clostridium perfringens?

[Hayleytemplet]

I have a 1.5yo barred rock that hasn't really been laying for a few months now (that I know of. I have only one other chicken and I get an egg every few days and sometimes can go a week or more without an egg but I"m pretty sure it is not the barred rock laying). She has been sleeping int he nesting box (I'm working on stopping that) but free ranges all day without any issues. Seems to be eating fine and not having any other issues except watery poop. We live in Texas so I usually ignore watery poop simply because I figure it is mostly due to increased water intake due to the heat. Well We have been having cooler temps, closer to highs of maybe 80 if that, and her poop is like a faucet. I noticed today (she happened to poop on the concrete) that it had a bunch of undigested grass. This is the first I have noticed undigested food in there. Could clostridium perfringens cause her to stop laying eggs too? I am going to try an get a float test maybe but how do I collect poop that is so incredibly watery?!

I didn't get pictures soon enough after so the pics below are after it dried quite a bit. I'm going to get more pics and post but if you can answer the detail about egg laying stopping with CP that would help for now!

 

[Kiki]

What exactly do you feed your birds on a regular basis?

 

[Hayleytemplet]

Dumor I think it's called. I do pellets and then they free range all day every day

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you contact a local vet, and ask if they can do a gram stain on poop as well as a fecal float, if you bring in some fresh droppings? Collect them in a ziploc bag. You may need to place her in a dog crate overnight with paper towels of puppy pads for bedding to collect some. If any of your pets need a fecal float or ahots, that might make it easier to get your vet to do this.

 

[Hayleytemplet]

Getting a stain and float today but adding to this debacle, these are the eggs she has been laying. First was 10/22 then the next day and then I THINK she laid a normal one and the furthest right was today. Poop got better and worse again.

 

[Eggcessive]

Let us know what the fecal and gram stain show at the vet.

 

[Hayleytemplet]

Still waiting on the test results but still having small eggs and wet poop. She seems and acts fine. Eggs are tiny but she is laying every other day ish. Poop has more "substance" but still no form and lots of liquid with the substance. I cracked the egg and this one didn't have a yolk but the other one I had that was the same size had a yolk but it wasn't solid. Not sure if it broke when I broke the egg or wasn't formed inside or what. This is stumping me!

 

[Kmcschoolee]

What did you ever find out on this hen with the runny droppings? I have a hen that I was given about a year ago and she is having droppings that look just like this and she is laying eggs that are cracked but not broken. She is acting normal and eating fine but its like she is not absorbing the nutrients she needs. I wormed them with ivermectin drops a couple weeks ago. I do not know how old she is or what kind she is but she looks just like the hen you pictured here.