I think I would really just suggest putting them on a diet of laying pellets. The calcium will be more sufficient, the diet will be easier to digest.
They either have a bacterial or a yeast infection - or both. I would at least treat for a yeast infection and treat topically for both yeast and bacteria because of the white "rim" around the vent.
I would treat the whole flock: first with a gentle cleansing, second with probiotics and OACV in the water.
For the effected girls, clean the diarrhea away from the vent. Use lotrimin creme (athelete's foot) creme around the vent area, and rub it in well so they can't groom it off. Use a different pair of gloves for each bird to rub it in. The vent area is severely irritated from the droppings.
The smell fits either bacterial or yeast/fungal.
I would feed them all a cleansing gentle flush of 1/8th a teaspoon of molasses, 1 babyfood applesauce jar, 3 heaping teaspoons of yogurt, and a little water. Then use crumbles and mix til it's damp. Use as their morning feeding after removing the feed the night before. Make sure everyone gets some. When they're done, clean the feeders and replace with free-choice pellets, please. The applesauce pectin will gently cleanse and make the good bacteria "happy", the molasses will help flush toxins, bad bacteria, and yeast from the system - buildup in other words, the yogurt will provide good bacteria to replenish the digestive tract, and the crumbles are your base.
Thereafter, I would use yogurt or probiotics daily for 2 weeks, and organic apple cider vinegar in the water (1 tablespoon per gallon of water) as their sole source of water for the same 2 weeks. The yogurt or probiotics will help replace good bacteria, the OACV (don't use regular) will do the same and adjust the pH to be unfriendly to harmful bacteria.
Is the grey area at the bottom of the hen her keel bone, or something else? Dirt and diarrhea?
And incidentally, I would not use hydrogen peroxide to clean the vent area; they're way too irritated, skin is broken. I would use warm water, then a final rinse with warm water with a small amount of betadine iodine in it (the water being made barely the color of weak iced tea, warm). Don't rinse that off - pat it very dry before dressing the bare skin with the lotrimin. You can additionally pat the vent with corn starch or plain baby powder to help dry and cool the area and hopefully keep flies from being attracted. Clean the vents daily, look for more with that issue.
Can you describe the droppings? Are they all white like this or any that are normal?
Also, any possibility that you could take one of these hens to the vet and get them to examine the white under a microscope to rule out if it's fungal/yeast or bacteria from the droppings? Or a state college or extension to do testing? (I can help you find one near you if you need.)
Were any of your hens tested by NPIP by the way? Or from NPIP tested stock, like a hatchery?
They either have a bacterial or a yeast infection - or both. I would at least treat for a yeast infection and treat topically for both yeast and bacteria because of the white "rim" around the vent.
I would treat the whole flock: first with a gentle cleansing, second with probiotics and OACV in the water.
For the effected girls, clean the diarrhea away from the vent. Use lotrimin creme (athelete's foot) creme around the vent area, and rub it in well so they can't groom it off. Use a different pair of gloves for each bird to rub it in. The vent area is severely irritated from the droppings.
The smell fits either bacterial or yeast/fungal.
I would feed them all a cleansing gentle flush of 1/8th a teaspoon of molasses, 1 babyfood applesauce jar, 3 heaping teaspoons of yogurt, and a little water. Then use crumbles and mix til it's damp. Use as their morning feeding after removing the feed the night before. Make sure everyone gets some. When they're done, clean the feeders and replace with free-choice pellets, please. The applesauce pectin will gently cleanse and make the good bacteria "happy", the molasses will help flush toxins, bad bacteria, and yeast from the system - buildup in other words, the yogurt will provide good bacteria to replenish the digestive tract, and the crumbles are your base.
Thereafter, I would use yogurt or probiotics daily for 2 weeks, and organic apple cider vinegar in the water (1 tablespoon per gallon of water) as their sole source of water for the same 2 weeks. The yogurt or probiotics will help replace good bacteria, the OACV (don't use regular) will do the same and adjust the pH to be unfriendly to harmful bacteria.
Is the grey area at the bottom of the hen her keel bone, or something else? Dirt and diarrhea?
And incidentally, I would not use hydrogen peroxide to clean the vent area; they're way too irritated, skin is broken. I would use warm water, then a final rinse with warm water with a small amount of betadine iodine in it (the water being made barely the color of weak iced tea, warm). Don't rinse that off - pat it very dry before dressing the bare skin with the lotrimin. You can additionally pat the vent with corn starch or plain baby powder to help dry and cool the area and hopefully keep flies from being attracted. Clean the vents daily, look for more with that issue.
Can you describe the droppings? Are they all white like this or any that are normal?
Also, any possibility that you could take one of these hens to the vet and get them to examine the white under a microscope to rule out if it's fungal/yeast or bacteria from the droppings? Or a state college or extension to do testing? (I can help you find one near you if you need.)
Were any of your hens tested by NPIP by the way? Or from NPIP tested stock, like a hatchery?
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