Normal intestinal shedding or Coccidiosis?

[ChickensRsmart]

Does the discharge have a bad odor? Infectious Coryza reportedly has a very bad odor.

It does sound like a respiratory issue, there are several diseases that can present with mucous and a sneeze. Mycoplasma and Infectious Bronchitis are common.
You can try giving Tylosin to see if that makes a difference with the respiratory symptoms and the poop. She may have some Enteritis, but hard to really know unless you can get a fecal float.

No bad odors - just clear discharge from the nostrils. No facial swelling either. I can definitely get a fecal float done too...not as good as a root beer float, but what can you do? lol.
Nothing is available for chickens in California anymore. I did get a local vet to agree to do the fecal on my bantam hen - maybe if they do it again on this layer hen, then they might also agree to prescribe some Tylosin... The game is rigged in California - you have to spend and spend and spend with the vets in order to get the drugs that will treat the problem...and most of them won't even treat chickens. They always want their examination fee otherwise - they look at your bird and say, "Yep! That's a chicken alright...that will be $89...not including the cost for the drugs. LOL
Thanks again WR. I will keep you all posted.

 

[ChickensRsmart]

Does the discharge have a bad odor? Infectious Coryza reportedly has a very bad odor.

It does sound like a respiratory issue, there are several diseases that can present with mucous and a sneeze. Mycoplasma and Infectious Bronchitis are common.
You can try giving Tylosin to see if that makes a difference with the respiratory symptoms and the poop. She may have some Enteritis, but hard to really know unless you can get a fecal float.

Another update WR. I just discovered that this hen has a mildly inflamed vent...I got a good look at it tonight and it is slightly swollen and red - visible when she poops. Vent gleet? It's not dirty (no sticking poop to the vent), but there are smalls bits of poop to the outer edges of the feathers that surround her vent.

In her case, I'm guessing it's due to a bacterial infection - given the snotty nose also?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You may see some red tissues sometimes when they poop. Since the oviduct and intestines meet at the cloaca (vent), there is an inversion that takes place when either an egg is laid or they poop. Basically it folds over/out blocking one or another. Does that make any sense? LOL

Anyway. If you have photos of her vent that may help. Vent Gleet is usually a yeast infection and there's a white yeasty discharge leaking from the vent.

If she's inflamed though, you can put a bit of ointment or yeast medication topically on the vent to see if that helps soothe it.

 

[ChickensRsmart]

You may see some red tissues sometimes when they poop. Since the oviduct and intestines meet at the cloaca (vent), there is an inversion that takes place when either an egg is laid or they poop. Basically it folds over/out blocking one or another. Does that make any sense? LOL

Anyway. If you have photos of her vent that may help. Vent Gleet is usually a yeast infection and there's a white yeasty discharge leaking from the vent.

If she's inflamed though, you can put a bit of ointment or yeast medication topically on the vent to see if that helps soothe it.

Thanks WR.

Here is another poor quality image of her vent (I need 3 hands to hold her and the camera to get a decent picture). When she pooped last night, I could see what looks like red and swollen tissue protruding outward as she pooped. Her vent doesn't show red unless she's pooping, but it does look enlarged - swollen relative to the vents on other hens. I don't know if you can tell from the poor photo, but I think there is visible swelling on the outside of the vent...chicken vents look a little bit like a human mouth, and the upper lip of the vent on this hen looks swollen.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

It does look irritated.
Is she laying eggs yet?

I think I would apply an ointment to the vent to see if that helps. You can also give her a soaking in epsom salts.

Is there still intestinal shedding in the poop? Have you de-wormed her?

 

[ChickensRsmart]

It does look irritated.
Is she laying eggs yet?

I think I would apply an ointment to the vent to see if that helps. You can also give her a soaking in epsom salts.

Is there still intestinal shedding in the poop? Have you de-wormed her?

She's not laying eggs yet - I don't know how old she is, but she's young... I haven't dewormed her - so far because her poops looked a lot like coccidiosis - clearly not now because corrid had no impact. I have been examining a lot of her stools and have found no visible worms...but I bought safeguard when I bought the corrid...
Given her snotty nose, do you think I should try the antibiotics first - before a dewormer?
I will also soak her butt in epsom salts. lol. She'll end up liking it.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You may want to try the antibiotics first.

LOL They will surprise you with the soaking. I had a very flighty hen that I needed to soak and I thought oh boy this is going to be interesting. She loved it, just sat there and floated

 

[ChickensRsmart]

You may want to try the antibiotics first.

LOL They will surprise you with the soaking. I had a very flighty hen that I needed to soak and I thought oh boy this is going to be interesting. She loved it, just sat there and floated

I believe you. The broiler hen I had with the bumble foot learned to love the foot soaks...she'd stand in a small bowl of warm epsom salt water - Like a woman taking a bubble bath...CALGON TAKE ME AWAY. lol...

With any luck, I will getting the antibiotics for her on Monday...with any luck.

Thanks again WR!

 

[Jensride09]

Thanks again (again) WR.

She's been getting a much better diet that she's ever gotten before. I spoil the crap out of them. She's learned to like sweet potato (or the ones that are orange like a yam...but not a yam). And when I first started her on game bird mix, she didn't know how to eat it...it took a few days before she learned that she could eat the stuff...

I will add the probiotics tomorrow.

I’m having this same issue with a 17 week old pullet - should I start with a probiotic or Corid ? All 3 birds look great and are eating - drinking well ..

 

[ChickensRsmart]

I’m having this same issue with a 17 week old pullet - should I start with a probiotic or Corid ? All 3 birds look great and are eating - drinking well ..

I just checked BYC and saw your comment. I ended up fixing the problem for my hen with antibiotics. She's been laying eggs now for quite awhile. I've been watching her to see if her symptoms come back and she seems to be doing fine.
I've noticed that she seems to get dirt in her nostrils a lot...and she will snort it out...it's a black discharge (like a crust) at her nostrils...and it's the same color as the local dirt. I have been seeing some clear fluid with it however, but her color remains very good and she's laying eggs every day...I think the slightly moist nostrils are due to getting dirt into her sinuses?
Does your bird have any discharge from her nostrils?