Hen with Diarrhea...poo matted feathers on behind

[EncinitasHens]

Hello there,

I am new to this forum and new to having urban chickens. I have 6 hens that I have had for a few months. All of them came from the same place. I noticed that over the past couple of days one has diarrhea but I couldn't tell which one. This morning when let them out of their coop to roam in the yard I noticed one had poo matted all in her feathers. She doesn't act sick. She's eating and drinking and acting "normal". At the moment I have no way of separating her from the flock but I am going to get some kind of enclosure today to separate her. I am not sure what I should do for her (and the others if they are exposed to something). The ladies are about 1 year old. I usually do a quick clean of their coop once per week. My dog shares the yard with the hens but I pick up the dog poo every day before I let the chickens out. The dog is good about not attacking the chickens but she does on occassion chase one. Could this be stress from my dog? I looked over the other ladies and so far their hind ends' are okay. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Indiana hens]

Check for lice
eggs would be on the base of the feathers on belly , and if been there awhile a rash-* treatment is same as any other lice, fleas, mites

 

[EncinitasHens]

I didn't see any. I gave them a good dusting (along with coop) of diatomaceous earth about 2 weeks ago. I also put DE is the areas that they give themselves dust baths. I would think my dog would have picked up the lice too since she shares the yard but she doesn't have lice.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Could be lice or mites; could also be worms. The lice and mites that munch on feathered critters do not like the taste of mammals, and will not stay on the long at all, so the fact that your dog does not have them is no indication that your birds do not.

DE may be a preventative for lice/mites; it will not treat an infestation. It is useless on internal parasites. Ivermectin is a broad-spectrum treatment for both internal and external parasites. Adding whole grain (wheat, oats, rice, barley) to the birds diet will firm poop.

 

[EncinitasHens]

Thank you for your post. My friend and I dusted the ladies again and I treated their coop. I will get the meds you suggested just in case those nasty little buggers have moved in for the long haul. I will add the whole grains to their food. Right now they get organic feed and daily food scraps. I was giving them rolled oats (which they loved) but ran out. Thanks again for the help and advice.