New Chicken Mommy! Love this board....question about poop & feathers

[Hennies]

I came across this website a few days ago and have been spending all my free minutes trying learn all i can about my 6 sweet Rhode Island Red laying hens.

They are 14 months old and we are adoring them. We have yet to pet them though (they will eat from our hands) but the person we got them from never pet them

They are very quick no matter how much we try.

We picked them up last week and right away i noticed that one of them has some feathers missing from around her rear, and i have seen her poop some real watery very dark green smelling poop. Her rear also is always dirty unlike the others who are clean.

Any suggestions as to what this may be?

Thanks so much.

I am so happy to have found such a great site!!

 

[Smoky73]

Couple of things, check for mites or lice on the bird. That can cause baldness around the vent area. Mites are really tiny reddish bugs, alot like black pepper, lice are larger and well, look like lice, a white, or light color bug. You can get poultry dust usually at the feed stores, if it is bugs.
Also might want to consider worms. If there is a vet around you that could do a fecal sample test, have one done. No one in my area will, so I do not know. If I suspect worms I get some Pig Swig wormer from the feed store, or Wazine.

Of course, if it is really hot there, and the birds are drinking a lot of water, that could also cause waterery poo and waterery poo is messy.

 

[sammi]

what all are they eating?

 

[Hennies]

I cannot even catch one! They get all in an uproar when I try to get one. Any suggestions on how to get these hens to trust me?

I am going to go today and get some dust bath.

They are eating layer pellets and lots of water. Yesterday i gave them some yogurt with oats and bananas that i mixed in. I thought perhaps the missing feathers were a sign of pecking at eachother and perhaps were looking for some protein. I was going to give them some more of that today.

I think i will also get some sunflower seeds today as well?

Any thoughts on what else i could do?

Thanks so much!

 

[MissPrissy]

Go out at night when they have gone to roost. Take them one by one of the roost and turn up their rumps. Use the flashlight to shine around the vent and look for moving bugs. Clear or whitish with a black dot is chicken lice. Red or brown moving dots is mites. Sevin dust will take care of the problem if you find it. Dust them and the coop. Repeat in 7 days.

 

[Hennies]

Thank you so much.....

Is sevin dust the same as poultry dust?

I am going to get them from their roosts tonight. Boy is that going to cause a stir! but, i will do my best.

Any suggestions on how to get the hens to trust us with holding and petting?

 

[MissPrissy]

At the same time daily offer them a small treat of cracked corn. To them it is like candy. They will get used to coming around for the candy lady to pet them.