Diarrhea for a week now - 1yo hen

[LilacLes]

I have a one year old australorp, Omelet, who developed nasty diarrhea last week. Several times a day her innards rumble loudly and then she blows out these huge gobs of runny poop - if you hold your hand with your fingers spread out in a star, that's how big they are. They're mostly watery-mucousy with some solid bits mixed in there, but definitely way runnier than normal.

Her symptoms are:

• she's got less energy but she isn't listless
• she isn't laying eggs
• her comb and wattle seem of normal colour
• she's eating and drinking normally
• she seems alert and interactive
• I have not noticed any blood or visible-to-the-eye parasites in the poop

She's a free-range hen on our organic farm, and she's fed organic feed and scratch. I've been giving her raw organic yogurt, bits of banana and cheese, an organic herbal tea made from plantain, marsh mallow, lemon balm, echinacea (I can never spell that), slippery elm bark, and chamomile. Nothing seems to be helping, but she loves all this food. She's always gotten treats every day, so this is nothing new (meaning that's highly unlikely to be causing stomach upset).

We did get a batch of new chicks in mid July, but that's now 5 weeks ago and none of the other hens, or the chicks, is sick.

What should I do? Epsom salts? Vinegar in the water? Wait it out? Any thoughts to the cause? At first I thought it was the heat - I'd noticed she had a messy bum and she almost collapsed on a very hot day, so I gave her a lukewarm bath and she perked up, but is now in this perpetual state of rumble-tummy/blowouts. It's been a full week.

Should I try different herbs in the tea maybe? We love all our chickens dearly and we're at our wit's end trying to get Omelet back to normal.

Thanks.

 

[kimfischer]

my chicken is like that too but she is slower and i don't think she eats or drinks much. how old is your chicken?

 

[dawg53]

Time for a change of diet...how about just regular feed and water. If I was fed all that stuff you're feeding Omelet, my guts would be rumbling and having blowouts as well ! Dont give her epsom salts neither, that causes diarrhea also. Additionally if the temperature where you live is very hot... birds drink alot of water during hot temps and can cause watery diarrhea. Worms can cause diarrhea, consider worming if the change of diet doesnt work.

 

[Fancychooklady]

You won't always see blood if cocci is the problem. You could try treating with corrid for 7 days.
You say she had a messy butt, perhaps do a bit of research on vent gleet. I just had a case of gleet, wow it stinks. Gave yoghurt and treated with Epsom salt. Seems to have done the trick.

 

[dawg53]

You won't always see blood if cocci is the problem. You could try treating with corrid for 7 days.
You say she had a messy butt, perhaps do a bit of research on vent gleet. I just had a case of gleet, wow it stinks. Gave yoghurt and treated with Epsom salt. Seems to have done the trick.

Vent gleet crossed my mind, but the symptoms arnt there as described by the OP. In any case, here's a link on vent gleet for the OP to read:
http://ultimatefowl.com/wiki/index.php?title=Vent_Gleet

 

[Fancychooklady]

Thanks Dawg, I haven't worked out how to add the links from my iPad.

. You are probably right, could be a case of worms.

 

[LilacLes]

Thanks for the replies! Even if we can't figure it out, it's great to brainstorm, so thank you!

Omelet is 1 year and 1 month old.

The diet does sound a little odd, but I've always fed my girls little extras every day. It's always organic, always unprocessed (mostly from other local organic farms) and always in small amounts. I think it would be more of a shock to her if I suddenly stopped. Especially the yogurt - it's raw, unsweetened, and organic from a local farm - we're so lucky to have them nearby.

I felt her crop and it feels bloated and gassy. She doesn't quite fit the description of gleet though - her vent is pretty clean and normal-looking. It doesn't have little white sores and it's not even red. Thankfully her poops don't smell at all (the article didn't mention stinkies but Fancychooklady says it does...?) Maybe I could switch the herbs in her tea to include garlic and some other herbs (basil? oregano is powerful against yeast... apple cider vinegar?).

Does coccidiosis (sp?) cause gassy crops and burbly tummies? Someone mentioned that you might not see blood in the stool - does it cause massive watery blowouts several times a day? She isn't getting pale in her wattles either...

Thanks for trying to help me figure it out - I hope this extra information helps us narrow it down. I really appreciate the insight from you seasoned chicken people!

 

[dawg53]

Thanks for the replies! Even if we can't figure it out, it's great to brainstorm, so thank you!

Omelet is 1 year and 1 month old.

The diet does sound a little odd, but I've always fed my girls little extras every day. It's always organic, always unprocessed (mostly from other local organic farms) and always in small amounts. I think it would be more of a shock to her if I suddenly stopped. Especially the yogurt - it's raw, unsweetened, and organic from a local farm - we're so lucky to have them nearby.

I felt her crop and it feels bloated and gassy. She doesn't quite fit the description of gleet though - her vent is pretty clean and normal-looking. It doesn't have little white sores and it's not even red. Thankfully her poops don't smell at all (the article didn't mention stinkies but Fancychooklady says it does...?) Maybe I could switch the herbs in her tea to include garlic and some other herbs (basil? oregano is powerful against yeast... apple cider vinegar?).

Does coccidiosis (sp?) cause gassy crops and burbly tummies? Someone mentioned that you might not see blood in the stool - does it cause massive watery blowouts several times a day? She isn't getting pale in her wattles either...

Thanks for trying to help me figure it out - I hope this extra information helps us narrow it down. I really appreciate the insight from you seasoned chicken people!

Fancychooklady is correct about vent gleet having a foul odor...read the "symptoms" in the link I provided. Chickens are like little children,,,how much chocolate do you give them until they get sick?
I highly recommend you stop the yogurt (yogurt tends to pass right through chickens, despite what you've read about it) and stop the other herbs and simply provide her with regular feed to eat. Good luck.

 

[casportpony]

I read something written by a vet (so it ust be true, lmao), but it said that vent gleet can be caused by bacterial infection, fungal infection, parasites or a combination. I'll try to find the link.

Dawg is right, just feed your birds fresh lay pellets or crumble.

-Kathy

 

[Fancychooklady]

The frequency of the treats may be causing her problems. I only give yoghurt as part of a treatment plan. Scrambled egg and a slice of whole meal bread once a fortnight is a regular treat for mine. Acv in the water, might be worth a try. I too would advise that you might go back to
" basics " . When was the last time she was wormed?