Runny poop/ Diarrhea?

[Peggysaurus]

Two of my 1-year old Sapphire Gem hens have very runny poop. I don't know if I would call it diarrhea, but it is brown/white in color (more brown). I had a chicken that passed away a couple of days ago with clear, watery poop. I definitely know she was sick, so are the other chickens developing the disease she had? I haven't been able to get a good picture of the poop yet because it's in the grass and very hard to see since it is watery. I think I saw them lay a normal poop as well, but they were far away and it was hard to see from a distance. Should I be worried?

Update: found this poop on one of our flagstones

 

[azygous]

It can be a sign of illness. Or it can be from drinking a lot of water and eating things high in water content.

Look at the behavior of your chickens. That more than poop will alert you to illness. Look for lethargy, self isolation, tail held down low and flat, droopy eyes, fluffed out feathers, perhaps a discharge from eyes and nares.

If it's spring in "Spotsylvania", (it really is helpful to us to know your actual geographic location so we don't have to guess what your current climate and season is), you may have a coccidia outbreak. It produces lethargic behavior and diarrhea and can be treated with a coccidiostat. If we knew your country of origin, we could help you with the brand name of the med to look for.

 

[Peggysaurus]

It can be a sign of illness. Or it can be from drinking a lot of water and eating things high in water content.

Look at the behavior of your chickens. That more than poop will alert you to illness. Look for lethargy, self isolation, tail held down low and flat, droopy eyes, fluffed out feathers, perhaps a discharge from eyes and nares.

If it's spring in "Spotsylvania", (it really is helpful to us to know your actual geographic location so we don't have to guess what your current climate and season is), you may have a coccidia outbreak. It produces lethargic behavior and diarrhea and can be treated with a coccidiostat. If we knew your country of origin, we could help you with the brand name of the med to look for.

They are acting normal as far as I can tell. If they do have coccidiosis, how long does it take for symptoms to appear? The sick chicken that I had changed in behavior overnight and died within 24 hours, although I am not sure if she had coccidiosis. I also live in the United States. Would it be alright if I gave them all medication for coccidiosis just to be safe, or would it be bad for them?

 

[azygous]

Get to the feed store and get liquid Corid. Mix up 2 teaspoon into one gallon of water and treat all of the chickens. This will do no harm if they don't have coccidiosis. It's not an antibiotic. It blocks the thiamine that coccidia thrive on. The only precaution to take is not to give B vitamins while treating. Treat for five days, rest a week and treat for five more.

There are nine different strains of coccidia and they can produce different symptoms, so preemtive treatment is wise.

 

[Peggysaurus]

Get to the feed store and get liquid Corid. Mix up 2 teaspoon into one gallon of water and treat all of the chickens. This will do no harm if they don't have coccidiosis. It's not an antibiotic. It blocks the thiamine that coccidia thrive on. The only precaution to take is not to give B vitamins while treating. Treat for five days, rest a week and treat for five more.

There are nine different strains of coccidia and they can produce different symptoms, so preemtive treatment is wise.

I looked online at my local feed store and it has liquid Corid, but it's for cows. Can I still use it for chickens? How long do you think I should treat them for, or is it supposed to be used indefinitely as a precaution?

 

[azygous]

Yes, cow Corid is also for chickens. It works the same no matter what animal it goes into.

Corid has two mixing strengths, a treatment strength and a preventative strength. It blocks thiamine, an important B vitamin, so you don't want to use it constantly. But some people will give it every so often as a preventative.

There is also the drench strength for a very sick chicken, but yours aren't that sick to need that.

 

[Peggysaurus]

Ok, thank you for all of the information!!