Chicken poop is like black tear drops

[NikyZDem]

Can anyone help with advice for my sick hen. I noticed over the last 3 days that she wasn’t as energetic as usual, she keeps shaking her head and her eyes look a little sleepy. I kept her secluded so I could check her poop as she is both eating and drinking normally, just with less vigour then norma. Her poop is like little Black tear drops, almost in the firmness of a pellet? Any help much appreciated.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

@Wyorp Rock and @Eggcessive might be able to help.

 

[Eggcessive]

How old is she? Does she still lay eggs regularly and with normal hard shells? I have had dome old hens with reproductive disorders no longer laying who had watery poops with little black poops. Is her crop emptying by the next morning? Poop pictures are welcome.

 

[NikyZDem]

Hi there, age is around 2yrs old. Her poop seems to be back to normal but she is walking ever so slightly off balance. She is still eating and drinking and doing what hens do, just more slowly and with less energy then usual. I’ve had a horrendous time with mites and have been spraying down my coup almost 3 times a week, but she doesn’t seem to have them on her. I’m wondering if it could be worms, as the head shaking is persistent and her eyes do not seem to have the usual vigour. I’m based in Turkey and the vets here are not the best unfortunately. I have moved her to my peafowl coup which my birds only use in the winter so I know its clean of mites.

 

[Banana01]

Hi there, age is around 2yrs old. Her poop seems to be back to normal but she is walking ever so slightly off balance. She is still eating and drinking and doing what hens do, just more slowly and with less energy then usual. I’ve had a horrendous time with mites and have been spraying down my coup almost 3 times a week, but she doesn’t seem to have them on her. I’m wondering if it could be worms, as the head shaking is persistent and her eyes do not seem to have the usual vigour. I’m based in Turkey and the vets here are not the best unfortunately. I have moved her to my peafowl coup which my birds only use in the winter so I know its clean of mites.

Does she sleep above the ground in roosts? Does she have dust baths available in the daytime to dust bathe? Chwck her face around the eyes, beak, ears, below the chin on the neck, top of head, legs, under wings for red infestations of mites that are feeding on her blood. Have you lost any other young babies or younger chickens? They are more susceptible to dying from mites.

I would imagine in turkey you have stores that sell medicines for animals that dont require a vet? If you can buy a dewormer like fenbendazole, albendazole or even ivermectine then you can deworm her and hopefully see some improvement.

Some signs of worm infestation would be drinking a lot more water than usual, going to sleep at night with mostly water in the crop, and liquidy and runny droppings, weight loss, and lethargic. Best to treat her for worms and ask for a medicine for both internal and external parasites, ivermectin is one that can kill the external mites that are feeding on her blood.

Another option is to bathe her feathers in whatever you are spraying to kill the mites, as a last resort. She may just need some vitamins and rest too.

 

[NikyZDem]

Yes she still roosts, I have a large dirt bath for the birds and they dig in around my walnut trees too, so plenty of options on a large property. Nothing around her eyes or beak, poop is a bit runny.

I have ivermectin so will give her that. Do I giver her ivermectin for 5 days? Yes, I did have a silky who was only 1.5yrs old and she just became lame all of a sudden and died the next morning. I have another silky who’s losted her vigour, so I have moved her to the peafowl coup also, as I read that mites cause lameness then sudden death. I’m due to spray the coup again today but I can’t work out where they are coming from. I’ve treated their dust bath with a powder from the vets to treat mites externally.

 

[NikyZDem]

I think this hen is suffering from microplasma synovia. As far as I know there is no cure for this. Does anyone know any different?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you post some photos of her legs and leg joints? Preferably a couple of her standing on her own so we can see her stance.

You think she has MS? What symptoms do you see that lead you to this conclusion?

I may have missed it, but when it the last time she laid an egg?

Feel of her abdomen below the vent between her legs for bloat or fluid. If she still has mites, do your best to get rid of those. Deworming is a good idea. Make sure her crop is emptying overnight. You can offer her supportive care through vitamin therapy, give her vitamin E and B-Complex daily.

 

[NikyZDem]

I think this because my papa peacock showed the same symptoms. I contacted a vet in the USA who specialises in birds and with video recordings and pictures, she thought it was MS. Unfortunately after 4 months of care and keeping him in a heated separate environment, he passed in January. I have wormed her, moved her to a separate coup which is mite free, powdered her for mites and still no improvement. Her walking is off balance, her eyes look dead like my peacocks did, she drops her food when eating it, lack luster of energy , but unlike papa she is still moving around 80% of the day rather then sitting still. When I puck her up she feels so much lighter then she should. I can take pictures and will check today to see if she has laid an egg. My property is an acre in size and her group of hens …, I’m still trying to find where they ate laying there eggs.

 

[NikyZDem]

Lack not luck and are not ate… auto correct