Newbie here. Hen is sick

[4chickenmom]

My one hen is sick. She has diarrhea, and has slimmed down some. Not sure what she could have. None of my three other hens are sick.

 

[coach723]

If you can post more info it would help getting some input. Age of birds, how long you've had them, what you feed, how they are housed, do they free range, how long has she been sick, etc.
There are a lot of things that can cause this, my first reaction just based on my own flock is to ask if she's ever been wormed. Runny poos and weight loss are very common symptoms of worm infections. This is easily determined by a fecal float test, which many vets will do for you even if they don't see birds. But there are many other things it also could be, so the more information you can provide the more idea's people can provide you with.

 

[-Wirth-]

Also even with the diarrhea itself... What color and consistency? Is there blood?

 

[4chickenmom]

If you can post more info it would help getting some input.  Age of birds, how long you've had them, what you feed, how they are housed, do they free range, how long has she been sick, etc.
There are a lot of things that can cause this, my first reaction just based on my own flock is to ask if she's ever been wormed.  Runny poos and weight loss are very common symptoms of worm infections.  This is easily determined by a fecal float test, which many vets will do for you even if they don't see birds.  But there are many other things it also could be, so the more information you can provide the more idea's people can provide you with. 

She's about 9 months old. I've had them 8 months. I feed her Purina omega 3 layer feed. She was fine the day before. Yes, all four have been dewormed. They free range two days out of the week. The rest of the week they have pen access. Their coop they sleep at night in. I'll get in touch with our vet too.

I did throw some feed out when they free ranged yesterday. She was the first over like she hadn't eaten in a while. Usually she doesnt like to be held for a while but she let yesterday. I looked her over from head to toe. She was just a little thin with poop all around her vent. I cleaned her off. Otherwise she looks and is acting fine.

 

[4chickenmom]

Also even with the diarrhea itself... What color and consistency? Is there blood?

No blood at all. It looks like regular poop just really runny.

 

[coach723]

More questions....
Is she eating/drinking normally? Is the crop filling and emptying completely? Best time to check for emptying is first thing in the morning after not eating all night.
Is she laying/has she ever layed?
And did you check thoroughly for lice/mites?

 

[4chickenmom]

More questions....
Is she eating/drinking normally?  Is the crop filling and emptying completely?  Best time to check for emptying is first thing in the morning after not eating all night.
Is she laying/has she ever layed? 
And did you check thoroughly for lice/mites?

Today yes, she's been drinking and eating ok. She's my best layer. How do you check the crop?

 

[coach723]

The crop is located low on the right front side of the neck/chest area. Often after they eat you can see it bulging out there.
I would check first thing in the morning, before she eats anything, to see if it's empty. Just pick her up and feel that area. You can do the same on any of your birds during the day, and you will feel the crop with food in it at various times. A crop that is not emptying, or is squishy, like full of water, can be an indication of an internal problem. My guess is that it will probably be fine, but it's always a good thing to check when you have a bird with issues. When they eat, the food fills the crop, and the crop then empties gradually as they food passes on through their digestive tract.
At this point with no other symptoms to go on, these are my thoughts and what I would do if it were my bird (assuming you find no crop issues)....
1. I know you said they'd been wormed. If it has been quite a while since that worming then I would either have a fecal float test done, or re-worm, to definitively eliminate that as a possibility.
Worms can be a recurring issue, depending on your environment. They shed the eggs in their droppings and the eggs become part of the environment. The eggs can live a really long time in the soil. They scratch and peck and ingest an egg and the cycle starts anew.
2. I would start weighing her regularly to monitor the weight. see if it's continuing to drop or if it's stable. I have some birds that are just much thinner than others. Sometimes they are low pecking order and just don't get to the feeders as much. A digital kitchen scale works fine, just use a plate or tray, zero it with that on, then place the chicken on. I would do this for a while to get a good idea of what is really happening with her weight.
3. Which brings me to the third which is consider adding a feeder to help give her more opportunity if she's low in the order. And make sure they have access to grit and oyster shell always.
4. I would withhold all treats and extra's for a week or two and add probiotics and maybe electrolites to the water. Electrolites can help them hydrate if they are dehydrated, and the probiotics will help restore balance to the digestive tract. Sav-a-chick and rooster booster brands are usually readily available.
Lastly, when temperatures soar they often drink more trying to cool off, and that can cause runny poo's too. Don't know what your weather has been.
So you are going to need to observe for a bit and see if anything else comes up.

 

[4chickenmom]

The crop is located low on the right front side of the neck/chest area.  Often after they eat you can see it bulging out there.
I would check first thing in the morning, before she eats anything, to see if it's empty.  Just pick her up and feel that area.  You can do the same on any of your birds during the day, and you will feel the crop with food in it at various times.  A crop that is not emptying, or is squishy, like full of water,  can be an indication of an internal problem.  My guess is that it will probably be fine, but it's always a good thing to check when you have a bird with issues.  When they eat, the food fills the crop, and the crop then empties gradually as they food passes on through their digestive tract. 
At this point with no other symptoms to go on, these are my thoughts and what I would do if it were my bird (assuming you find no crop issues)....
1.  I know you said they'd been wormed.  If it has been quite a while since that worming then I would either have a fecal float test done, or re-worm, to definitively eliminate that as a possibility.
Worms can be a recurring issue, depending on your environment.  They shed the eggs in their droppings and the eggs become part of the environment.  The eggs can live a really long time in the soil. They scratch and peck and ingest an egg and the cycle starts anew. 
2. I would start weighing her regularly to monitor the weight.  see if it's continuing to drop or if it's stable.  I have some birds that are just much thinner than others.  Sometimes they are low pecking order and just don't get to the feeders as much.  A digital kitchen scale works fine, just use a plate or tray, zero it with that on, then place the chicken on.  I would do this for a while to get a good idea of what is really happening with her weight.
3.  Which brings me to the third which is consider adding a feeder to help give her more opportunity if she's low in the order.  And make sure they have access to grit and oyster shell always.
4. I would withhold all treats and extra's for a week or two and add probiotics and maybe electrolites to the water.  Electrolites can help them hydrate if they are dehydrated, and the probiotics will help restore balance to the digestive tract.  Sav-a-chick and rooster booster brands are usually readily available. 
Lastly, when temperatures soar they often drink more trying to cool off, and that can cause runny poo's too.  Don't know what your weather has been.
So you are going to need to observe for a bit and see if anything else comes up. 

Thank you. She was acting fine yesterday and today. No more runny poop. It was up to 85 that day that i noticed the runny poop. The day before 85 it was in the 20's. So we went from cold to hot over night.

 

[coach723]

That's good! Hopefully that was all it was, and she will be fine.
If you notice that temperature is causeing issues (it's harder on some birds than others) you can try to give them cooling stations.
I use frozen jugs of water with a fan blowing over them on the hottest days, frozen water bottles in their waterers, and open water dishes (plant saucers) that they can stand in to cool off in the hottest months.