My Chicken Suddenly Smell DISGUSTING

[5henhouse]

Hello,
Today I got home and 3 out of my 5 lovely hens smell absolutely disgusting- not even picking them up- I can smell them from a few feet away!! The 3 infected are about 9 months old (2 Americauna's and one Mille de Fleur). I have been really busy the last week so I haven't checked their poop yet, although I did see one with diarrhea the other day. I check on them every day though, so this smell has only been going on 1 day. Do they have a disease? Or did they just take a dirt bath is something nasty? Advice please!
Thanks!!!

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. There can be a few illnesses that can cause a bad odor along with other symptoms, but I would check them over for symptoms first. Coryza, a respiratory disease, and vent gleet, a fungal infection of the GI tract and vent may cause a bad odor. If there are no other symptoms, however, you might just give them some probiotics in the diet or a little buttermilk or plain yogurt to see if it improves.

 

[5henhouse]

Thanks for your advice. I will check their symptoms tomorrow. Have you ever heard of the odor being so strong and sudden for those illnesses? That is what is what is confusing me because I haven't read anything like that yet. Have you heard of chickens taking dirt baths in poop or something that makes them smell? Thanks again.

 

[debster1556]

Maybe sour crop? I've read that can make their breath really bad. Because the food in their crop goes rancid from just sitting there.

 

[Sarevan]

Vent gleet can come on quick and smell horrible. Leghorn hen had it and she stunk up the whole coop and could smell her in the run from 6 feet away. Day before she was fine, next morning yuck.

 

[dawg53]

When was the last time you removed poop from their pen? I'd bet it's cecal poop and they walked in it and probably dust bathed in it.

 

[5henhouse]

So this morning they don't smell as bad- going to give them live culture yogurt, clean their coop and see what happens tomorrow. This site is amazing! Thanks for the support everyone.

 

[dawg53]

So this morning they don't smell as bad- going to give them live culture yogurt, clean their coop and see what happens tomorrow. This site is amazing! Thanks for the support everyone.

How about giving them only layer feed to eat, it'll firm up their feces with normal cecal excretions. Yogurt tends to pass through them.

 

[Michael Apple]

Best to check all the bird's vents, and keep them clean of fecal material to make sure no flies start visiting, laying eggs, hatching maggots, and boring into your hen's vent. If you haven't treated for Coccidiosis, it would be best to treat them. If you haven't wormed them, it would be a good idea to do that too. Coccidiosis and intestinal worms are very real threats within the first year of life. Both can cause enteritis which, if ignored long enough, will cause irreversible damage to the intestinal tract, and even infect the reproductive system of the bird.

 

[5henhouse]

Should I treat them if I don't know they have something?