Hen wobbly, watery diarrhea - hopefully not egg binding

[Chicken Lass]

Hello!
I know it's been a while. After poor Sheila's egg binding, I have been feeding my flock mostly laying pellets and oats, with the occasional yogurt and cheese for protein and calcium. They have had a constant supply of oyster shell and grit. Recently I have been putting out a chicken block with molasses and all kinds of stuff in it - I thought it would be good because of the protein. Unfortunately my hens who weren't laying before are still not laying (maybe because the weather's getting colder?). I'm worried that they will end up like Sheila - my two other ISA Browns are the ones having the trouble.
My question is about my hen Frances (one of the ISA Brown's) - she's having trouble with her coordination and is very wobbly (tonight she didn't stay on the roost and is sleeping on the floor). She has a good appetite and it looks like she may be beginning to molt. She had some very watery diarrhea today. She's over two years old, I think. I'm hoping this isn't egg binding all over again. Thank you to anyone who can provide advice, much appreciated all the wonderful advice before!

 

[sammi]

is she actually eating, or just pecking and acting like she's eating?
check the crop...make sure it isn't impacted.

what color are the watery droppings?

I think I'd try some Sulmet and treat for cocci/enteritis.

has she been wormed?

could be that if she's been eating a lot of the molasses mix..could be causing the diarrhea..
maybe remove it and see..and give some plain active culture yogurt.
see if that helps.
if not..try the Sulmet.

other meds to look at:

http://www.firststatevetsupply.com/store/

here is a link to pics of droppings and possible causes:

http://happyhenhouse.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=poop&action=display&thread=7588


hope this helps.

 

[Chicken Lass]

Thanks Sammi,
Frances is eating, not pretending to. I gave her some cat food and an egg this morning hoping that would give her some strength. I don't know if her lack of balance is due to weakness or not, though it seems to be. Her crop doesn't feel hard.
Her droppings are clear looking - just like water. I didn't notice any color to them. The chickens got wormed this summer using Wazine 17.
Frances is still alert and tries to do like all the other chickens except that she has a hard time keeping from falling over when walking.
Thanks again - I'll try the plain active culture yogurt and Sulmet.

 

[sammi]

the droppings are clear like water? no color at all?
if so..no food is getting thru...
recheck the crop..sounds like some sort of obstruction..
best to confine her to a warm safe place where you can observe closely to make sure what is going on with her.

if I have misunderstood..please clarify droppings description.


as to using Wazine 17...did you retreat 10 days after initial treatment?

 

[Chicken Lass]

Hello again,
Frances is no longer having just watery diarrhea - sometimes it's brown and white but mushy, and other times mixed with a lot of water. Unfortunately she is still off balance and cannot even preen herself without almost falling over. I started the Sulmet this morning. Frances was very hungry this morning as well - maybe because I kept her in a crate all night so she wouldn't fall off the roost, and didn't get to the food as soon as the others.
I can't remember very well, but I think that I rewormed them a second time. I've also got some Piperazine-17 that I can use if I need to.
Thanks!

 

[sammi]

Piperazine 17 and Wazine 17 are the same thing.

try and get some vitamins and electrolytes asap.

diluted Pedialyte can be used in a pinch as electrolyte.
Poly-vi-sol liquid baby vitamins can be used if you don't have poultry vitamins..Enfamil brand..no iron..give 3 drops on beak once a day for 3 days, then 2 drops for 3 days..then 1 drop for 3 days.

 

[Chicken Lass]

Hi,
Frances seems to be doing better. She's not as unsteady as she was.
I have a bag of pelleted poultry conditioner, which has a bunch of vitamins and minerals in it - will that work? It's supposed to be for show birds and is good for overall health and nice plumage. Frances eats it right up. I think she does need extra vitamins because lately she has been laying out in the sun an awful lot, trying to soak up that vitamin D.

 

[sammi]

I'm sorry..not familiar with that product...see how she does..
hope she'll be ok..
keep her warm and food close to her..layer feed with the poultry conditioner mixed in..

did you worm her?
is she having any other symptoms?
is she acting more perky? or still laying around alot?
is her comb perky? is it hot? or cold? pale?

I'd still keep a close watch on the droppings and crop.

how are the droppings now?

McMurray Hatchery has a good supplement mix...Avia Charge..

you might try this mix:

1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
3-4 tablespoons regular or quick (not instant) oatmeal
drizzle of honey

I might consider getting some Sulmet or sulfamethoxidine

 

[Chicken Lass]

Hello and thanks,
Frances is pretty much normal acting except for the occasional off balance stuff. I noticed again this morning that she had just water come out instead of normal poop though. A minute or so later she had a tiny amount of greenish-looking poop. She is in the beginning stages of a molt. She is very active however, and isn't sulking around or anything. Her comb still looks perky and red, but I haven't felt it yet.
I am giving all the chickens Sulmet in their water - I am still noticing egg-colored poop coming from one of my other hens (though it has gotten better) and there might be bad bacteria. I'm still trying to fix the not-enough-calcium problem fom this summer.

 

[sammi]

how are they doing now?

still yellow droppings?

yogurt can help with calcium..
the mix I posted has certain nutrients that work together to enhance calcium..
a crushed TUMS in the feed can also help.
McMurrays also has a mineral supplement product.
it will be listed with the Avia Charge..

sorry...I forgot to tell you that the amount of mix I posted is for 1 chicken for 1 day..divide into 3 feeds for the day..Give for 5 days..and also give regular feed as usual..

is the hen still wobbley? how's the crop?