Red-Lethargic/watery stool

Raykim1990

In the Brooder
Jun 26, 2022
10
7
29
My little red girl didn’t come out of the coop this am when I opened up the run door. I found her still on her roosting board in the coop (Never has happened with any of the girls before ) She wouldn’t take any scratch (which she has never done before) And just went over a little ways and sat on the ground. I picked her up and put her back in the run and she pooped on my arm but it was clear and runny. I can’t close her in the run because all her sisters need access to go and lay their eggs. I just checked on her and she is laying in a nesting box. How do we know what is wrong with them? I see no obvious injuries and I give them diatomaceous earth mixed in their feed, so parasite are not likely. Any ideas?
 
DE will not prevent parasites, or worm chickens. How old is your red chicken? Does she normally lay eggs? Is her tail position down or up? She seems sick, so hopefully you can rule out an egg laying problem, crop disorder, or intestinal infection. Have you seen any soft or shell-less eggs, and could the clear dropping have been egg white from a broken egg inside? How does her crop feel—empty and flat, full, hard, doughy, or puffy and soft? Recheck it in the morning to make sure that it is emptying overnight. Offer her some fluids with electrolytes, and see if she will eat some scrambled egg or moistened chicken feed.
 
DE will not prevent parasites, or worm chickens. How old is your red chicken? Does she normally lay eggs? Is her tail position down or up? She seems sick, so hopefully you can rule out an egg laying problem, crop disorder, or intestinal infection. Have you seen any soft or shell-less eggs, and could the clear dropping have been egg white from a broken egg inside? How does her crop feel—empty and flat, full, hard, doughy, or puffy and soft? Recheck it in the morning to make sure that it is emptying overnight. Offer her some fluids with electrolytes, and see if she will eat some scrambled egg or moistened chicken feed.
Thank you for responding. She is just 11 months old and I believe she lays. It’s hard to say because I have 8 hens And they tend to go in the same box. Most of the time, I usually get a varying number of eggs Each day. At the moment her tail is up (still in nesting box). Her crop is a little golf size ball (hard). I would almost expect it to be empty but I’m new to all things chickens. Which electrolytes would you suggest? Another thing, I found a broken egg under their roosting boards. I have not seen an egg in their coop before. I have only ever had eggs in their nesting boxes. They are free range and I routinely check around in the spots they like to lay in for eggs but have never seen an egg in the yard. I will fix her a scrambled egg to see if she will eat. I thought DE kept the parasites away. What should I be using with or instead to keep them healthy?
 
DE is ineffective. If you have a vet that will do a fecal test for parasites for you, that would rule that in or out as a cause. If you have, or suspect, a parasite issue then the common chemical wormers used are Valbazen (albendazole, labeled for cattle), Safeguard (fenbendazole, labeled for goats or horses), or in the case of tapeworm praziquantel which you can get for horses in Equimax or Zimecterin Gold. They will treat active parasite infections, they will not prevent infection. Even with good husbandry practices prevention is not always 100% effective, when parasites are in the environment, infection is common, and treatment is then necessary. The fecal test is best, when possible, so you know what you are treating for and which medication would be best.
Parasites are only one possibility. I would crate her in a wire crate so you can monitor her eating, drinking and droppings. Keep her on puppy pads or clean bath towels. You can get electrolites as Sav-a-chick brand which you can mix in water (picture below), they are not expensive and usually available where ever feeds are sold, usually come in a strip of 3. Tonight at dark, take away her food and water and then check her crop first thing in the morning before she eats or drinks to see if the crop is empty then, or still has a mass in it. See if she lays in the next couple of days or not. If things change let us know. Try to get a picture of droppings if they continue to be runny and abnormal.
electrolite.jpg
 

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