My favourite hen, Miss P, a 3 year old lavender sussex, has been suffering from diarrhea for quite some time now - a few months in fact.
Having used two different avian vets in our region and being told “all chicken problems pretty much present the same” I know I won’t really get an answer from them. They don’t seem to want to do fecal floats and things mentioned elsewhere. I do have a lab grade microscope but I don’t know what I’m looking for.
Miss P’s problems started with an ultra-hard moult which led to an impacted crop which I was able to treat with stool softener and she was back to normal except that she didn’t resume laying after this moult and still hasn’t. That was back in May (we are in Australia).
Gradually we started to notice an increase in loose white-ish stools.
Her behaviour was normal so observed for a bit but when it became persistent and she seemed quite flat I treated her for both worms and coccidiosis (Amprolium). Not sure which did the trick but she perked up again and starting acting normal. The diarrhea seemed lessened but was still not entirely back to normal. I observed for a few weeks as she was acting well again, hoping that it would just take a while for the bowel functions to return to normal. I did the follow up worming treatment as per instructions.
Sporadic diarrhea continued but her behaviour was active and perky but over time she seemed a bit lethargic. When her behaviour took a severe turn for the worse, and having ruled out worms, I treated her again with Amprolium. She had become very thirsty so she consumed the medicated water readily.
This time instead of improvement after several days of this she was still going rapidly downhill, lost her appetite completely and just stood stock still, crest all shrivelled with the half closed eyes (strangely not overly hunched or puffed up but just wouldn’t eat or drink a single thing). I fed her electrolyte water from a pipette. Occasionally she’d perk up from this long enough to nibble at some tinned tuna, the only thing that would tempt her.
I decided after much googling that I should try a broad spectrum antibiotic. Well the antibiotics, the honey water and the tinned tuna worked their magic and over the next couple of days she was up and about again and starting to show interest in food. 9 days later and she has had the full course of antibiotics and is acting her old self - energetic, and into everything, loving life.
BUT, the dreaded diahrrea is still there....
She lives with three other hens, all of whom are the picture of health. They are free-ranging over a very large patch.
Can any experienced chicken experts please weigh in on what might be going on here.
Sorry for the long post!
Many thanks for any knowledge you can throw my way.
Having used two different avian vets in our region and being told “all chicken problems pretty much present the same” I know I won’t really get an answer from them. They don’t seem to want to do fecal floats and things mentioned elsewhere. I do have a lab grade microscope but I don’t know what I’m looking for.
Miss P’s problems started with an ultra-hard moult which led to an impacted crop which I was able to treat with stool softener and she was back to normal except that she didn’t resume laying after this moult and still hasn’t. That was back in May (we are in Australia).
Gradually we started to notice an increase in loose white-ish stools.
Her behaviour was normal so observed for a bit but when it became persistent and she seemed quite flat I treated her for both worms and coccidiosis (Amprolium). Not sure which did the trick but she perked up again and starting acting normal. The diarrhea seemed lessened but was still not entirely back to normal. I observed for a few weeks as she was acting well again, hoping that it would just take a while for the bowel functions to return to normal. I did the follow up worming treatment as per instructions.
Sporadic diarrhea continued but her behaviour was active and perky but over time she seemed a bit lethargic. When her behaviour took a severe turn for the worse, and having ruled out worms, I treated her again with Amprolium. She had become very thirsty so she consumed the medicated water readily.
This time instead of improvement after several days of this she was still going rapidly downhill, lost her appetite completely and just stood stock still, crest all shrivelled with the half closed eyes (strangely not overly hunched or puffed up but just wouldn’t eat or drink a single thing). I fed her electrolyte water from a pipette. Occasionally she’d perk up from this long enough to nibble at some tinned tuna, the only thing that would tempt her.
I decided after much googling that I should try a broad spectrum antibiotic. Well the antibiotics, the honey water and the tinned tuna worked their magic and over the next couple of days she was up and about again and starting to show interest in food. 9 days later and she has had the full course of antibiotics and is acting her old self - energetic, and into everything, loving life.
BUT, the dreaded diahrrea is still there....
She lives with three other hens, all of whom are the picture of health. They are free-ranging over a very large patch.
Can any experienced chicken experts please weigh in on what might be going on here.
Sorry for the long post!
Many thanks for any knowledge you can throw my way.
