Sick hen

[Silkie fluff butts]

We have a rescued hen. Don't know her age or breed, but she still lays about 5 eggs a week and looks a lot like our Easter egger but Bantam sized. She's sweet and social. But she's had a couple of odd episodes of mostly clear, watery goo (instead of poop) seeping out of her when picked up. Previously, I thought maybe it was diarrhea due to too much fruit and veggie treats. But this time, she had no such thing and she is very lethargic. This time she really looks like she is sick. The only vet near us that will see chickens is gone for the day, so I'll try to get her in tomorrow. I'm just wondering if anyone has heard of this or knows what I can do to help her. THANK YOU!

 

[MROO]

If she has blood in her poo, she may well be fighting coccidiosis. You need amprolin - around me it's sold as Corid. Most feed or farm stores sell it. A pet store may have it under another name, sold for pet birds. As long as the active ingredient is amprolium, you're good. You'll need to lay a few drops alongside her beak (not IN it, she'll swallow it on her own.) Then empty all of her water and add some to her fresh water. Do not give her any water without the Corid in it. It's a benign treatment. If she doesn't have Coccidiosis, it won't hurt her. If she does, results can be dramatic ... like overnight. When she's done the treatment, be sure to give her a good poultry multi-vitamin supplement. Corid fights coccidia by starving it of B vitamins, so once the treatment is done, you'll need to make sure your hen gets the vitamins back into her system. Do NOT give her vitamins during the treatment, just afterwards, to keep her from crashing.
Good Luck!

 

[Silkie fluff butts]

If she has blood in her poo, she may well be fighting coccidiosis. You need amprolin - around me it's sold as Corid. Most feed or farm stores sell it. A pet store may have it under another name, sold for pet birds. As long as the active ingredient is amprolium, you're good. You'll need to lay a few drops alongside her beak (not IN it, she'll swallow it on her own.) Then empty all of her water and add some to her fresh water. Do not give her any water without the Corid in it. It's a benign treatment. If she doesn't have Coccidiosis, it won't hurt her. If she does, results can be dramatic ... like overnight. When she's done the treatment, be sure to give her a good poultry multi-vitamin supplement. Corid fights coccidia by starving it of B vitamins, so once the treatment is done, you'll need to make sure your hen gets the vitamins back into her system. Do NOT give her vitamins during the treatment, just afterwards, to keep her from crashing.
Good Luck!

 

[Silkie fluff butts]

Thank you! There isn't any blood. It's mostly clear and an oozey consistency. Just now she drank a bunch of water and now has a bit more energy.

 

[MROO]

So ... I'm hesitant to ask, but how did your hen fare?

 

[Silkie fluff butts]

She is doing well! She ended up bouncing back and by the next morning, looked totally fine. She does still have some diarrhea, but she seems to feel great and is eating and drinking well. I didn't use the Corid yet because it's our scheduled time to treat everyone for worms. I use Valbezen. So we're doing that first and then I'll do the Corid for her. I was afraid to use them both at the same time. What do you think?

 

[MROO]

She is doing well! She ended up bouncing back and by the next morning, looked totally fine. She does still have some diarrhea, but she seems to feel great and is eating and drinking well. I didn't use the Corid yet because it's our scheduled time to treat everyone for worms. I use Valbezen. So we're doing that first and then I'll do the Corid for her. I was afraid to use them both at the same time. What do you think?

I think you're a very concientious chickeneer! THAT's what I think! I'm glad she's doing well. If she doesn't look like she needs the Corid, then there's no need to put her through the treatment. I'm glad she's recovering!

 

[Silkie fluff butts]

I think you're a very concientious chickeneer! THAT's what I think! I'm glad she's doing well. If she doesn't look like she needs the Corid, then there's no need to put her through the treatment. I'm glad she's recovering!

Thank you so much for your encouraging words. ❤ I needed that! Anyway, she has done this before (this time was worse). So I think I'll follow up with Corid. I even wondered if maybe she ate something poisonous, but that doesn't quite add up either. Hmmmm

 

[Swbertrand1]

I don't think you need to treat for Coccidiosis without knowing she has it.

I'd be looking more at possible heat issues (your profile doesn't show where you're located), possible egg-binding, and crop issues for the symptoms you've described.

Too many treats for any bird is usually not a good thing. Ideally, you want to limit treats of any kind to less than 10% of their diet.

 

[Silkie fluff butts]

Ah, great advice! Thank you,! I'll look into crop issues. I hadn't considered that. With previous episodes, I though of heat or treats, but this time neither were a factor. We live in Vancouver WA and have had some significant heat spells, but they didn't coincide with her diarrhea.