I need some help with a Rhode Island Red hen (Lucy) that is a little over one year old. She has poop/diarrhea on her fluffy butt and the past two days in the nesting box there has been a lot of fluid (maybe pee). I don't know, I've never seen it before! One day there was an egg but today was just the fluid! Not sure what to do or what it could be! The list of chickens problems is soo long!!
Hi Welcome To BYC It sounds like she is having difficulty laying her eggs. The fluid that you saw in the nesting box "pee" if it was yellow(ish) was most likely egg/egg whites. She probably laid a soft shell egg - she would have more than likely eaten the egg shell or another hen may have that's why you didn't see that. Offer her some extra calcium - Crushed Tums (or dissolve it in water and directly dose her), liquid calcium (1cc) or some yogurt. Give her some poultry vitamins like Poultry Nutri-Drench (1cc per 3lbs) and see that she is drinking well. If you can, catch her up and clean her bum - you can wash her with a little dish liquid added to the water. If it's cold you will need to make sure she is thoroughly dry before she goes back outside. If she is really fluffy you can also trim some of the fluff around her vent to help keep it a bit cleaner. If you don't already do so, offer oyster shell free choice for your hens. Keep watch on her, if she is acting normal (eating/drinking, active) then leave her be, except see that she is getting vitamins/calcium. Let us know how she is doing. https://hencam.com/henblog/2015/08/a-laying-glitch/
Thank you so much!! I will do all of that and see if it helps! She is not acting sick so hopefully this will get her on the right track!
