Lethargic, messy rear

[MshVT]

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.

So I took a stool sample to the vet and she (and I’m sure others) have a large amount of coccidia. She wants me to treat with corid and make sure the coop remains clean but how do I go about cleaning the yard they use? It’s a large (about 360ft perimeter) limited free range space. Won’t they just continue to get reinfected? I find it so surprising they have this as no one has blood in the stool and I keep everything as clean as possible. I’m feeling quite defeated.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

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.

THANK YOU!

 

[MshVT]

THANK YOU!

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.

Thank you both for the replies. I was definitely thinking about gleet, though I’m not sure how to treat it. These are my first chickens. She does not have access to a compost pile. They do have limited free range and there’s no rotting vegetation. She eats scratch and peck feed, oyster shells, and very few treats. Their water is fresh with ACV everyday. I have a catch system for food they kick out of the feeder so as to eliminate food spoilage on the ground. Food is removed and replaced everyday and coop is cleaned everyday. She had been eating considerably less and lethargic since mid day yesterday. The messy rear has been since last week in which I have cleaned it once a couple days ago.

 

[MshVT]

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/

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.

Thank you so much for this advice. I called around to places that would carry this and they said that antibiotics were pulled off the market thanks is to people taking it for covid. I will order some right away to have on hand. Do you add it to the water or administer directly and at what dosage? I have included a couple more photos of her just now. I have found eggs in the corner of the coop she always uses, but I haven’t actually caught her in the act to know for sure it’s her.

 

[MshVT]

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.

Thank you!!