within their bodies naturally, it is when the number gets too large or certain types of worms are present the bird is in danger. Remember after worming, use a probiotic or plain yogurt to replace the good gut bacteria that the wormer removes.

Good treats for them in the hot months....fresh cold watermelon, frozen leftovers like beef stew, veggies and refrigerated grapes. They pick at it and it is cold and it helps cool them. Watermelon is great because it is primarily water and they love it!

 

[speckledhen]

Early on, I had a large group of youngsters who had issues with cocci. Back then, I didn't know to treat them with Corid first, rather than Sulmet, so they had a relapse or two-apparently Sulmet didn't treat the type cocci they had very well. Some became anemic-looking in the face/wattles. You know what the advice was for that? Feed them cooked chicken livers. I did it. It perked them up tremendously and they regained color and strength. Chickens are omnivores and they'll eat each other if given half a chance and are hungry enough, with no ill effects.


As for watery poop, in hot weather, they have a high need for water. Watery poop is very common.

 

[klmclain1]

You would be appalled if someone served you a plate of Human,

I just asked my daugter how she would feel if she were served a piece of ME! She said, "Mom, you're too tough!"