chicken diarrhea

[dawg53]

No need to give them yogurt, but if you want to, you could give them an avian specific probiotic. Some like to give cat food to boost protein levels (peafowl people do this), but there is no need to. All they really need is fresh lay pellet or crumble and free choice oyster shell. I also give mine table scraps as long as there aren't any foods that are toxic to birds in it. The majority of their food should be a poultry feed, period.

-Kathy

x2 Well said.

 

[Radseg]

Diarrhea

I am new to chickens and to be honest I just don't know what their poop is supposed to look like. Sometimes it looked what I would call solid but sometimes loose. My poop is the same do I think it's based on what they eat. My get laying food plus snacks daily which depends on what we had that day or the previous day for dinner etc. on nice days they are allowed to free range for at least s couple of hours. They refused to go out in the snow as this is their first year to experience it so they are copped up in their coop. They are 10 months old and lay consistently daily. I have only wormed them once with wazine. My QUESTIONS::
How often should u give them yogurt for their digestive health and why cat food? I give them grit in a container to eat as they chose. What else is needed?

 

[Radseg]

Hi, DDL. I've read that grit is only required if you feed whole grains. They pick it up naturally when they forage. I've learned that good layer crumbles should make up the bulk of their diet. All the other stuff is like chicken candy. "Raising Chickens for Dummies" says snacks should be no more than a cup per WEEK per chicken. I've gotten off scratch and on BOSS and a good mixed bird seed for treats. They also get a little fruit a few times a week--apple, or melon, or grapes (don't forget to chop up).

Chris

 

[aceraldi]

Update on Sophia: I have been giving her scrambled eggs and buttermilk every day, which she adores, but no change in her diarrhea. It occurred to me (I'm a nurse) that if she were a human, I'd suspect Diabetes Mellitus. (Sleepy, excess urine, drastic weight loss) So I took her in and had the vet draw labs, including a check for anemia, as her comb is pale. Sure enough, her glucose was 1100. Normal is 200-300 for a chicken. And she is anemic. We are guessing that the mass the vet feels is in her pancreas, and this has damaged her ability to produce insulin.

So--anybody out there ever treated a chicken for diabetes? Any advice? The vet is reluctant to give her insulin because it could easily kill her if she gets too much. She read that Stevia has been shown to reduce blood glucose and wants me to try that. So I will, but I'm kind of dubious that it will help. Would love to hear of anyone else's experience. She's probably going to die anyway within a year, (labs show that her kidney function isn't what it should be) but if I could get her to gain a little weight and feel perkier for her remaining time I'd be happy.

Thanks!

 

[Radseg]

Hi. I wouldn't put Sophia through any more treatments or labs. I have a sweet Leghorn, Dinah, who somehow injured a leg over 3 months ago. She was almost fully recovered, and now after a few days of foraging in the nice weather, has severely reinjured it. Keeping her confined and segregated from her 2 "sisters" is stressful for them and me. If she can't be out with them, she can't be a "happy" chicken. And this is in addition to being treated for worms and coccidia several weeks ago.

I'm thankful I have a vet who is willing to euthanize her if I make that decision. Keeping these girls alive (or any animal) on our terms is rather selfish, I believe. If they can't "be" themselves without a lot of intervention, it becomes about us--not them.

I'm sorry Sophia is ill and hope you can make peace with letting her go...