Sick Hen - possibly lice?

[Nickmr]

I have a few girls with yellow diarrhea and poopy butts. One of my hens is now lethargic and not eating. (Crop is empty) While caring for another chicken with bad bumblefoot, I noticed a very tiny clear bug crawl across her face. Is this lice? Could lice be the reason for the yellow diarrhea? And the lethargic hen?

 

[azygous]

Lice are tan to reddish tan and do not cause diarrhea. They are found usually around the skin in the vent area where it's very moist. They can be seen easily moving about. But lice only munch on skin and feather dander, so they only cause health issues when they're very numerous.

Yellow runny poop most often points to reproductive infection. This can happen to multiple hens at once if they are in a poop infested environment. The bacteria can enter through the vent and work its way up the reproductive tract. Extreme lethargy indicates the need for an oral antibiotic, even though it may be late and not be immediately effective, but still worth a try. What antibiotics do you have on hand? Are you in the US ?

 

[Nickmr]

Lice are tan to reddish tan and do not cause diarrhea. They are found usually around the skin in the vent area where it's very moist. They can be seen easily moving about. But lice only munch on skin and feather dander, so they only cause health issues when they're very numerous.

Yellow runny poop most often points to reproductive infection. This can happen to multiple hens at once if they are in a poop infested environment. The bacteria can enter through the vent and work its way up the reproductive tract. Extreme lethargy indicates the need for an oral antibiotic, even though it may be late and not be immediately effective, but still worth a try. What antibiotics do you have on hand? Are you in the US ?

Thanks for the info! I am in the US. I have no antibiotics at the moment but I have Fish Mox on the way. I feel like my coop is clean. I use sand and have a poop board that I scrape every morning. And my girls free range all day.

 

[azygous]

Bacteria can crawl up a oviduct even in the cleanest of coops. It happens in my flock from time to time, and I also have sand and poop boards.

When the fish mox comes, give her 250mg per day for the next ten days. If this is infection, she should be noticeably better in just 24 hours and that would tell us we're right about the infection.

 

[Nickmr]

Bacteria can crawl up a oviduct even in the cleanest of coops. It happens in my flock from time to time, and I also have sand and poop boards.

When the fish mox comes, give her 250mg per day for the next ten days. If this is infection, she should be noticeably better in just 24 hours and that would tell us we're right about the infection.

Thank you! I will do that.

 

[Nickmr]

Bacteria can crawl up a oviduct even in the cleanest of coops. It happens in my flock from time to time, and I also have sand and poop boards.

When the fish mox comes, give her 250mg per day for the next ten days. If this is infection, she should be noticeably better in just 24 hours and that would tell us we're right about the infection.

Any advice on how to get my chicken to take the Fish Mox? Can you dissolve it in water and syringe it into her?

 

[azygous]

Step one. Pry open the beak.
Step two. Shove the pill into the beak.
Step three. Close the beak and she will swallow.

 

[Nickmr]

Step one. Pry open the beak.
Step two. Shove the pill into the beak.
Step three. Close the beak and she will swallow.

This is going to be fun.