I have two chickens with hopefully minor issues:
(1) Ginger (aka Pig Pen). 15 month old, Golden Comet hen. Very reliable layer, near the bottom of the pecking order, but no other issues and otherwise vigorous and healthy. She is my most adventurous and vocal girl. Very good dust bather, but refuses to shake out afterwards. She walks around with soil pouring out of her fluff ... sometimes for a day or two. And she's always got feathers askew, despite preening just as much as the others. Ginger simply looks like a total disaster (and always has, this is not a new issue). I try to just ignore it and not choose her for spot checks for lice/mites, because she's always a mess and not like any of my other girls, who are very tidy. Are some chickens just dirtier than others? Or should I be worried?
(2) Alice. 4 month old, Specked Sussex. Regular, brown watery poop. Sometimes her stool is normal and solid, but usually it is not. She is otherwise perfect -- absolutely no issues whatsoever. FWIW, I had a SS cockerel last year, from the same hatchery, with the exact same issue (had to re-home because of volume). Both the cockerel and Alice seem(ed) drink a lot, more than the other chicks, so I wasn't/haven't been too worried. I know the forums say to get a fecal test from the vet, but is that really necessary if no other chickens in the flock have this issue? If it is worms, wouldn't more than one have similar pooping problems? Maybe she's just lactose intolerant or has IBS or something. Ideas?
(1) Ginger (aka Pig Pen). 15 month old, Golden Comet hen. Very reliable layer, near the bottom of the pecking order, but no other issues and otherwise vigorous and healthy. She is my most adventurous and vocal girl. Very good dust bather, but refuses to shake out afterwards. She walks around with soil pouring out of her fluff ... sometimes for a day or two. And she's always got feathers askew, despite preening just as much as the others. Ginger simply looks like a total disaster (and always has, this is not a new issue). I try to just ignore it and not choose her for spot checks for lice/mites, because she's always a mess and not like any of my other girls, who are very tidy. Are some chickens just dirtier than others? Or should I be worried?
(2) Alice. 4 month old, Specked Sussex. Regular, brown watery poop. Sometimes her stool is normal and solid, but usually it is not. She is otherwise perfect -- absolutely no issues whatsoever. FWIW, I had a SS cockerel last year, from the same hatchery, with the exact same issue (had to re-home because of volume). Both the cockerel and Alice seem(ed) drink a lot, more than the other chicks, so I wasn't/haven't been too worried. I know the forums say to get a fecal test from the vet, but is that really necessary if no other chickens in the flock have this issue? If it is worms, wouldn't more than one have similar pooping problems? Maybe she's just lactose intolerant or has IBS or something. Ideas?
