Concerned chicken mom

[anlicia]

My Barred Plymouth Rock has lost a lot of weight and is having a huge issue pooping. Her poop is getting all bunched up in her butt feathers and some is so stuck to her rear that it will not come off. She's still eating and pecking to get grit (and I supply extra for them). There are no worms in her poop (I brought her inside to observe her) and she doesn't have mites. She's acting "normal", if that can be said for a chicken. She isn't acting lethargic or having other odd behaviors. Is something going on with her or is this normal for that species?

 

[coach723]

Do you have a vet that will do a fecal test for you? Worms are not always visible in the droppings, most of the time they are not. The test looks for the eggs, which are microscopic. Worms can be a cause of runny droppings and dirty rears, and can also cause weight loss. If there are very hard and dried droppings that you can't get off, you can use a small pair of scissors and carefully snip the feathers to remove that. How old is she? There could be an underlying health issue, check her abdomen, below the vent and between the legs, for any bloating that feels hard or water balloon like, compare with other chickens if you aren't sure. If the droppings are normal sometimes birds will get dirty bums for no real reason, some birds sometimes just don't 'shoot' it out as hard and far, so clean up as necessary. When it's fly season it's a very good idea to stay on top if it so that you don't have a bird get fly strike, which can be very serious, and can happen to those with really dirty vents.

 

[anlicia]

I believe there is a vet in my area that can check.
She's about a year and a half.
I'll check her abdomen for bloating.
Thanks for the advice.