Mustard colored diarrhea

[uisceros]

Hi all,

My poor hen Daisy has not had a good week. This past Saturday (~5 days ago), I noticed she was missing a ton of feathers around her tail and was all bloody. I washed her, applied Vetericyn, and kept her inside overnight. I’ve had issues with pecking, but not usually this bad.

She is currently separated in a different coop, and seems to be mildly lethargic and depressed.

The real issue is that she has some weird diarrhea going on. It’s mustard yellow, and runny. Any ideas? She’s still eating a bit and drinking, but not too happy about life right now.

I can try to get a better picture in the morning, but this is what I’m dealing with. She is a 9 month old Wyandotte hen.

 

[Eggcessive]

That bright mustard yellow dropping is yellow urates (kidney waste,) and normally they are the white cap in droppings. When they are yellow, it can be a sign of a reproductive infection or liver disease which may be related. Is her lower belly between the legs bloated or enlarged? I would be tempted to try an antibiotic, such as amoxicillin (aquamox) to see if it helped. Has she been laying eggs normally?

 

[uisceros]

That bright mustard yellow dropping is yellow urates (kidney waste,) and normally they are the white cap in droppings. When they are yellow, it can be a sign of a reproductive infection or liver disease which may be related. Is her lower belly between the legs bloated or enlarged? I would be tempted to try an antibiotic, such as amoxicillin (aquamox) to see if it helped. Has she been laying eggs normally?

Thanks for the info!

I’ll take a look at her abdomen tomorrow since it’s night now. I haven’t noticed anything, but I was previously more concerned about the bloody mess that was her tail area.

It’s sort of difficult to tell if she lays - I have two Wyandottes but I think it’s the other girl who lays. I wasn’t too worried about her not laying since I know some chickens take awhile (I have a sumatra who hasn’t laid yet either). Plus it’s winter in New England - not too much daylight. Course this is my first flock, so what do I know!

I’ll get her some aquamox to try.
Thanks!

 

[Eggcessive]

Is there any way that she can be kept in the coop and run with others, separated inside a wire dog crate with food and water? Most chickens need to be with others. Vent pecking can be a sign of overcrowding, too little protein in the diet, boredom from not getting outside to roam, and more aggressive breeds. Her possibly not laying at this age may be a sign of a reproductive disorder.

 

[Lalachickens]

I have a hen in a similar situation… how is yours doing?

 

[uisceros]

Is there any way that she can be kept in the coop and run with others, separated inside a wire dog crate with food and water? Most chickens need to be with others. Vent pecking can be a sign of overcrowding, too little protein in the diet, boredom from not getting outside to roam, and more aggressive breeds. Her possibly not laying at this age may be a sign of a reproductive disorder.

Thanks for the advice!

I have placed her with another of my pecked hens (a little submissive silkie), so she's not alone anymore. I also started her on once daily aquamox (250mg) about 5 days ago. So far I'm still seeing the mustard-colored poop, but she's behaving more like her old self. I also started her on Corrid today since I noticed a bloody poop and figured it wouldn't hurt in case it is coccidiosis.

Honestly I'm at a loss with the pecking situation. It only happens at night, and I think I know the perpetrator, but it's hard to tell. I do not free-range my chickens (I have every predator possible here), but they have a large coop/run combo. I let them out of the structure once a day while I'm with them, but I think it's partly boredom as well. I recently switched them to Purina Layena high protein (they were on Layena Omega-3), so hopefully that helps!

I'm mostly concerned with her health - if she can't lay that's fine as long as she's healthy. Hopefully it's not a massive infection or cancer.

I have a hen in a similar situation… how is yours doing?

So far a bit better. I'm not sure what it is, but I'm trying to tackle it from different sides. I'll let you know if anything massive changes!