Lethargic and Watery Droppings

[Bigfishbobby]

Hi there, I have lurked for a while to research issues as new chicken owners. I am hoping you will be kind enough to offer an opinion. Here is my situation….

Rhode Island Red acting sick, she is about 9 months old. Initially stopped laying, had green watery poop that covered her vent area. About a week of that, now watery poop, clear with little rice like bits yesterday. Not laying now for about 3 weeks, acting lethargic, seems a little like she lacks balance but is standing and eating and drinking. She just does everything slow and doesn’t want to be around others.

All other chickens seem perfectly fine. Do you think she could have worms? I’m wondering if it’s tapeworms? We have basically no vet access where we live and just want to do the best for all of them we can. Any advice?

EDIT: We provide layer crumbles, mixed in a little corn which we have limited now, and have given her some yogurt, and occasional veggies like pumpkin, etc. We also give the flock a couple handfuls of dried mealworms daily too. In terms of water, we have tried apple cider vinegar, electrolytes, probiotics, etc. I’m convinced all of that stuff is basically voodoo because none have ever done anything positive for any of our chickens it seems.

 

[GodLovesU]

Hope you can help your hen!

 

[GodLovesU]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...diarrhea-in-chickens-an-in-depth-guide.79658/
That article may help.

 

[Rachel_liz15]

@Bigfishbobby I am by no means a vet, but here is my 2 cents and I truly hope it helps you.
Green diarrhea indicates that your chicken isn't eating nearly as much as it should. I have also read that bright green diarrhea could be a sign of coccidia. Because of the "rice like" bits you're seeing in the poop, I would guess that she needs to be dewormed. I'm not seeing what you're seeing but tapeworms sounds about right. You could use Fenbendazole or Valbazen for those. I use Valbazen (sold at Tractor Supply in a locked case), though it is not specifically formulated for chickens. I have read a lot of good things about it and so far I haven't had any issues while using it. Supposedly it kills the parasites slowly, avoiding a backup of dead parasites in the animal's GI system, preventing further complications. I forgot the dosage conversion for chickens, but if you search it on this site, you'll find it very easily. If you really want to know for sure you could mail in a fecal sample to a lab. I just sent some in for a fecal float last Monday and I got the results on that Thursday and it was pretty cheap. Here's the link: https://midamericaagresearch.net/instructions.php. There are other labs out there too. If you're going to send in a sample, I would grab at least 2 more from your other chickens to have tested. If you're seeing the "rice" in the poop though I personally wouldn't wait for the results to come back and just go ahead and start the deworming process, at least with the chicken that's showing symptoms. Especially with Christmas right around the corner and the Post Office being so busy.
I hope this helped, good luck!

 

[Bigfishbobby]

Thank you @Rachel_liz15

 

[Bigfishbobby]

I bought some safe-guard paste tonight to worm her. I think that will be easy to administer without dealing with the others, and from what I understand it’s one pea sized amount once now and again in 10 days rather than dealing with mixing it into the water. I’m also going to try to order some Baytril but I'm worried it will take too long to get here, so I’ll worm in the meantime and hope.

 

[Rachel_liz15]

I bought some safe-guard paste tonight to worm her. I think that will be easy to administer without dealing with the others, and from what I understand it’s one pea sized amount once now and again in 10 days rather than dealing with mixing it into the water. I’m also going to try to order some Baytril but I'm worried it will take too long to get here, so I’ll worm in the meantime and hope.

Excellent! The Valbazen works the same way (it is not water soluble), but it’s a liquid you have to give them using a syringe. Even so, I would think the Safeguard paste will still be easier to administer like you said. You shouldn’t need the Baytril for worms, but not a bad idea to order it now just in case there’s something else going on. Even if your chicken doesn’t need it now, you never know what could happen in the future.

 

[Bigfishbobby]

Excellent! The Valbazen works the same way (it is not water soluble), but it’s a liquid you have to give them using a syringe. Even so, I would think the Safeguard paste will still be easier to administer like you said. You shouldn’t need the Baytril for worms, but not a bad idea to order it now just in case there’s something else going on. Even if your chicken doesn’t need it now, you never know what could happen in the future.

We ordered the Baytril because we were advised it could be something bacterial as well. Like you said, it won’t hurt to have it on hand anyhow. We had been looking for access to some sort of broad spectrum antibiotic and I think that will fit the bill.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Rhode Island Red acting sick, she is about 9 months old. Initially stopped laying, had green watery poop that covered her vent area. About a week of that, now watery poop, clear with little rice like bits yesterday. Not laying now for about 3 weeks, acting lethargic, seems a little like she lacks balance but is standing and eating and drinking. She just does everything slow

Welcome To BYC.

Can you please post photos of the poop and your pullet?

IF the "rice bit things" you are seeing in the poop are Tapeworm Proglottids (see video below), then you need to treat with Praziquantel.
Equimax Equine Paste can be used, dose is 0.033 ml per pound, or 0.16 ml per five pounds. Give once, then repeat in 10-14days.

Safeguard (Fenbendazole) and Valbazen (Albendazole) are both good dewormers, and will treat most worms that poultry have except for Tapeworms.
Safeguard (Fenbendazole) and Valbazen(Albendazole) are like most every other medication on the market - they are dosed by Weight, not "pea size".

If your pullet has been laying consistently and is now not laying, is unwell, then I'd also consider that she may be having some type of reproductive problem. It would be a good idea to get Extra Calcium into her for 5 days to see if that makes a difference. Calcium Citrate+D3 can be found at Walmart, CVS, etc. Pop 1 tablet into the beak once daily.

Do be aware that Baytril is not approved for use in poultry, some vets may prescribe it off label. It's a very strong antibiotic and you will want to observe an egg withdrawal period of at least 30 days.

We ordered the Baytril because we were advised it could be something bacterial as well. Like you said, it won’t hurt to have it on hand anyhow. We had been looking for access to some sort of broad spectrum antibiotic and I think that will fit the bill.

I bought some safe-guard paste tonight to worm her. I think that will be easy to administer without dealing with the others, and from what I understand it’s one pea sized amount once now and again in 10 days rather than dealing with mixing it into the water. I’m also going to try to order some Baytril but I'm worried it will take too long to get here, so I’ll worm in the meantime and hope.

Because of the "rice like" bits you're seeing in the poop, I would guess that she needs to be dewormed. I'm not seeing what you're seeing but tapeworms sounds about right. You could use Fenbendazole or Valbazen for those. I use Valbazen

 

[Bigfishbobby]

I don’t have a pic of the droppings unfortunately. Catching her in the act was sheer luck and I looked in the coop yesterday and couldn’t find anything resembling it. It may have been a complete one-off. I’ll research some more on dosing by weight, good old Google just said a pea sized amount. Thanks for the Baytril info. Since she isn’t laying anyhow, I don’t know that we will have much of a withdrawal period, but who knows. I’m just hoping to treat her instead of the whole flock.