Rescue chickens with red, swollen bottoms. Pleas help!

[Witch_3itch469]

I have some rescue chickens, a couple of which seem to have red, swollen, bald bums. I noticed watery stool. They eat and drink just fine. I have given them an epsom salt bath, and noticed the redness lessen(notice the first picture vs the second). I will give them another soak in the morning. Have an idea what exactly I’m dealing with?

 

[nuthatched]

How big is their coop? Have you checked for mires/lice? What's their diet? Is there one that doesn't have this issue? They don't need more soaks.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have some rescue chickens, a couple of which seem to have red, swollen, bald bums. I noticed watery stool. They eat and drink just fine. I have given them an epsom salt bath, and noticed the redness lessen(notice the first picture vs the second). I will give them another soak in the morning. Have an idea what exactly I’m dealing with?

Welcome To BYC

Where are you located in the world?

You've only had them for a couple of days?

Likely the feather loss is from overcrowding and picking. Chicken skin can look red when it's exposed and pecked.

I'd cut out all the sunflower seeds and scratch. Provide them with a nutritionally balanced poultry feed in a feeder. You can give a small amount of the sunflower seeds/scratch/corn a couple of times a week or better yet, give them small treats of egg, fish (sardines, mackerel, tuna) to help boost protein.

Feathers are picked and broken. Once they molt, then those feathers will be replaced.

Once you've had them for about 2 weeks, I'd give them a round of Corid for Coccidiosis, then deworm them with Fenbendazole (Safeguard) or Albendazole (Albendazole).

Liquid Corid dose is 2tsp or Powdered Corid Dose is 1 1/2tsp per gallon of water given for 5-7 days as the only source of drinking water.
Do not add any extra vitamins/electrolytes that contain B1(Thiamine) to food or water during the course of treatment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Safeguard dose is 0.23ml per pound of weight given orally once a day for 5 days in a row.
---OR---
Valbazen dose is 0.08ml per pound of weight given orally once, then repeated in 10 days

Here's how to give oral medications:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

 

[Witch_3itch469]

How big is their coop? Have you checked for mires/lice? What's their diet? Is there one that doesn't have this issue? They don't need more soaks.

I just rescued these chickens ten miles up the local canyon at a campground. They have been there at least two weeks from what I understand. The rest were run over or eaten by wildlife. There are five left, only two with this issue. Not mites, as I’ve dealt with that. I’m more curious if they could be egg bound? But from what I understand they die fast when that happens. It’s been four days since Rescue. So far they’re eating lots of bugs, food, and drinking properly.

 

[Witch_3itch469]

Welcome To BYC

Where are you located in the world?

You've only had them for a couple of days?

Likely the feather loss is from overcrowding and picking. Chicken skin can look red when it's exposed and pecked.

I'd cut out all the sunflower seeds and scratch. Provide them with a nutritionally balanced poultry feed in a feeder. You can give a small amount of the sunflower seeds/scratch/corn a couple of times a week or better yet, give them small treats of egg, fish (sardines, mackerel, tuna) to help boost protein.

Feathers are picked and broken. Once they molt, then those feathers will be replaced.

Once you've had them for about 2 weeks, I'd give them a round of Corid for Coccidiosis, then deworm them with Fenbendazole (Safeguard) or Albendazole (Albendazole).

Liquid Corid dose is 2tsp or Powdered Corid Dose is 1 1/2tsp per gallon of water given for 5-7 days as the only source of drinking water.
Do not add any extra vitamins/electrolytes that contain B1(Thiamine) to food or water during the course of treatment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Safeguard dose is 0.23ml per pound of weight given orally once a day for 5 days in a row.
---OR---
Valbazen dose is 0.08ml per pound of weight given orally once, then repeated in 10 days

Here's how to give oral medications:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

I’m in southwestern Utah in the US. Only had them three days. Rescue them from a campground ten miles up the canyon. They were slowly being run over and picked off by wildlife. Two out of the five have the symptoms. Your advice sounds great, thank you!

 

[nuthatched]

I just rescued these chickens ten miles up the local canyon at a campground. They have been there at least two weeks from what I understand. The rest were run over or eaten by wildlife. There are five left, only two with this issue. Not mites, as I’ve dealt with that. I’m more curious if they could be egg bound? But from what I understand they die fast when that happens. It’s been four days since Rescue. So far they’re eating lots of bugs, food, and drinking properly.

Red is sunburn.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I just rescued these chickens ten miles up the local canyon at a campground. They have been there at least two weeks from what I understand. The rest were run over or eaten by wildlife. There are five left, only two with this issue. Not mites, as I’ve dealt with that. I’m more curious if they could be egg bound? But from what I understand they die fast when that happens. It’s been four days since Rescue. So far they’re eating lots of bugs, food, and drinking properly.

I’m in southwestern Utah in the US. Only had them three days. Rescue them from a campground ten miles up the canyon. They were slowly being run over and picked off by wildlife. Two out of the five have the symptoms. Your advice sounds great, thank you!

Probably someone dumped them.

Do you have an existing flock of chickens? If you do, then I'd keep these separated out until they have settled down a bit and you can check them for any parasites and observe for disease.

 

[Witch_3itch469]

Probably someone dumped them.

Do you have an existing flock of chickens? If you do, then I'd keep these separated out until they have settled down a bit and you can check them for any parasites and observe for disease.

Unfortunately, I agree that that’s most likely the case.

I don’t have any other chickens. I have been planning on getting both meat and laying birds, but have yet to do so. So I guess it’s good thing I haven’t got any to spread anything to. These girls will get doctored on the next couple weeks and I’ll determine whether they’re dog food, or if I get lucky they’ll start laying once they get comfy.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Unfortunately, I agree that that’s most likely the case.

I don’t have any other chickens. I have been planning on getting both meat and laying birds, but have yet to do so. So I guess it’s good thing I haven’t got any to spread anything to. These girls will get doctored on the next couple weeks and I’ll determine whether they’re dog food, or if I get lucky they’ll start laying once they get comfy.

They look relatively bright and are probably "spent" hens. Could be that they were not well, but I think if they were dumped for a few weeks and survived on their own, then likely they are just a bit older and need some TLC.

May be about time for them to molt, hard to know since you don't know how old they are, but a lot of older hens can and do produce quite a few eggs, just not daily like when younger, so you may get something like 3 eggs a week from each one(?) but just a guess.

Either way, it's good that you took them in, I'm sure they will get good care for whatever time they have with you. Nothing wrong with determining they are not what you want/need at this time and processing them. I process extra cockerels if I have any, but even though I know early on I won't be keeping them, they get all the care/food that everyone else does until it's time to for them to go to freezer camp.