Lethargic hen with trickiling diareaha - Egg Bound?

[Anniebell]

Hi this is my very first post. We are new to chicken raising and have absolutely fallen in love with them!! We are very worried about one of our hens, I noticed this morning that she stayed on the roost and did not come out with the other girls. She is puffed up and not joining the flock. I looked at her rear end and noticed green/white diarrhea trickling out. Could she be egg bound?

 

[Michael Apple]

First, have you ever used Corid for prevention and treatment of coccidiosis? How old is the hen? Are any others showing symptoms?

I would suspect either enteritis or cholera with greenish yellow to white diarrhea. Oxytetracycline can help for both of these diseases. Most feed stores carry Bio-mycin injectible which has an anti-sting additive unlike some of the others like LA-200 or Duramycin 72. I'd suggest you get 22 gauge needles and a 3cc luer lock syringe. Inject .5 cc Bio-mycin in the breast muscle each day for 3-5 days. During those days put one cup of Ocean Spray cranberry juice in a gallon of water. The vitamin C helps with absorption of tetracyclines. Avoid giving any dairy products during this treatment. Make sure the bird eats and drinks on its own. Otherwise you will have to hand feed/water. Keep me posted on the progress.

 

[BantamLover21]

Yes, she could be egg bound, among other things. You can check for egg bound by lubricating a finger and sticking it in her vent, or you can just proceed with treatment without checking. Soak her lower half in warm (90-95 degree F.) water for a while, and then take her out and dry her the best you can with a towel. Isolate her in a clean, darkened place and give extra calcium (in the form of oyster shell, crushed egg shell, human calcium pill, etc.). In most cases, these measures will cause a hen to pass a stuck egg.

Another possibility is that she has the beginnings of vent gleet, a fungal infection. Here is a link on the topic: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/vent-gleet-aka-nasty-chicken-butt Or, she could have some sort of digestive problem. Green droppings are common in birds that aren't eating enough. Worms are something to consider, too. I would purchase a good wormer (some choices include Valbazen, SafeGuard, or the Worminator) and worm her, just in case. Also, check her crop in the morning, at which time it should be empty. If it is large and hard, she may have impacted crop. And if it is large and squishy, with a sour smell coming from her mouth, it is likely that she has sour crop.

Other things to check for include external parasites (mites, lice, etc.), respiratory disease signs (nasal discharge, sneezing, etc.), swelling anywhere on the body, injury, and how much she weighs (does she seem light?). Also, how old is she, and what are you feeding your hens? The more information you can provide about her symptoms and care, the easier it will be to diagnose her problem.