Constipated? (picture is kind of graphic proceed with caution)

[GingerGremlin]

This all sounds like a great diet. Maybe she foraged something a little hard to digest. Mine catch big frogs and lizards -- even snakes -- all the time.

Thank you, I try really hard to make sure they have what they need!

That would make sense, the first time I saw them catch a mouse I was floored. They also have free access to oyster shell I forgot to mention that..

I'll keep an eye on her and if I see it hanging out consistently like you mentioned I'll follow through with that treatment, im glad im prepared for that possibility/situation now. Thank you so much for all your help!

 

[TropicalChickies]

Thank you, I try really hard to make sure they have what they need!

That would make sense, the first time I saw them catch a mouse I was floored. They also have free access to oyster shell I forgot to mention that..

I'll keep an eye on her and if I see it hanging out consistently like you mentioned I'll follow through with that treatment, im glad im prepared for that possibility/situation now. Thank you so much for all your help!

Sure thing. It's good to be prepared! If you do ever have to clean the tissue and put it back in, it looks worse than it is. It's actually easy to do. Just use some lubrication and be gentle and make sure the tissue is clean.

 

[TropicalChickies]

Unfortunately I didn't see her poop afterwards so I'm not 100% sure but in the morning before this when I let them out she pooped and it was normal, they are on a great layer feed I get from a local farmer (don't remember exactly what's in it, she ran out of labels for the bags and I didn't mind) and the day before I did give them some leftovers from the fridge but it was all cooked, some green beans and ground beef..

She's a foodie so as soon as she's let out to free range she's grazing on grass, clover and any bug she can catch which is an impressive amount actually. I put an extra waterer in the run for them just in case the other girls are hogging it and when I get home I'll keep an eye on her a bit to see if she poops and what it looks like.

I do know a couple of the other girls had diarrhea once or twice and they have poopy butt feathers but that's mostly normal for those specific hens, not sure if related so I wanted to add it. One of the waterers has a little bit of diluted oil of oregano in it because the same lady I buy my feed from told me it helps her hens when she notices more diarrhea/poopy feathers.

I just thought of something...

Do you deworm your chickens? Diarrhea and straining to poop can be caused by a worm overload. I'm not saying that's for sure the cause (you would need a fecal test to be sure). There's lots of worms that don't actually show up in chicken poop. They stay lodged in the intestines and can interfere with elimination and nutrient absorption.

As a chicken keeper, I'm much more on the natural side. I make their feed myself with whole ingredients and the flocks are 100% free range. But I live in the tropics where parasites are a really big problem for all animals. So I deworm everyone twice a year as a preventative measure.

Just a thought. I've never had a bird get I'll from deworming. But I think it does help with keeping their poop firm and health overall to keep their worm load manageable.

 

[GingerGremlin]

I just thought of something...

Do you deworm your chickens? Diarrhea and straining to poop can be caused by a worm overload. I'm not saying that's for sure the cause (you would need a fecal test to be sure). There's lots of worms that don't actually show up in chicken poop. They stay lodged in the intestines and can interfere with elimination and nutrient absorption.

As a chicken keeper, I'm much more on the natural side. I make their feed myself with whole ingredients and the flocks are 100% free range. But I live in the tropics where parasites are a really big problem for all animals. So I deworm everyone twice a year as a preventative measure.

Just a thought. I've never had a bird get I'll from deworming. But I think it does help with keeping their poop firm and health overall to keep their worm load manageable.

I don't make a habit of it because I also try to keep things natural but they did just have two rounds of ivermectin over the summer for a stubborn case of depluming mites I just could not get rid of, that was only a couple months ago at most.. I got to see her poop yesterday afternoon and she had no issues although it was a little runny.

 

[TropicalChickies]

I don't make a habit of it because I also try to keep things natural but they did just have two rounds of ivermectin over the summer for a stubborn case of depluming mites I just could not get rid of, that was only a couple months ago at most.. I got to see her poop yesterday afternoon and she had no issues although it was a little runny.

Ok, just something to keep in mind, the possibility for worm overload. Ivermectin is more effective against external parasites like mites. For internal worms like tapeworm, threadworm, roundworm etc, it's best to use a product like Safeguard or Panacur or Valbazen. I use Albendazol (generic human grade Valbazen) because I can get it here in (I live in South America) in an oral suspension and treat each bird with just one dose and then repeat in 10 days. I'm not a fan of unnecessary treatments, but if they continue to have diarrhea or straining to poop, in my experience they really don't suffer from an occasional deworming.

If they look and are acting healthy, they are probably fine. It's just something to keep in mind.

 

[GingerGremlin]

Ok, just something to keep in mind, the possibility for worm overload. Ivermectin is more effective against external parasites like mites. For internal worms like tapeworm, threadworm, roundworm etc, it's best to use a product like Safeguard or Panacur or Valbazen. I use Albendazol (generic human grade Valbazen) because I can get it here in (I live in South America) in an oral suspension and treat each bird with just one dose and then repeat in 10 days. I'm not a fan of unnecessary treatments, but if they continue to have diarrhea or straining to poop, in my experience they really don't suffer from an occasional deworming.

If they look and are acting healthy, they are probably fine. It's just something to keep in mind.

That is great advice! I was under the impression the Ivermectin would help with any worm issues as well, I live in the Midwest of the United States. Is there an egg withdrawal period for these products?