Silkie with Diarrhea

[Lisa G.]

Hi - I have a Silkie pullet who is 9 months old. She is not laying yet. She is very light, but she is also a small bird. She has had diarrhea on and off for a few weeks. She is slightly less active than usual, but has never been an exceptionally active bird. I have her inside now and she is eating (both layer feed and scrambled eggs) and drinking (water with nutri drench). All other chickens in flock seem completely fine and full of energy with solid poop. There is no blood or anything that calls out any specific cause for diarrhea. It's also very tough to tell because it gets all caught in her fluff. Thoughts????

 

[chicknmania]

Almost guaranteed it is either worms or Coccidiosis. If your vet will do a fecal float for you, you will know where to start. They aren't very expensive; here they're around 18.00 here, and don't let the vet say they won't do it because they're not a bird vet, because poop is poop, and the parasites are basically the same. If you don't have the resource to do that, both deworming and treating with Amprol (Corid) are safe to do without a fecal float, and will not hurt her (although I always do one at a time if I'm going to do both). Some birds are very susceptible to coccidiosis even though their flock mates may not be, especially young birds. As they get older, they should develop a sort of immunity to it. So, here's the question. Have you ever treated them for coccidiosis (and that includes feeding them medicated chick starter, or using Corid?) Or, have you ever dewormed them? If the answer to both questions is "no", then if I were you I'd start with the Corid; it's easy to use, 2 tsp per gallon in drinking water, and mix fresh every day, for five to seven days. If it's Coccidiosis, you should see a very quick improvement after you start the Corid. Treat the flock too, even if they're not showing symptoms. If you've done this before, then try deworming (if you haven't) with a broad spectrum dewormer There are several on the market including Safeguard (which is popular and easy to find). Just make sure you get a broad spectrum dewormer, and not one just for roundworms. Make sure you start RIGHT NOW with something, because birds can deteriorate very quickly, and they tend to conceal symptoms until they are very ill. It's good that she's eating and drinking; do everything possible to make sure she continues to. She can eat whatever she likes. Also, if you treat her for worms, treat the flock, too.

 

[Lisa G.]

thank you. Going to get on this right away. I got her at 4 months so I don't know if she got medicated feed. I have not ever wormed the flock (oldest are 2 years old).

Thanks for your help. Ordering Corid now.

 

[chicknmania]

thank you. Going to get on this right away. I got her at 4 months so I don't know if she got medicated feed. I have not ever wormed the flock (oldest are 2 years old).

Thanks for your help. Ordering Corid now.

You can, or should be able to, get Corid at your local feed store. Also Safeguard goat dewormer. I don't know the dosage for chickens in using the the goat dewormer as I get the Safeguard suspension from my vet, but th goat dewormer dosage is in a forum somewhere on here, if you search.

 

[Lisa G.]

amazon to the rescue!!

 

[chicknmania]

thank you. Going to get on this right away. I got her at 4 months so I don't know if she got medicated feed. I have not ever wormed the flock (oldest are 2 years old).

Thanks for your help. Ordering Corid now.

And lastly, you should deworm the flock twice a year, especially if you discover worms this time. We do. In some areas, it's not necessary, but it is here. We like Levamisol, you can put it in the drinking water and it's available on line. Although, you should periodically alternate dewormers to prevent resistance buildup. We get Levamisol from firststatevetsupply.com.

 

[Lisa G.]

thanks very much. I will do that as well.