Pullet with diarrhea - why?

[SpeckledPullet]

One of my newer pullets has diarrhea. She's been here a week now and has had diarrhea since she came in. I also think one of the other girls that came in with her might hade diarrhea, too. My first thought is worms. Does this sound right?

They have all switched from a plain corn mash with the previous owner to layer crumbles with me, plus free choice oyster shells and granite. They also get daily greens and every other day or so I offer marshmellows. Could the marshmellows be causing this? Is it more likely to be worms?

I am planning to worm all of my small flock. I wondered, can I feed the eggs to my dogs since they will not be good for human consumption for 2 weeks? Thanks!

 

[chookchick]

How old is this pullet? If she is less than 6 months I would suspect coccidiosis. Does she have any other symptoms such as lethargy, lack of appetite, ruffled feathers, etc?...I would stop with the marshmallows--that's not good for anyone, and I suppose the sugar could give her diarrhea. There are tons of healthy treats that they love that are good for them (check out the treat chart on the top of the Feeding forum). If cocci is even a possibility I would start them on Corid ASAP.

Hopefully these new pullets are separate from your others? If not, get them away ASAP. I would get a fecal float done if you have never wormed your flock so you know what you are dealing with and not stressing a sick bird more than necessary.

 

[SpeckledPullet]

Hi chookchick. She has no other symptoms really. At least, non of the obvious ones. She is in the middle of a moult and just now has feathers growing back along her back and in her tail. She does tend to keep her head back towards her shoulders, but she has a great appetite and is not lethargic by any means.

All 4 hens came from the same place and all of the birds "appeared" healthy. I figured I can leave them all together, right? If the one hen does have coccidia, most likely the others would have it, too. So, can I treat them all together? Where can I find Corid and is it the only treatment? Are there any other brands?

Thanks!

 

[loralei]

Sorry to hear about your darling gal! Is there blood in her poo? If not I would look at other possibilities as well as cocci. My flock had it and this is disgusting but it was quite obvious... the inside of the coop looked like someone threw red current jam everywhere! That was the only symptom tho. I treated with Corid, which I got from Tractor Supply, for 5 days and all made it just fine.

I agree with chockchick about the marshmellows. The sugar could cause diarrhea and there are so many healthy treats they love. Try black oil sunflower seeds or what we call "chicken crack"! lol!

I would isolate her until you determine what is affecting her. I hope she gets better soon!

God bless,
Laura

 

[SpeckledPullet]

Thanks Laura!

Yes, I will quit feeding marshmellows. I will try the black sunflower seed instead. I have seen BOSS being sold, is that the brand to buy for chickens?

No, no blood at all. Just brown diarrhea. I will go to Tractor supply and see what they have.

Should I try worming them first? If I do go straight for the Curid, it won't harm them if they don't have coccidia, will it?

Thanks!

 

[gritsar]

Do you have a vet that can do a fecal float for you? The cost of the fecal float is usually around $5, then you'd know for sure if you were dealing with worms.
Have you tried giving them some plain, fat-free yogurt?
Also, is the diarrhea constant or does it come and go?
I agree with the others, ditch the marshmallows. Sugary foods in excess can cause diarrhea.

 

[purpletree23]

How old is she?

I know you are going to stop the marshmallows......great

Get the sunflower seeds without the shell. With the shell they are hard to digest and could cause problems.

I think if they had a regular chicken diet they will be fine. Stop the greens for 2 days to see what happens.

THEN you can introduce healthy snacks. Fruit in excess will also cause diahrrea

 

[loralei]

Regarding the Corrid... Treating with antibiotics could cause your birds to become immune to the antibiotic; the antibiotic would then be ineffective if/when you truly need it. Worming unnecessarily means you have to toss those yummy eggs for two weeks. I would try to get the fecal float as gritsar suggests to determine if worms are the issue and if not I would follow purpletree's advice and get them on a regular diet without greens for a few days. I've heard so many speak of the benefits of yogurt; it goes a long way in correcting the intestinal imbalances that sometimes cause diarrhea. My pampered little fluffy butts won't eat it no matter how I dress it up tho!

Hope things are getting better!

God bless,
Laura

 

[SpeckledPullet]

Thanks again everyone.

Okay, I will not treat for coccidia until I know they have it. I do not want to get them immune to it and so far, no one is acting sick.

The pullet with the diarrhea is 6 months old. The other 3 pullets range from 7 to 9 months. None are laying, so I figured perfect time to worm the girlies. However, I told hubby NOW is when they will finally start laying because I won't be able to eat them, LMAO! Can I feed them to the dogs, though? Anyone know if that would be harmful?

I have a vet that I think will do a fecal for me for $10. I will call him tomorrow and see if I can drop of a stool sample.

As of today, they went outside to eat bugs off the ground and I only gave them a bit of layer crumbles and oats. I will take away the hay and greens for a few days (an the marshmellows

permanently) and see if that helps, too. I really hope it is not coccidia. So far, only the one pullet has diarrhea. I looked all over today and could not see any obvious blood. Just brown diarrhea. Everyone else has nice, normal poo.

 

[gritsar]

This may help you to sort out your poos (graphic):

http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0

To take a fecal sample to the vet, be sure and get a bit of sample from a couple different piles so as to get an accurate picture of the situation.