poopy butt and lethargic hen HELP!

[razenChickens]

Need some advise! We had a chicken with a poopy butt/vent for weeks, we tried to clean her off but it didnt help and change her diet and she just got more lethargic and finally passed away. We were first told she was broody 'cause she stayed up in the laying area a lot, then we thought she was egg bound... any ideas? Now we have another chicken that is spending to much time in the laying area??!! Please help, we are new to chickens and these hens are not even 1yr old yet....Thanks

 

[Eggcessive]

What kind of food are the hens on? The hen that died may have had worms or vent gleet. A broody hen will keep running back and getting on an egg in her nest box after you take her and move her. She may growl at you or bite you. They will sit in a trance usually, even refusing treats.If you suspect a hen of being eggbound you can insert a gloved lubricated finger inside the vent 1 1/2 inches and feel for an egg while also feeling her lower abdomen. They may sit with their tails up in the air. Some breeds are very broody, some never. Many of the high production hens such as red sexlinks or hatchery RIR will have egg laying problems.I would suggest you look up egg binding, internal laying, egg yolk peritonitis, and prolapsed vent in chickens because these things are often confusing, and good to know for any chicken owner. Here is one link: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/07/chicken-egg-binding-causes-symptoms.html

 

[razenChickens]

They eat "family first" scratch grains 8% protein (this is just free in the pen) layers 16% crumbles (given to them twice a day. And just added free choice of oster shells. Along with some table scraps, like bread, veggies (no broccoli or cauliflower), lettuce, spinach and kale about 2 times a week....They are buff wyandotte's. Thank you for your help I look into those.

 

[razenChickens]

Also just bought Aureomycin by manna pro 4G medicated crumbles(says it prevents bacterial enteritis/pneumonia, jowl abscesses, CRD and fowl cholera?) that I thought I would feed a little of that to the rest of the chickens or just the one that is now acting funny tomorrow?...
I have never wormed them? how much and when do you do that and what product do you use? thanks

 

[Eggcessive]

I might hold off on the antibiotic for a bit since you don't really know what is wrong, and it could confuse the issue by causing diarrhea. If the symptoms change, then consider one. I would recommend pulling the scratch grains, and only giving it as a special treat or use it for bringing in the chickens during certain times when you need to move them. It is recommended that scratch and other treats make up only 10% of the diet. I would put the layer feed out for them instead to free feed. I use scratch as a treat, and mine would choose the scratch over their pellets any day because it is like candy. For a good wormer, there is none better than Valbazen (albendazole)--it gets all known chicken worms. Safeguard liquid gets all but tapeworm which is rare. Treat with 1/2 ml of either, and repeat in 10 days. Toss eggs for 14 days after last worming. Use a little more if it is a huge chicken and 1/4 ml for a banty.

 

[razenChickens]

so throw the egss only after the last wormer 10 days after the first one? you dont have to throw them on the first day/first wormer?

this is the feed they have that I will now have out for them 24/7- http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/dumorreg;-poultry-layer-16%-crumble

if you see something better here- http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/search/poultry-feed (we shop at Tractor supply) please let me know, espically for the winter, cold months ahead... thank you so much!

 

[razenChickens]

can you actually see worms on the chickens and/or their poop if they have worms?

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for the confusion. Eggs should be discarded for 24 days total--some choose to feed them to their dogs, but there may be some worm meds in them. You can only see roundworms and tapeworms, but there are several others. The Dumor is a little powdery, but okay. Purina which also makes Dumor, is a little more crumbly. I have used the Purina layer and flock raiser mostly.

 

[razenChickens]

So what do you do with a broody hen? I think that is what my girl is doing now, she puffs her feathers up at me and growls and will try to bite, she was in the nesting box a lot... I made her get out today and she ate well...and then went back to the nesting box? thanks

 

[Eggcessive]

I put mine in a large cage in the coop with food and water, no nest, just barely some thin shavings to cover the floor for around 5 days. If you can put a little roost in it, they will use it. I let them out after 3-5 days, and if they go back to a nest, they spend a few days more. In summer, the more they can cool their bottoms like on a wire floor the better, but winter is too cold. The best broody-breaking pen in summer is a dog run where they are forced to roam around or get on a roost.