Diarrhea lasting a whole month?

[CritterMama]

This has been going on for about a month now, and I've tried various things, none of which have worked thus far. The first symptom was a shell-less egg, followed by no more laying...yes, we provide oyster shells, and yes, she is (was) a consistent layer. She appeared uncomfortable for a few days, hunched up, her little butt working like it was attempting to expel something. I thought perhaps she was egg-bound. Gave her a warm bath. Nothing. Have since palpated numerous times, there is nothing there. Scratch that one off the list. Her vent continues to leak a runny white poop that sticks to her rear--once or twice there were trace amounts of blood--and she has lost feathers in that area, probably by picking from the other five girls. She remains active, still eats and drinks, but less enthusiastically. After reading posts about diarrhea, I thought maybe worms, so I laced her food with cayenne pepper. No change. Fed her generous portions of plain yogurt to aid digestion. No change. Perhaps gleet? The smell is normal poopy smell, nothing especially noxious. I've been keeping her rear cleaned up, and put Vaseline around the vent as she appears to have a minor chicken-style 'diaper rash.' Her crop feels soft and squishy/airy, but I compared to the other girls and it wasn't much different.

I kept her isolated for a while, but eventually put her back with the others, thinking maybe the familiarity would ease her stress and improve her health. The others are entirely normal. Any ideas on what is causing this issue and how to help my poor girl to feel better?

Thanks much,
Jus

 

[MotherJean]

Seems that the only thing you haven't tried is medication for coccidiosis. There are lots of threads with good info on that if you do a search. In brief, I think the recommended drugs are Sulmet or Amprolium. The folks at the feed store where you buy medications will be able to direct you to the right stuff and the right dosage.

 

[CritterMama]

Thanks much, I'll give it a shot!!

 

[PunkinPeep]

That doesn't sound anything like coccidiosis.

Since you said she hasn't laid any eggs since, i wonder if there's a broken egg or something. I'm really just guessing, since i haven't witnessed those sort of symptoms before.

But it definitely doesn't sound like coccidiosis. Nor would i ever recommend taking dosage advice from a feed store employee unless you know the specific person to be knowledgeable as to chickens. Lots of us have gotten lots of bad advice from very well-meaning but uninformed feed store employees.