New chickens' poop really stinks!

[Yep I Talk To Chickens]

I woild change the diet

 

[getaclue]

Yes, that's true.

 

[Birdielee]

So maybe I'm waaaay off on a fringe here, but ivermectin and praziquantel seem to both be used in humans for killing parasites. Side effects seem to be temporary- 30 mins to 4 hrs. Headache, nausea. This is not thoroughly researched yet on my part. Seems to me people over the years keep wanting to get rid of parasites in their bodies. What is the problem if we have miniscule amounts of these drugs in our eggs for a month? The only real problem i can think of is our personal parasites developing resistance.

 

[Birdielee]

These eggs are not for sale or anything

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Should her crop feel soft and sandy sometimes?

I got the equimax horse paste. I also got layena crumbles for Ellis (the injured hen. I think she's eating some of it.
One thread i read said i have to dose twice, 10 days apart AND there's a 2 week egg withdrawl AFTER the second dose.
Is this true?

So maybe I'm waaaay off on a fringe here, but ivermectin and praziquantel seem to both be used in humans for killing parasites. Side effects seem to be temporary- 30 mins to 4 hrs. Headache, nausea. This is not thoroughly researched yet on my part. Seems to me people over the years keep wanting to get rid of parasites in their bodies. What is the problem if we have miniscule amounts of these drugs in our eggs for a month? The only real problem i can think of is our personal parasites developing resistance.

Right, 2wk egg withdrawal after last dose - so you do count the day of dosing plus those 10 days you wait to dose again, then 2 wks - your looking at 24-25 days however you want to count

Whether you want to observe a withdrawal period is totally up to you - if you've done your research and feel comfortable eating the eggs for your own personal use, you (or whomever is going to consume the eggs) aren't allergic to the medication, etc. that's your choice.

A crop could feel soft and sandy at times - it depends on when you are checking it. For instance if I give a bit of scratch, then check a crop, I can feel the pieces of corn/seed through the skin. When they are awake and actively eating/drinking - I would expect to feel food(s) in the crop. First thing in the morning I expect to feel nothing - a flat/empty crop.

 

[Birdielee]

All right! Thanks for your help. Ellis, who HAS tapeworms, and Penny, who has liquid smelly poop, both got dosed. The other hen2, still nameless, is our supersafe egg source for the moment. Depending on the effects i see over the next 2-3 days, i may dose her, too.

 

[Birdielee]

I don't see any positive effects yet. I haven't seen any tapeworms come out in their poop. Still have liquid poop from Penny, so far. And Ellis had a poop explosion this morning, which hasn't happened before. (Her feed changed again, too, of course. Sunflower seeds switched to layena crumbles, which she IS eating. I gave her some sunflower seeds this evening. Hoping to avoid a repeat on the explosion.)

I didn't do a 24 hour fast before or a 4 hour fast after dosing.

 

[Birdielee]

Yeah, I have found that when poop REALLY smells it is more of a bacteria issue. I have seen this in my own chickens and in new chickens I inherited from less than great homes. Or from chickens recently treated with medicated feed or antibiotics, anything that kills the good bacteria in their bodies as well as the bad.

It will take time for them to build their good bacteria up enough to fight off the abomination happening in their intestines. But to do that they need to come into contact with good bacteria. I recommend adding probiotic to their feed, and trying fermentation again, making sure the grain or pellet/crumble is TOTALLY submerged atleast 2 inches of water over the feed line. If it gets worse or you see blood get a fecal test.

Hi, again. In your experience, does bad bacteria from poor former conditions also lead to watery poops? Many are watery, some are normal-firm. Some are in between. Would you expect this, and how long would you expect good feed with probiotics in it to turn their gut condition around? I'm wondering if antibiotics would help. I'm going to call the vet and ask how much it costs to get a fecal test. But what test am I looking for?

 

[Birdielee]

Update:
We ate Hen 2 and the smelly poops reduced immensely.
Now I have 2 hens making a combo of normal and weird looking poops, solid and liquid, various colors, most not horrible smelling. Flies are not being much of a problem now.

We used a Starbar trap n toss for various size black flies- it was VERY effective. Caught hundreds of them. And fly paper also, it catches lots of deer flies, which were all over the poop.
I am now using layena omega3 layer pellets for both the hens. Interestingly, egg production has dropped off significantly, but I think that may be due to feed restriction. I haven't been free feeding, because of out newest issue. Rats.

I like the smell of the layena pellets, and the size is small enough that my crumbles-hen decided they were eatable. I am not a huge fan of the ingredients, but at least she's switched to accepting pellets.