first- bloody poop-now...soft shell egg What's up?

[chickenmonkey]

I noticed my Jenny-girl standing away from my other hens in the coop. Upon futher investigation I noticed her butt looking nasty and bloody mixed with tan and some icky black stuff. now tonight i check on her and there's a soft shell egg under her. She never lays in the evening. Is she going to be ok? She is drinking ...haven't noticed her eat yet. She is a year old RIR.

Kristy

 

[silkiechicken]

See if you can't clean up her bum. Is the blood real blood and not tinted from food she ate? If it is real blood, is it in the stools or is there an injury near the vent? Blood in the stools = cocci which needs to be treated with sulmet or amprol or another approved cocci med. Blood from the vent can be from picking on a prolapse or some other issue of the sort. Soft shell eggs, do you provide oyster shell on the side? Maybe more info on her diet may help. Sometimes they do pop out a softie though and end up ok. Keep a close eye on her and see what her stools are like if possible.

 

[sammi]

it's possible your hen has cocci or a bad case of worms..
both can cause blood in the droppings and otherwise messy droppings..
both can deplete the system of protein and other nutrients and needed for formation of eggs and shell..

she may also have developed an enteritis, or infection, so may also need an antibiotic.

best to have a fecal float, or worm and protozoa test done by a vet asap.

please say what all you feed your chickens,
and do a good check and observation of the hen for any other symptoms.

 

[chickenmonkey]

she eats egg-maker. from the feed mill...no oyster shells and
every week i give them a bit of sod and dirt. i will check if the blood is from poop or from prolapse. i thought her butt looked to mushy and fleshy and well..im just not sure...but i will go see.... i have never had a reason to look at my chickens butts beforeso...not sure how big and mushy vents usually are. they have been so healthy.
thanks for your help...i have learned so much from reading all your posts over the last few weeks...just started incubating polish eggs that are due in 9 days. I thought I had the healthiest hens in the world..wow how things can change fast

Kristy

 

[sammi]

if you find prolapse...separate the hen from others, since they will peck her.
wash the area well with saline, and diluted betadine
let dry..
apply Preparation H (hemorrhoid ointment) to reduce swelling.
allow the ointment to work for a while, and push the prolapse back in..
this might take a few tries before it stays in.


start offering crushed oyster shell in a separate feeder,
and offer a little plain yogurt mixed with feed, and a little oatmeal as a calcium supplement.

consider getting some Avia Charge..(McMurray Hatchery sells it)..

www.mcmurrayhatchery.com

 

[FarmerDenise]

The diluted betadine should look like ice tea. When I need it I make up small batches and keep it in a small baby food size jar (labeled, of course). Use a syringe or clean mustard dispensers to apply both the saline solution to clean and the betadine solution to sterilize.
I also recommend a fecal smear ASAP! Coccidia may not kill an older bird, but will weaken it, so when another stressfull situation comes up the chicken is unable to deal with it and can die. One of the signs of coccidia is a bloody stool.
Good luck with your hen!

 

[Beekissed]

I read somewhere that laying a soft-shelled egg is pretty traumatic for the hen...could have caused the blood. My leghorn layed one recently at the beginning of her cycle and you could tell she hurt pretty bad afterwards. She just hunched over and kept still for a few days, didn't eat much at all. Unless you are getting more soft-shelled eggs, I doubt there is a need for added calcium.