lethargic hen & wierd poop

[CloneFly]

Hello! My 2yr/o BSL hen has been acting rather lethargic lately and I noticed her vent feathers were very dirty. She was brought in, cleaned up and given probiotics and some fresh egg yolk (which she loved!) But she just pooped and it looks... wierd?

She's had issues with vent greet before, and all the waterers in the coop have AVC to help combat/prevent further cases. This hen was also recently brought to the vet due to her being anti-social. She was placed on Oxytetracycline, Meloxicam and Thiamine/D3 for 5 days and seemed to be getting a bit better. Doctor suspects she might have an issue with her reproductive tract.

Sorry for the long post, my question is, is this poop something to worry about and should I begin her again on the antibiotics again? We don't have the money to bring her to the vet again, but I want to help her get better. Any advice?


P.S. we recently switched the run substrate to peat moss, and it almost looks like there's peat moss in her poop. Is that normal??

 

[Eggcessive]

Did the vet perform a fecal float on her poop to look for worms or coccidiosis? The larger red intestinal lining when blown up has a thread or hair on it, but maybe it is some type of worm? Have you wormed lately? If not, I would get either Valbazen or SafeGuard liquid goat wormer and worm her.

 

[Eggcessive]

Reproductive infections and salpingitis can be common in hens over 2 years. Cancer is also. Has she been laying eggs recently? Has she lost weight or is her keel/breast bone more prominent? Is her tail position up or down? How does her crop feel?

 

[Eggcessive]

It looks too thin for a worm really, maybe a hair. Fenbendazole 0.23 ml per pound given 5 days in a row treats most worms except tapes which are rarer. It probably would help to get a rough weight on her, to see if she is losing. Cancer could cause weight loss. Most times we don’t understand what is going on until a necropsy can be done after death unfortunately.

 

[Eggcessive]

How long ago was she on it and how long did you give it? It probably wouldn’t hurt to give them. Corid probably wouldn’t hurt, just in case she has coccidiosis.

 

[CloneFly]

How long ago was she on it and how long did you give it? It probably wouldn’t hurt to give them. Corid probably wouldn’t hurt, just in case she has coccidiosis.

About a month ago. She was on a 5 day treatment plan

 

[azygous]

I'm in agreement that an antibiotic would be worth another try. The poop indicates there's possibly an infection, but the absence of yellow in it does not point to reproductive infection, making a recovery much more likely with treatment with the antibiotic. I suggest going with what you vet recommends.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

This hen was also recently brought to the vet due to her being anti-social. She was placed on Oxytetracycline, Meloxicam and Thiamine/D3 for 5 days and seemed to be getting a bit better. Doctor suspects she might have an issue with her reproductive tract.

I'm in agreement that an antibiotic would be worth another try. The poop indicates there's possibly an infection, but the absence of yellow in it does not point to reproductive infection, making a recovery much more likely with treatment with the antibiotic. I suggest going with what you vet recommends.

X2 I'd consider putting her back on an antibiotic. Hopefully the vet has a good recommendation.

 

[CloneFly]

Thank you all. I started her yesterday and will update in a week with her condition!

 

[CloneFly]

Hello all! Decided to update for future reference. "Dotty" (the hen) seems to be doing much better. Her poop is still a bit strange so she's not 100% yet, but the vet recommended placing her on a special diet in case the stool issues were being caused by whatever shes eating. Right now, she's on a strict diet of plain water, scrambled eggs, white rice and greens (mostly kale) with the occasional live meal worm thrown in for "flavor". She doesn't seem to mind in the least lol