Runny poop and lethargic

[cgar]

Oh gracious! We have a lovely 8 month old Buff Orpington that has nasty, runny poop. The first one was yesterday morning. My husband described it as "an egg without a shell". She seemed fine yesterday but today is lethargic. I don't know if she is eating but I suspect she isn't since there was more food at the end of the day than ususal. The girls are fed pellitized layer mash with occasional (well, daily) treats. Yesterday's treats were apples and fresh mozzarella. The bedding in the coop are wood shavings and the run has straw over concrete.

This morning there was a nasty poop in the coop, she came down into the run, pooped again and sat down. The other girls are very solicitous but she really isn't moving and her breathing seems slow. Her feathers are all puffed up. I read about the effect of stress but this is going on too long for my taste. I'm worried since her behavior appears "sick". I have not tried any remedies yet and am willing to give most anything a go. Not sure if there is a chicken vet close by. Any ideas how to help her?

Not a good photo but general idea:

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[elmo]

Can you isolate her someplace where you can keep her warm and sheltered? That's usually a good first step with a bird that's not acting right. You keep her from being possibly picked on by the others, and if the bird has something contagious you can help to avoid spreading it. It also makes it easier to monitor the sick bird's eating, drinking and pooping.

I really can't see anything in the photo, sorry. Sometimes a bird under stress will have a watery poo with clear, mucousy fluid.

Is your bird laying and if so, has her laying been normal lately?

 

[PandoraTaylor]

Isolate, keep warm/sheltered, check for Eggbinding, give electrolytes in water.
Watch food & water intake while seperated.

 

[lauralou]

Whenever I hear of a lethargic chicken with ruffled feathers and funky poo, I think cocci. There isn't always blood in the poo, from what I've read.

I'm no expert, but maybe you should do a search on cocci, and see if that seems to fit what is going on with your girl. If so, put some Sulmet in her water and see if that helps.

Good luck with her!

 

[cgar]

Thank you for your posts. It makes me feel less helpless to have your support.

She is separated, now, so I can better tell how she eats/poops/lays. She spent the day in the nesting box, the other two went in and came out, somewhere amid the three of them, we have two eggs. She is grumpy and looks like I feel when I'm sick. I'll keep you posted on her tomorrow. The symptoms could be cocci, but I certainly don't know how to tell from the things I've read. Do I begin treating for it, just in case?

 

[cgar]

Good news! This morning she is bright eyed, feisty enough to escape the quarantine fencing and dropped a regular poop. She seems all better. Thank you, all, for your help!