Lethargic, messy rear

[MshVT]

I have a barred rock hen that is 6 months old and she has been lethargic for a couple days now and her rear is quite messy. I clipped away messy feathers a few days ago also. There’s no blood in the stool or visible worms. She did eat a little this morning. I have 8 other hens that seem fine though I did notice one other barred rock has a very small amount of stool on her rear this morning, but acting fine otherwise. I added some electrolytes/probiotics to their water today. I messaged my vet yesterday and they have yet to call back. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks for any help.

 

[azygous]

The lethargy is more of a concern than the poopy butt. Try to think what this hen has been doing lately. Any foraging through a messy compost pile? Any scratching through accumulated rotting vegetation?

Has she had access to any moldy food or veggies or fruit?

If she doesn't snap out of the lethargy and seems to be worsening, you may want to consider an oral antibiotic.

 

[azygous]

It doesn't hurt to locate a source for a broad spectrum antibiotic and keep it on hand to treat a sick chicken rater than wait until you have a sick chicken. The wait for it to arrive in today's obstructed mail delivery system could mean a chicken dies before you can get it and start treatment. I order amoxycillin here. https://www.kvsupply.com/item/aqua-mox-250mg-capsules-100-count/P06184/

 

[azygous]

This is easily treated. Be sure you do the full five days, then one week off, then five more days to get all of the coccidia. Clean all the accumulated poop that you can as that is how coccidia spreads.

Once your chickens are fully treated, they will have a resistance to that particular strain and won't be as apt to be reinfected, but warm wet conditions can cause another coccidia bloom so be on the alert to that possibility.

Chickens all have a small amount of coccidia living inside their intestines. The small numbers do not create problems. It's when the numbers overwhelm a chicken that coccidiosis occurs. There isn't a very high chance of this recurring after the full Corid treatment.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

6 months old and she has been lethargic for a couple days now

She eats scratch and peck feed

Has she come into lay yet?

Scratch and peck = pellets or loose feed?

 

[MshVT]

Has she come into lay yet?

Scratch and peck = pellets or loose feed?

She has been laying since early August. They all get SnP grower whole grain/loose feed with herbs and free choice oyster shell. I have a mixed flock. They have refused pellets since the beginning. I have felt her crop frequently and it was empty yesterday evening.

 

[Eggcessive]

Is she still laying eggs? Her tail is down, so that makes me think that she has something going on with a reproductive disorder or a crop problem. I would continue to check her crop during the day to see if she is eating, and again in early morning when it should be empty. Poultry NutriDrench 2-3 ml orally may give her a boost. How do her eyes look to you? Are the pupils round and the color normal? In the one pic, the pupil is hard to distinguish as normal.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I'd start with "Vent Gleet". also / also / also Even if wrong, it won't hurt to treat for it. Basically, clean her up, add ACV to the water to acidify, probiotics (antibiotics in severe cases), treat any other injuries around the vent as you would normally, and she should recover. Birds with gleet often have loss of appetite, in more pronounced or extreme stages, particularly if its allowed to persist - appetite here is a good sign.

Mark the hen - repeat incidences of gleet could indicate something more severe internally. Either systemic infection and/or reproductive problems.

Others may wander along, with FAR greater expertise than my own on chicken diseases. Defer to their input, not mine, if you see something from @Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock @azygous

 

[MshVT]

The lethargy is more of a concern than the poopy butt. Try to think what this hen has been doing lately. Any foraging through a messy compost pile? Any scratching through accumulated rotting vegetation?

Has she had access to any moldy food or veggies or fruit?

If she doesn't snap out of the lethargy and seems to be worsening, you may want to consider an oral antibiotic.

Oh, and if I should have to treat with an antibiotic, what would I use and is it available in feed stores? Thank you!!

 

[azygous]

Don't ever dilute an antibiotic in water unless it is specifically formulated to be administered that way.

Amoxicillin is 250mg per day directly into the beak for ten days. I just pop the capsule right into the beak. Chickens will NOT choke on a pill.