Pale comb w/black tip, loose stools in 14-wk hen - otherwise normal?

[HollywoodHillsHens]

Hi - anyone ever run across this before? Is it cause for concern? Only one of my Australorps, Sophia, has this among my small flock of four. She's had loose stools since she was about 4 weeks old...

We live in a temperate climate (Southern California) so frostbite and/or temperature stress are nonfactors. I've wormed my girls twice with Wazine, all vaccinated for Marek's @ the hatchery. No improvement. Fed the chickens yogurt with probiotics and drinking water with ACV, slight improvement but i could have imagined that.

Hens free range around our decent-sized property, roost up in a large chicken ark at night (cleaned every several days). They "graze" on our lawn and also eat my planted chard and broccoli (!) leaves; we feed them organic chick/developer pellets but treat them with mealworms, oats and sunflower seed / pepitas.

Tried separating the patient for a couple of days, but she didn't really eat or drink vigorously until i returned her to the flock today (she was pretty agitated being isolated from her sisters).

Now started all the chickens on Sulmet cocktail in their water as another hen may have loose stool as well.

Sophia doesn't want to eat / drink apart from the flock (she was immediately eating and drinking as soon as I returned her to the flock), so assume this is "psychological" only).

Any insight?? Thanks!

 

[3goodeggs]

I will copy the poo sites for you. Some of them just drink a lot of water and have watery stools.

http://happyhenhouse.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=poop&action=display&thread=7588
http://dlhunicorn.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=poos&action=display&num=1158478320
http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0
i hope that helps you some.

 

[HollywoodHillsHens]

Thanks - I love these pages - the poo looks somewhat in the realm of "normal," but it was more the combo of that and the comb that i was worried about....

 

[3goodeggs]

I must keep missing it, what is wrong with the comb? What does it look like? Mine get whitish in the winter, I assume because of the same reasons my hands do. it it like dry skin? Also, sometimes they will get black marks on them. I assume that is from bickering or a rough time with the rooster. Can you post a picture? We had a rough bout of avian pox in the SE this last fall. It looks like dry sores on their comb.
I hope she is fine and all goes well.

 

[HollywoodHillsHens]

Hi 3GoodEggs, sorry for the delay in replying - here's the comparison between my "normal" lorp Dorothy on the left, and the pale-comb lorp Sophia on the right. They are the same age (they are 16 weeks old now). What are your thoughts?

The black's not particularly visible, it is a pinpoint on the very tip of Sophia's comb in one spot.

 

[3goodeggs]

I have several hens that are just paler than the others. I suppose you could try getting some wazine and worming the flock. They are young, but they free range. She could have something. They may be young enough to just use the ivermectin. They are not laying yet, so you won't have to throw out any eggs, then you won't have to re worm for a year, but then again, at 16 weeks, she should not have a worm load that heavy.

Welcome to the wonderful world of chicken ownership. It is confusing.

I do think that chickens are like people in that some are more vigourus and healthy than others. I would have a pale comb and wattles too.
I would just watch her. If she hasn't gotten worse, then It may just be her genetics she might be a slower paler less vigorous hen. We happen.