HighlandCoop
In the Brooder
- Nov 21, 2023
- 8
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Hello! I have 9 laying hens (between 6 mo to over a year) and 4 baby chicks, all silkies. I noticed two of the silkies starting to have constantly “poopy” butts, and have seen a couple pass very watery stools. One seems to be drinking a lot more than usual, and she is having clear watery poop. I’m also noticing a couple of others sneezing more than usual.
I’m not sure how much of this could be due to the extremely volatile weather we’ve been having in TN lately (from 20s to 70s/80s in a couple of days, cycling through a few times now) and potential allergens in the air. I’ve read silkies can be really sensitive to drastic weather changes, like a lot of chickens.
I’ve also rotated a couple of brands of feed, and currently have them eating a mixture of “all flock crumbles” and starter crumbles (non-medicated) because 3 of the hens feed the baby chicken from the normal feeder, so I wanted to make sure the chicks were getting the right nutrients. I read somewhere that crumbles that break down could become dusty and cause sneezing? Is that real?
Could the diarrhea be due to higher protein feed?
I don’t see much discharge from their nostrils or notice facial swelling, but most are bearded silkies so it’s hard to tell on their faces.
Right now I’ve just started adding Recovery 911 to their water while I try to diagnose the problem. Any ideas of what could be going on would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
I’m not sure how much of this could be due to the extremely volatile weather we’ve been having in TN lately (from 20s to 70s/80s in a couple of days, cycling through a few times now) and potential allergens in the air. I’ve read silkies can be really sensitive to drastic weather changes, like a lot of chickens.
I’ve also rotated a couple of brands of feed, and currently have them eating a mixture of “all flock crumbles” and starter crumbles (non-medicated) because 3 of the hens feed the baby chicken from the normal feeder, so I wanted to make sure the chicks were getting the right nutrients. I read somewhere that crumbles that break down could become dusty and cause sneezing? Is that real?
Could the diarrhea be due to higher protein feed?
I don’t see much discharge from their nostrils or notice facial swelling, but most are bearded silkies so it’s hard to tell on their faces.
Right now I’ve just started adding Recovery 911 to their water while I try to diagnose the problem. Any ideas of what could be going on would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
