diarrhea

[1WildChick]

Greetings my Fowl Friends!
This is my first foray into bird-dom, & we are LOVING it! My girls are spoiled rotten, with a habitat that makes ME jealous! We live remote/off-grid on an island in Alaska, so I hope someone can respond right away, as I will be taking a boat ride home today & will have no further access to technology/civilization for some time:

Issue #1
Two of my girls have red/irritated vents...I brought one into town with me to have her looked at, but she was getting better (I thought) so I didn't take her to the vet, & now they're closed for the weekend. Having kept her free-ranging (IN THE HOUSE!) with me for the last two days, I have had the dubious honor/opportunity to observe her poo at close range, with no confusion about whose it is...Virtually every squirt is runny, dark brown, & VERY stinky!! Have only seen one or two firmish piles in the last coupla days, with a TINY bit of white in it. Otherwise, she most definitely has a nasty case of diarrhea, which'd certainly irritate MY butt if it'd come from there!

They all eat Layer feed from the feed store, & kitchen/veggie trimmings, along with crushed sea-shells & their own egg shells, crushed. (Several of the younger gals are just getting started laying, & are often laying eggs that are more like water balloons. When I am home, I have no access to stores, etc., so I work with what I've got, picking up seashells & smashing them finely.) She lays an egg only sporadically, but seems quite happy & healthy otherwise...except that I've had her about 2 months & she hasn't seemed to gain any weight. I don't know if she SHOULD be in such a short time, but I definitely want her to be healthy & content first & foremost. What do I do for her?

Issue #2
Another hen has been pecking at her right "shoulder" (elbow?) for the last few weeks; I have put Neosporin on her raw spot to deter the other chickens from pecking at her, but have watched them all closely enough to know that she is doing the damage to herself. Finally identified that she seems to have an infected feather...the shaft has blood/brusing inside it, which would certainly irritate her, causing her to poke/pull at the area. Through a phone call to the local vet yesterday, they said I can just pull the offending feather out, & don't mind that it'll bleed a bit. Is this correct, & shall I treat her with anything after pulling it? I bought some Magic/Wonder Dust for wounds that I will probably Poof over it if I don't hear anything back from folks.

Please help me keep my girls happy! They are bringing us SO much entertainment & awesome, dark orange-yolked eggs...NOTHING like store-bought!

Thanks in advance for your advice/lovin'!
1WildChick

 

[Wyandottes7]

For the birds with the inflamed vents, check for mites and lice. Mites and lice will cause irritation. If you see them (they appear as small brownish black specks crawling across the skin), treat with Sevin powder.

To attempt to treat the diarrhea, give your chickens some yogurt. Yogurt contains benificial probiotics that will help the digestive system. Chicken electrolytes (if you have them or can get them--I'm not sure how easy it is to get this stuff on a remote island) would also be a good idea. If the diarrhea makes her feathers dirty, give her a bath.

You said that your birds haven't gained weight. Do they feel skinny/very light? This could indicate worms, though, as there are no other symptoms, this is just speculation. To be safe, you might want to get a dewormer, such as Valbazen or SafeGuard.

I've never had a chicken with an infected feather. However, I agree with the vet that you should pull it out. All its doing right now is irritating her. Feathers aren't usually too difficult to pull out. Just grasp it firmly near the base and pull. You'll be surprised at how easy it comes out, and there should be little bleeding, if any.

Hope this helps!

 

[mithious]

sounds like cocci. That is just how cocci started in my own flock. I bought some Corrid powder and give 1/2 to 3/4th tsp per gallon to all the birds. The liquid is 2 tsp per gallon. Treat for 5-7 days. I am doing the 7 day treatment, then 2 weeks rest, than another 7 day treatment, if I feel they need it.

Mine showed a change for the better, by the night of the first treatment, but just today, day 6, was the first time of NO runny poo's.

Best of luck with you birds, hope they get better soon!!!

 

[mithious]

Oh and if you treat for cocci, don't give anything else, like vitamins, as that is what the parasite lives off. Only give them the corrid water so they have to drink it.

There is a thread on this emergency thread that says cocci, and has tons of info on how to tell the signs and such and some other ideas on treating a really sick bird...chickens are great at hiding that they are sick

so she might've had this brewing for awhile?!

 

[1WildChick]

Tried the yogurt immediately after receiving the first response. Velvet, the one gal I brought into town with me, LOVED it of course....I can see that I am now going to have to learn to make my OWN yogurt, as grocery store prices here are outrageous & buying yogurt regularly for all 8 girls could EAT me out of house & home! As far as any of the meds, I am not sure where to get them in a timely manner...I had been planning on leaving today to skiff home, but perhaps should stay another day to contact the vet. (Only one on the island & not very "birdy.") Will read the section on cocci next. Sure appreciate this forum & all you fowl people!

 

[casportpony]

Are there any cattle or goat breeders on the island? If so, they might have medications you could use.

-Kathy

 

[1WildChick]

After speaking to a lovely lady at an organic farm on the road system outside of town, it sounds like cocci is indeed the most likely culprit. The girls do get to free-range in the afternoons, after they've done their "chores" of laying for me, & I guess when they're really young their systems might not be strong enough to be immune to the yuck that worms can carry. Also, the lady I got 6 of my 8 from is super-scientific & organic about the mash that she makes for them, so having gone from Primo to the feed-store, filler-laden, most-likely GMO crap, it's entirely feasible that their systems are a little upset! Have been giving Velvet yogurt w/her dish while we've been in town, & she's starting to get firmer/whiter pooty, so that's a good sign. She's gonna be bummed when we go home & she doesn't get to be a house-chicken anymore, though!

Don't know how to break it to her....she's been a good companion, riding around in the front seat with me every day while I run errands, & free-ranging around the house in the evenings! Too much fun!

Thanks for the input y'all! Pics of the girls & their accommodations coming soon!
1WildChick