Okay, so I have a 1-1/2 to 2 year old rhode island red. She usually lays 5 days of the week. But recently shes been having the runs & out of 2 weeks laid 2 softshell eggs. I feed them 18% layer with 1/3 mix flock raiser with oyster shell. she eats the most out of everyone in the flock I clean the coop 2 a week and de worm them monthly also give them electrlytes in water. She acts normal but just has weird watery poop. I also gave them a epsom salt flush and gave them cran juice pedialyte and electrtolyes. her poop looks like this. http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff221/Aunt__Sally/Poo/Watery.jpg I dont want her to die
Check out this link: http://chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0 The poo photo you posted is the same one on this website. According to them, it's a sign that the hens are too hot (guessing not the case, given the time of year) or they're not eating enough (sounds like she's eating a lot). You're doing a lot of cleaning, flushing and de-worming ... wonder if that might be part of it ... at the very least, here's a bump, and hope your hen starts to do better.
With all the worming, saturation of extra electrolytes and salt...Im surprised her kidneys have not shut down before now. Do not worm a chicken more than twice a year, put her on plain water and feed. Extra electrolytes and vitamins can sometimes be useful the first few days of life and on the very rare occasion that they are being treated for an illness that is dehydrating them. Thats about it. Chickens are wonderful animals, even good pets to some. Dont get carried away though straying too far from what they would get in nature. Vits and other additions can be good for humans to help with our horrible diets, but dont let that spill over into chickens. Kidney and liver failure is a very painful way to go.
also.. "overthehenhouse" mentioned that site talking about being to hot. You dont have a heater an/or heat lamp out there do you? If so please refer to previous advice....stop trying to over think it, you are straying too far from nature and what their bodies are set up to handle.
If it were mine I would bring it inside,and set her up in a pet cage/crate. I would start out with some crumbles/pellets with warm water.Add a bit of lifeway kefir or yogurt to it to soothe the gut. I would do that for a day or 2 to see the gut changes,before giving anything else.If I thought it was a resp. infection I would give antibios and again the probiotics. I have had chickens lay soft or even shelless eggs.Sometimes no obvious health issues.Another time was when my new roo made 2 hens sick with an upper resp infection.
I agree with the post about the frequent worming and electrolytes, that's a bit much. The need a natural diet and existance. That being said we have a 20 wk old pullet who started making kazoo noises and sneezing today.... on christmas eve. She is one of our sweetest quietest hens, but she will have to wait for Monday now to get meds or vet treatment if she gets worse.
