Intermittent Diarrhea in One Chicken of Three

[yawningreyhound]

Hi guys! So here's my deal:

The girls are all feeling good, eating, dusting, laying.

I let them out of their half acre run in the afternoons to range around with my shepherding (from the fox) and I notice that one bird will poop a pretty loose stool out.

When I clean the coop in the mornings, all three accumulations under where each bird sleeps are firm, normal stools.

The one hen is accumulating poop on her vent feathers, which sometimes comes off with dusting, sometimes I help it with cleaning her up, trimming her voluminous vent feathers a little.

I had a fecal run at the Veterinary Lab yesterday and they saw no ova or parasites. I had a poop ball from each girl and the lab was instructed to take a sample from each.

So my question is: Do you think she's just more sensitive to the free range diet than the others and over the course of the day, she develops a loose stool from her diet? She's crazy for dandelion leaves and earthworms, both of which she's got easy access.

Since she's firming up overnight and then loosening throughout the day, do I need to worry now that I have a negative fecal on her?

Thanks for helping the newbie!

We've been drenched here in Colorado the past 10 days or so but it's starting to dry out now.

thank goodness!

 

[MrsBrooke]

Many times, a fecal will come back negative, even if there are worms.

When was the last time you wormed your girls and what did you use? Poopy butts and runny poops are definitely a sign.

MrsB

 

[yawningreyhound]

I'm so sorry, I missed this reply from you! I've never wormed them since I got them in Sept '13. Should I just routinely worm them? I'm visiting an avian vet Wed with my on and off sick hen, I'll tell her I need to worm them and get it done! Thank you!

 

[MrsBrooke]

It is recommended you keep your chickens on a worming schedule, just like for dogs and their heart worm medication.

I personally like Valbazen liquid goat wormer. Dosage is .25cc for bantams and pullets/cockerels, .5cc for standard birds. Give orally undiluted with syringe. Repeat in 10 days. There is a 14 day egg withdrawal from the last dose, so 24 days total discarding eggs.

I try to do it once every six months or so... More often if it's unusually rainy or warm.

See if your vet can detect any parasite eggs or cocci in the fecal float!!

MrsB