I am new to BYC as well as a new Chicken mommy. My girls are now 1 year and I got them when they were 13 weeks or so. Thankfully I have been lucky with healthy girls and learning as I go. My girls are not like most chickens as I've been told by other chickens mommies. They won't eat any fruit, corn, oatmeal, yogurt etc. I buy layered pellets from my feed store and bags of premium bird seed with nuts and fruit that they love and I also give them meal worms. They do forage all day and only go to the coop/run at night for safety. I think they get enough protein to eat so I'm at a loss why Pita is losing feathers and has slightly runny brown poop that smells awful. I know my girls and I know something if off but can't figure out what. Today I put acv in the water and I'm know it's not vent gleet as her bottom is clean and she's not losing feathers at the bottom. My other br sparkles is the dominant one so I thought she was getting bullied but once I seen the nasty poop today I know that's not the case. I checked for lice/mites and I see none. Should I deworm or check for cocci? Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks so much
Hi Glad you could join us here! Is she showing any other symptoms of sickness or is it just the nasty poop? Could they have foraged in something and over done themselves? The feather loss could be molt which is a natural process of them growing new feathers. It could also be feather pecking from your other girls. Popping by our emergency/disease section would also be a great idea with some pics of the poop if you can ~ https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/10/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures Good luck and enjoy BYC
Hello from Kansas, Tiffany42, and welcome to BYC! Great to have you aboard! Yorkshire gave you some great advice so I'll just say good luck and best wishes to you!
G’Day from down under Tiffany42 Welcome! As Yorkshire Coop has suggested, Pita could be moulting, she sounds about the right age. Can you see pin feathers? I have noticed with one of my gals that during a heavy moult her poops can vary. I agree that if you are concerned, the Emergencies & Diseases Forum is a great place to ask questions. I hope you enjoy being a BYC member. There are lots of friendly and very helpful folks here so not only is it overflowing with useful information it is also a great place to make friends and have some fun. Unlike non chicken loving friends, family and colleagues, BYC’ers never tire of stories or pictures that feature our feathered and non feathered friends
Hello and ! I hope you enjoy BYC just as much as the rest of us do! You've been given some great advice so far, so I just popped in to say 'hello!'. Best of luck with your girls!
Welcome to Backyardchickens.com, aka BYC! We are glad you joined our flock. This video will help you learn how to navigate this site:
