Sick hen with watery diarrhea

[Chloebird]

Hi All,

This morning I noticed that one of my hens is sick. She is droopy and lethargic with ruffled feathers and watery, whitish diarrhea. She doesn't seem interested in food or water. Here are some useful (perhaps) stats: Zoey is about 10 months old, one of 8 hens, free ranging, fed organic layer pellets and a multivitamin. None of my other birds show any symptoms, but I did have one older hen die about 2 months ago....she also had watery diarrhea and died only a few days after showing any signs of illness. What should I do???

Thanks so much for any suggestions!

 

[TwoCrows]

Lots of things can make a hen look like this so you can only guess at this point. I would separate her out from the others as she may be contagious. Keep her in a small cage so you can watch her.

I would start her on antibiotics. And it might not hurt to start everybody on them. Since you recently lost another hen with the same symptoms, they may all be carrying what ever she has also.

Get some Duramycin from the feed store. This is a common antibiotic that most feeds stores carry. It is a broad spectrum antibiotic and takes care of most things.

Mix 1/2 teaspoon per quart of water if you only want to dose her, or 2 teaspoons per gallon for the entire flock. Make a new batch each day. Offer this up for 10 days. It is generally given for 7 -14 days, depending on the severity of the illness. So use your judgement if you need to continue.

If she is not eating or drinking, you can get a syringe, (without the needle) and fill it with 2cc's of this antibiotic water and shoot it down her throat. Make sure her head is elevated and back so it goes down the right pipe. Do this several times a day till she gets to drinking again.

I am sorry you are having so much troubles with your babies. I have been there too.

 

[Chloebird]

Thank you for your advice! She seems to have been cured by a trip to the nestbox. I guess I am just a little bit quick to worry since the sudden death of my other hen. I will get some duramycin to have on hand for an emergency, though...

 

[benoitchicks]

So I came across this post and I am new to owning hens and mine are about 8 months old and I have 3. My golden laced Wyandotte is really acting quiet and not interested in food and has poopie butt. I am scared there is something wrong or is she getting ready to lay for the first time? She forages around the yard but she seems to just be sitting in the shade all day and not her normal bossy self. She doesn't have a dull waddle either. She is drinking. How do u figure out if it is serious vs just normal pre-laying behavior? Poor Pebbles. i'm sure she'd appreciate any advice.