Hen with poopy butt & sluggish

[TheBirdBabe]

I have a hen that has just been acting... off. She has had some runny poo that's now stuck on her feathers. Also, she's been acting sluggish. Still eating & drinking, but she's walking with her tail pointed down instead of up, like all my other girls.

I don't entirely blame her, it's been in the triple digits for days now.

I have been giving them some Hydro Hen along with their regular water & they've had some lettuce & melon in the last few days to help try & keep them hydrated.

In the attached pictures, she's the only chicken with her tail pointed downward.

 

[tjcib]

(FYI... I'm generally not an alarmist...) Your post said that it has been in the triple digits. Chickens hate hot. They will stop eating. They will get pissy. They will stop laying. It sounds like you've been doing good work to keep them hydrated, but sometimes the heat just gets to them. Also, if they are drinking more than eating, that poop will get runny.

Depending on your resources you could remove from the flock and isolate, maybe in a climate controlled area? (Of course, moving birds stresses them too...) Have her favorite foods on hand and see if she is enticed?

I also like the sour crop suggestion.

Just my input on what I would do...

 

[HollowOfWisps]

At 110 degrees and her behavior that you described it sounds like the heat is affecting her. Some chickens will even die of heat exhaustion when it's 104+. The diarrhea can be caused by drinking excess fluids trying to cool down and staye hydrated (also the cause of the poopy butt). The droopiness happens when electrolytes are lost faster than they are replaced (think if you were to stand outside all day when it's 110 degrees how you would feel exhausted, droopy, lightheaded and possibly feel faint). Loss of appetite and no longer laying both can happen when a chickens body is overheated as their bodies will slow down functions that create heat which result in eating less and little to no eggs.

 

[TheBirdBabe]

Please see my previous post ( https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/hen-with-poopy-butt-sluggish.1536819/#post-25924641 )

My hen has gotten worse. She looks rounder & her poopy butt has only gotten worse. She hasn't seemed to be interested in eating, but is walking around scratching with the other hens.

 

[azygous]

It's east enough to treat for egg binding and either help resolve it or rule it out. Give one calcium tablet at least 600mg. Calcium citrate is best but Tums will work in a pinch. Give immediately directly into her beak. Pry the beak open and shove in the tablet.

Remove her to a hospital crate for now. She needs a quiet stress free spot to relax so the egg can slip out. Be sure she has plenty of water to drink. It might help is she has a place to rest where it's not above 80F.

 

[TheBirdBabe]

At 110 degrees and her behavior that you described it sounds like the heat is affecting her. Some chickens will even die of heat exhaustion when it's 104+. The diarrhea can be caused by drinking excess fluids trying to cool down and staye hydrated (also the cause of the poopy butt). The droopiness happens when electrolytes are lost faster than they are replaced (think if you were to stand outside all day when it's 110 degrees how you would feel exhausted, droopy, lightheaded and possibly feel faint). Loss of appetite and no longer laying both can happen when a chickens body is overheated as their bodies will slow down functions that create heat which result in eating less and little to no eggs.

This makes sense to me! I have been having to get IV bags every 2 weeks because I'm so sensitive to dehydration! My only concern is the bloating. Do you think that could be a result from the heat as well?

 

[Regina Larsen]

Please see my previous post ( https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/hen-with-poopy-butt-sluggish.1536819/#post-25924641 )

My hen has gotten worse. She looks rounder & her poopy butt has only gotten worse. She hasn't seemed to be interested in eating, but is walking around scratching with the other hens.

Does her belly feel like it has a lot of fluid in it?

 

[Fluffy Lambs]

Please see my previous post ( https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/hen-with-poopy-butt-sluggish.1536819/#post-25924641 )

My hen has gotten worse. She looks rounder & her poopy butt has only gotten worse. She hasn't seemed to be interested in eating, but is walking around scratching with the other hens.

Hi I'm not very knowledgeable but does her crop feel liquidy she might have sour crop. Sorry about her

 

[Sussex19]

I'm sorry, I don't think I can help much, could it be worms? All so if her belly seems bloated maybe it could be water belly.
As far as getting her to eat maybe you could try some hard boiled egg.
I hope more experienced people will come along.

 

[Sussex19]

@Wyorp Rock might be able to help.