Meatballs -vs- M&Ms/Skittles (Chicken Poops)

[MarcyG]

I've noticed that two hens in my flock of 6 are laying extremely small and very dry poops. The difference is significant, imagine comparing a standard meatball size (1 - 1.5" in diameter) to a tiny M&M or Skittle candy .

One of my "Skittle" laying hens ("GaGa") has been ill, and is eating very little; I'm doing my best to feed her vitamins and electrolytes with a syringe, and other high protein foods like scrambled eggs, crsuhed worms, etc. She has some sort of thorax/throat infection or blockage and has been on Vet meds for almost 2 weeks now, with a minimal improvement in her appetite. She's way lighter than usual. If sher doesn't improve soon or get her appetite back, I will need to put her down. :-(

My other "Skittle" laying hen ("Big-Bev) has always been laying the smaller poops, since we inherited the flock almost 4 years ago. Her appetite is normal by all accounts. She is a big girl!

Both are 4-5+ yrs old (my guess) and have stopped laying in the past year. Now I'm wondering if they both have some kind of an obstruction or blockage in their intestinal system, that is causing the tiny poops - and if there is any sort of home or Rx remedy I can give them to loosen things u and get them to digest their food properly.
Any advice or feedback would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

[azygous]

You mentioned the one hen is on Vet meds. Does that mean a veterinarian prescribed them after seeing her? What is the medicine called? What is it treating specifically?

Have you checked the crops on these two hens? Do they have access to grit at all times?

 

[MarcyG]

Hi Azygous, thanks for your reply. Yes, our (avian) Vet checked for sour crop (none) on "GaGa". All in my flock have free 24/7 access to crumbled feed, grit and oyster shell.

The Vet saw a yellowish mass deep in her throat. She prescribed "Clavamox" (pills) for the throat blockage, which is a type of antibiotic, and also "Metacam" oral suspension drops which is an anti-inflammatory and pain medication.

My concern is that even with being on the meds almost 2 weeks, her appetite is still very low and she is likely starving herself, thus her tiny (Skittles) poops.
In this photo attached (taken Jan.22) at the Vet's office, you can see there is some sticky saliva in her mouth, which went away for a short while after the initial med dosing, but now it's back. :-(
I'm hoping someone here might offer advice or suggestions on something that could help to reduce the mass, or even better, clear it. I'm prepared for the worse...but hoping there's something else I might try for her.

 

[azygous]

The antibiotic probably isn't causing any improvement because she is suffering from a protozoan infection, not a bacterial infection or maybe a protozoan infection on top of the bacterial infection. She likely has canker. You would probably have better luck with this. https://www.revivalanimal.com/product/fish-zole?sku=22166-698 It treats protozoa which are a form of parasite.

She proabably doesn't want to eat because it hurts to swallow, and that's because the yellow gunk in her throat is constricting her esophagus. Keep up the anti-inflammatory but start her on the 'zole. I suppose it can't hurt anything to finish the Clavamox. If you can have someone help you, you can scrape enough of the yellow plaque out of her throat to make swallowing easier. You will need some sort of slender but not sharp scraping tool. It could cause some bleeding, but that's normal for this stuff.

 

[Eggcessive]

Did the hen have a bad odor coming from her beak when she was seen by the vet?

 

[MarcyG]

The antibiotic probably isn't causing any improvement because she is suffering from a protozoan infection, not a bacterial infection or maybe a protozoan infection on top of the bacterial infection. She likely has canker. You would probably have better luck with this. https://www.revivalanimal.com/product/fish-zole?sku=22166-698 It treats protozoa which are a form of parasite.

She proabably doesn't want to eat because it hurts to swallow, and that's because the yellow gunk in her throat is constricting her esophagus. Keep up the anti-inflammatory but start her on the 'zole. I suppose it can't hurt anything to finish the Clavamox. If you can have someone help you, you can scrape enough of the yellow plaque out of her throat to make swallowing easier. You will need some sort of slender but not sharp scraping tool. It could cause some bleeding, but that's normal for this stuff.

Thank you, Azygous. I will check out the 'Zole! I'm thinking of asking my Vet to do a throat culture also.

 

[MarcyG]

Did the hen have a bad odor coming from her beak when she was seen by the vet?

Hi Eggcessive, There was no odor coming from the hen's mouth when the Vet checked. I've also checked a few times myself - no odor. I guess this rules out sour crop. Plus, right now here crop is pretty much empty

 

[Eggcessive]

I have never treated canker, but many that have describe a rotten odor. There can be other causes of yellow plaque inside the beak, throat, and airway. Viruses, such as fowl pox, fungal, and bacterial diseases as well as the protozoan, canker can cause yellow or white gunk. It is good to get a culture or gram stain, to narrow it down.

 

[MarcyG]

I have never treated canker, but many that have describe a rotten odor. There can be other causes of yellow plaque inside the beak, throat, and airway. Viruses, such as fowl pox, fungal, and bacterial diseases as well as the protozoan, canker can cause yellow or white gunk. It is good to get a culture or gram stain, to narrow it down.

Thank you, Eggcesive. I’m at the Vet now... she’ll be doing a throat swab/culture.

 

[azygous]

It's fun to see if a guess you made is right or wrong. Let us know what happens.