Hen with watery poo for over a week

[puddinbabe]

I have a 2 yr old NHR who has had watery poo for over a week. This really isn't diarrea, its clear liquid with white urates and a little brown/greenish poo. I read the poo link but it didn't help much. She's eating a little so I'm not sure where the bulk of the brown poo is. But, she doesn't want to eat her layer feed, even when I mush it up. She stopped eating her yogurt. She doesn't want to drink much water unless I pour it on the ground. She's just acting strange. All she'll eat is blueberries, which I put in yogurt so she'll have to eat some. She's also moulting and loosing LOTS of weight. She's all breastbone right now. So, thinking she needed some protein today, I gave her some super mealworms. She ate 10 of them and love it.

There are so many variables that I can't decide what it could be:
-she lost her only friend a month ago to internal laying so she is alone (no other friends until she is well)
-she is pulling out all her feathers and moulting
-hasn't laid in a month
-she doesn't like her food or water
-roofers dropped some shingle material and nails in her coop so she could have eaten something bad about 2 weeks ago
-she hasn't had solid poop for a month and it has been mostly water for the last week
-there is no blood in the poop and it isn't think/mucusy
-i've seen some orange poop so i wormed her, but can't be sure she drank enough of the water to help
-she's very pale in the comb and yellow around the face
-she doesn't look lethargic and isn't poofing her feathers up much

I'm most worried about her weight loss and can't even get her to drink the electrolyte solution. She's got plenty of energy cause she fights me when I try to dip her beak into the water.

Any ideas of what I should do or things I can feed her that'll put some weight on fast. She won't eat sunflower seeds whole so I thought I might try some shelled and some more mealworms.

Any advice is appreciated!

 

[sammi]

any change can be stressful..especially the loss of a companion, and she is alone.
stress lowers the immune system.

something similar happened to one of my hens way back...when her companion died, and there was no other hen at the time, tho there was a rooster.
she also ceased laying.
she was much happier when another hen was brought in..

try feeding her only layer feed...
or make up a mix of layer feed, a little water cooked oatmeal, cooked egg yolk..add a very few chopped blueberries to entice her to eat it if she won't eat it plain..but give her a chance to eat on her own without you being there..

get some Poly-vi-sol liquid baby vitamins..Enfamil brand if possible..no iron..give 3 drops twice a day for 3 days..then 3 drops once a day for a week. taper off for a week.
the B vitamins might perk her appetite.

hopefully the mix and the vitamins will firm up the droppings.
what electrolyte solution are you using?

you can give the electrolyte water by drops on beak..

you could try some terramycin..or Sulmet if you have it..

 

[silkiechicken]

If you suspect worms or internal paracites, just spend the 15 bucks or so to get a "fecal float" done at the vet. That way you can have an idea what you are treating. Treating for worms when there are none can damage the internals for no reason, and giving antiboitics without an infection just increases the probability for resistant bactera.

My guess is she is lonly and has lost the will to be her normal self and that set of a chain of events that may have weakened her immune system. Maybe if you brought her in and gave he company she may perk up and eat some more. A friend would be great. Quarentine is always important, but in this case, I myself may break the rule for the lonly girl. More protein would be good if she's moulting and losing weight.

 

[dlhunicorn]

Ditto the above posts... a molt can be really hard on a bird and with the other stressors you mentioned this would explain the not eating/drinking which is also typical when birds are feeling out of sorts.
My best advice to you is to get some AVIA CHARGE 2000 (available online from McMurry) because this is the most complete balanced nutritional/vitamin supplement i know of for poultry...
In this case I would mix some baby parrot handfeeding formula through her feed instead of the oatmeal (along with the aviacharge if you can get it).
When a bird is this ill worms often follow (or are already part of the picture) You mention orange in the droppings and that might be indicative cappillaria ... Ivomec Eprinex (equivalent to ivermectin) given as a "spot on" topically at the base of the neck, would be my advice as it will get almost every major worm and is the least hard on the bird.
Here is an article on wormers:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/439/treatment-of-intestinal-worms-in-broiler-breeders

You MUST keep your bird sufficiently hydrated! dribbling water along the beak and hydrating her feed with the baby parrot formula (you can purchase this at the cage bird section of your pet store) will not only hydrate but concentrate the nutrition of her feed. You can dip the mealworms in oil and then in the handfeeding formula or aviacharge (dry powder) to concentrate the nutrition she gets from those.
Good luck!