Hen Diarrhea

[Scooter5]

Hello Everyone!
I'm new here, and have only owned chickens for about 4 months. I have a rooster and 4 hens. They live in my barn and can come and go as they please on about 20 acres. I have beef cows, sheep and meat goats. the chickens have their own roosting area, laying boxes, water bowl, feed area, but can choose to go into the areas with the other animals. They rarely do.

Now the problem. One of the hens has VERY watery diarrhea. It is dripping out of her hind end and the feathers around the area are quite dirty. How should I treat her?

thanks for your replies,
Amy

 

[silkiechicken]

Dripping? May sound gross, but do you have a picture of this?

She could have anything from just watery poo from too many greens sticking on her bum fluff, to something more serious like a broken shelless egg inside/half out, that is leaking.

Perhaps some more info may help. Diet, bedding, any recent changes to lifestyle, new additions to flock, age and so on.

For now, I'd clean up the feathers and take a closer look. Is she lethargic? Does she eat? Could be a sign of worms, cocci, or simply just a different looking cecal poo, since they do drop multipe kinds of droppings.

If you suspect worms or cocci (often comes with lethargic birds that are underweight and thin), any vet can do a fecal float test and you can treat with the aproperate wormer or meds.

 

[Scooter5]

Her diet is free choice cracked corn and Tractor Supply's Layer pellets. Her bedding is straw. I have owned her for about 3 months and was told she was about 5 months when I got her. She is full grown. She has never laid an egg as I think the day length thing kicked in before she could start. She has been active, but today she is lethargic. She is eating and drinking. I do my own fecals with my other animals, so I will check her this evening. If I do see worm eggs, what on earth does a chicken get wormed with?

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

If I do see worm eggs, what on earth does a chicken get wormed with?

Ivomec is safe for birds, and if you have other animals, you probably already have some.

I'm not sure on dosage since I've never had a worm problem with my birds​

 

[lobb40118]

Wazine 17 liquid wormer for poultry is for sale at tractor supply but I am new myself and this is what I bought. As far as the not laying part. I bought mine at 23-27 weeks and 2 weeks later I put a light on for 5 extra hours at night and a bit of cayenne pepper in the water and they all 3 started laying and I regularly get 2-3 eggs a day from the 3 girls.

 

[Scooter5]

I checked her at supper. She is eating fine. Upon closer examination, her poor chicken butt has some crusty stuff on it, so I spread some vaseline on it to soften it so i can clean it off. I couldn't get a poop sample from her- I'll try again in the morning after she roosts. But she has an AWFUL smell. It reminded me of cocci diarrhea smell a baby goat gets when they have cocci. Any other ideas?